However, in this inaugural episode of Season 2, we discuss the pure joy of sports, specifically baseball. Tom Fox is joined by 3 rabid and lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers fans, each of whom fell in love with the Dodgers in a different era. Adam Turteltaub is the Chief Engagement & Strategy Officer at the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics and Health Care Compliance Association. Louis Amestoy is a longtime digital journalist and the Editor and Publisher at The Kerr County Lead. Mike Whitmire is the Co-founder & CEO at FloQast.

They all share how and when they fell in love with the Dodgers, favorite memories and players, and what the Dodgers mean to them to this day. If you love all things baseball, this is the podcast for you.

As Boston sports fans passionately hold their journalists accountable, Tom and Kyle discussed the implications of this shift, the importance of beat writers, and the need for well-rounded journalism skills to transition between disciplines. They also highlighted the importance of handling layoff announcements with respect and sensitivity to show those affected the necessary dignity. This conversation provides insight into the controversy of outsourcing sports journalism and its potential effects on the quality of content readers receive.

Key Highlights

·       Beat Reporting Role

·       Boston Sports Fans

·       Outsourcing Sports Journalism

·       Sports Journalism Transitions

·       Layoff Announcements

In today’s episode, Tom and Stephen look at the sale of the team formerly known as the "team who will not be named," the investigation surrounding Alabama Crimson Tide basketball player Brandon Miller, and MLB's changes to the game such as the size of the bases, clocks on pitchers and hitters and outlawing shifts; all in the hopes of speeding up the game. Tom and Stephen explore the stories from different perspectives and always keeping their compliance audience in mind. Learn more with Sports and Compliance and keep up with current sports news, with a dash of compliance laid in.

Key Highlights

·       The Mary Jo White Report and Confidence in the NFL [00:03:56]

·       The Alabama Basketball Imbroglio [00:06:53]

·       The Consequences of Poor Decision Making [00:10:33]

·       The Impact of Baseball's Rule Changes on the Game [00:13:49]

·       The Impact of the Shift on Baseball [00:17:13]

·       Baseball Speed Up: Positive Effects on Keeping Fans Interested [00:19:56]

Notable Quotes

1.    "You don't often see it when somebody causes their own problems and then ask to be identified for them, but we've seen that with CEOs before." 

2.    "It's a classic example of a couple of things we see in compliance. Star performers. Sometimes there's just different rules for them. Right? And that's just how it goes." 

3.    “It's just it's shocking to me that Alabama has done it this way.""

4.    "You can't just say, I'm being mistreated. We've had that conversation in our household the last few days about what's fair and when rules are in place, what happens? And these are all good things to understand because they're there are consequences whether positive or negative to rule changes and you can figure them out." 

In this episode, we take up the imbroglio involving the US Men’s National Soccer team.  Our topics include:

·      Is whistleblowing for revenge valid?

·      Is a 30-year-old event the basis for termination?

·      What are the responsibilities of a player to a coach? From a coach to a player?

·      What should the investigation entail?

Resources

San Stejskal’s In USMNT’s Berhalter/Reyna saga, everyone involved faces an uncertain future

In The Athletic.

In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Fine, co-host of the Great Women in Compliance podcast, Buffalo NY native and uber Buffalo Bills fan. We take a deep dive into the Damar Hamlin injury from the compliance and leadership perspectives. Our topics include 

·      Lisa’s reflections on the annus horribillus Buffalo had in 2022 and how the Bills are in many ways they are the city’s glue. 

·      How did we all feel watching it in live time. 

·      What were the NFL’s policy and procedural failures in crisis response and management.

·      The leadership demonstrated by the coaches and players in the face of being told to return to play.

·      Why verifying information before reporting it is so critical.

·      The role ESPN.

·      The role of the stadium EMS personnel.

·      How this story has united the entire country in a way not seen for some time. 

In this episode, we consider the hiring by the Indianapolis Colts of Jeff Saturday to be a head coach. Saturday is a former All-Star player, playing most of his career for the Colts. He was hired to be the interim coach after the firing of Frank Reich. He was hired by owner Jim Irsay. We consider whether he was hired to tank and the implications around that issue. The Colts did not follow the Rooney Rule and we consider that issue. What does this hire say about the NFL coaching fraternity. Saturday won his first game against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

We take a deep dive of the hire through the lens of a corporate compliance program and consider what happens if you bring in an unexperienced CCO to run your compliance function. 

This inaugural episode considers the ethical and cultural trainwreck which is the 2022 Brooklyn Nets. From a star player who tweets about antisemitic movies and tropes to a ham-handed firing of their head coach to the courting of a replacement who is a currently suspended NBA coach replace him (as in suspended for violation of a team’s sexual harassment rules); the Nets are as close to an ethical trainwreck as we have recently seen. Find out what leadership and compliance lessons there are to be garnered from this series of very self-inflicted ethical wounds.

Resources:

Tom in the FCPA Compliance and Ethics Blog