By now, most everyone in Charlotte's business community is aware of Bob Johnson's comments on the perils of doing business in Charlotte.
"Charlotte is a very, how would I call it, close-knit, arrogant, sometimes incestuous town," he said to a group of black business people earlier this month.
"...It's close-knit, and if you come to this town, and you look like you're one of those people that might break some glass ... it's going to be tough for them to relate to.
"The thing that concerns me is that I'm just surprised that the city doesn't do more for African-American small businesses. And I don't really understand that."
Johnson's words were harsh indeed, and might simply come down to sour grapes after a bad bet on the Bobcats? Still, I can't help wonder whether there is any truth in his statement? Has anyone heard this sentiment before; that black entrepreneurs have it especially hard in Charlotte, more than most other cities? Who are the entrepreneurs in town whose successes prove Johnson wrong, or whose failures prove him right?
Let's face it: Bob Johnson arrived in Charlotte boasting one of nation's best business minds; after founding and building Black Entertainment Television into a media juggernaut, he sold it to MTV for more than $3 billion. Somehow, though, Johnson stumbled badly in Charlotte. Most blame his aloofness to Charlotte, and his status as an absentee-owner. Others, albeit quietly, were always asking whether this Southern town was truly ready to deal with its first big-city black power broker. Any thoughts on this?
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18 comments:
Hmmm. Well, Charlotte has always been welcoming to newcomers, if for no other reason than the city's history is basically one of up by the bootstraps. Nobody here really had many airs that they could put on.
It's certainly possible that the southern white male power brokers in Charlotte didn't like Johnson because he was an insanely wealthy black man.
OTOH, why would official Charlotte sabotage its second NBA owner and the first black NBA owner? That seems pointless and not credible to me.
I think Johnson was likely quite arrogant, thought he could push people around in little old Charlotte and couldn't be bothered with the pressing of the flesh and community visibility that has always been the hallmark of successful business in Charlotte.
Might he, a Princeton-educated black man, have felt disdainful and haughty about having to deal with southern white good old boys? Arrogance and contempt cut both ways, you know.
Come on Ron! Your "Rolled over" column said it all when it comes to Bob Johnson. How can you write that column (an excellent exposure piece by the way), and then ask if we should give creedence to Johnson's remarks? If he'll treat another brother like Reggie Bowser the way he did, he has no credibility in my book. I'm surprised at you Ron. Seems like a no brainer to me. Maybe you should re-read your own article.
Harvey Gantt ring a bell?
Get a life and quit hating on successful,African American Businessmen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You can't relate to them, the glass ceiling comment is the truth.
Bob Johnson and Micheal Jordan made a business decision. What's the problem! Are you jealous?
I can't believe you are so racist and unappreciative.
I congradulate Bob Johnson and Micheal Jordan.
You guys keep up the good work and shake them negative haters off!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rhonda Mayse
Have you really stopped to think how many people in Charlotte cared less whether Bob Johnson was successful here or not and that it has nothing to do with race? Many of us, including myself, voted down a new arena and didn't want another NBA team. Local government went against our wishes and brought one here anyway.
Kudos to Mr. Johnson for making it big in AMERICA. I think it's great, just like Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Don Peebles, Quintin Primo and Bette Graham for example.
I wonder what obstacles the people above ran into before they found success and after they attained it. Some of them you might even have to look up and see who they are and what they are known for.
Don Peebles, African-American - The grandson of a hotel doorman, Don Peebles, worth $350 million, runs one of the country's largest minority-owned real estate development companies.
Quintin Primo, African-American - Primo founded Capri Capital in 1992with childhood friend Daryl Carter and achieved initial success extending mezzanine loans to small borrowers that larger firms neglected to serve. Today Capri's portfolio is larded with apartment complexes; the firm's assets under management have swelled to $4.3 billion.
Bette Graham, White American - Mother of Michael Nesmith of the "Monkey's" who also invented Liquid Paper. She and a select group of executives would build the Liquid Paper Corporation into a multimillion dollar international company which she finally sold to Gillette in 1980 for $48 million dollars.
I wonder how many obstacles Graham faced as a woman or how many Oprah faced as being Black AND a woman?
In the movie Pretty Woman, as their week is coming to an end, Edward tells Vivian he would like to put her up in an apartment pay expenses and see her again. It wouldn’t be like this week where she was paid to BE a prostitute. Vivian says she “wants the whole package” but Edward isn’t ready. He tells her he never treated her like a prostitute, but as he walks away and out of earshot, Vivian says “you just did”.
You asked the questions in your article as to how Johnson was treated in the eyes of Charlotteans, but in the end you wound up making him into the very thing you are trying to get answers to; a disgruntled, Black, rich man who blames his unsuccessful venture in Charlotte on other businesses run by Whites and not on the fact he did a lousy job all by himself of owning and running the Bobcats.
I live in Charlotte and we voted down the arena and they brought the NBA back and built it anyway. Bob Johnson brought Charlotte a product that we did not want and then tried to be an as* when people didn't come out and support it. The first year he tried to start a television network to show all the Bobcats games but most could not get it because he and TimeWarner set it up so you could only see the games if you had TimeWarner and you upgraded your monthly subscription to get it. The only thing this did was pis* people off. He hounded the business community for not doing more for him, but he was rarely ever here. I hope now that Jordan owns the team that he will get involved in the community and that the team will become a success. I enjoy going to the games and hope that they can get things turned around.
Bob Johnson's failures in Charlotte have nothing to do with him being black. It comes from him being to good to do what it takes to succeed in this area.
BJ has had one successful business where luck and timing was a large part of his success. To be successful, you must be involved in the business and when that business a "community focused" business, you might want to play the PR game and move to the community. All the city leaders wanted and would have embraced was his commitment to the city beyond writing checks for a poor basketball team.
Ron, he waited too long to get something right, but Bob Johnson was spot on about Charlotte's in-bred business community.
I hope he will be humble enough to take it back when MJ is rolling in cash.
He will probably just call MJ an "uncle tom" and accuse him of "selling out."
Denial, Jealousy, Envy = someone else's fault.
Here's the thing: Bob Johnson is a vicious clown using charges of racism to attack a Southern town. But he, himself, is a confidence man who has profited by stealing the labors of others. He shortchanged African-American performers on BET, paying them much less than white performers received on similar cable networks. He talks like Charlotte does not respect or honor a black man with power and wealth; hey, BJ, tell that to Harvey Gantt. You, sir, are a jackas$. We would have been so much better off if Larry Bird's group had been awarded a team, not because Bird is white but because he's a gentleman. You're a scam artist who exploited your own people to build your financial status. And you're such a bad businessman that you couldn't sell basketball in North Carolina. That shows how truly lucky you have been in life. And you have the arrogance to mistake your luck for acumen. Go away. Go find somebody else to fleece. God, I hope MJ has learned from your mistakes. There's one thing he does know because he is a Southern gentleman and his mama raised him right. A little humility and humor goes a long way when you're trying to sell people on a product. Go Charlotte's NBA team. I can't bring myself to call them the "Bob" Cats.
Bob arrived blowing the "I'm Black, the organization will be black, everything's black" horn and was so into the Look at me I'm the first black sports team majority owner...black, BLack, BLACK....
Dude - get over yourself. You had a better than fair opportunity if you came in here with an attitude of "I am here as the new owner and would like to provide an entertaining product that the community can embrace".
But no... greed drives isolating the TV exposure so most can't see it. Draft picks are close to announced as "let's draft Morrison because he will attract the white audience" - - I am white and came to see Okafor before I would come to see Morrison....
Community Service - Bob can CMS use the arena for graduation? Sure here is the rent you can pay for the day. ???
Bob, can the Checkers put their one Championship banner and one retired number in the rafters? NO, can they put them in a display case in the concourse? NO - hang them over the railing only when you have a game..... BUT I will put my daughters horse jump banner up there for all to see - and schedule the horse jump so the Checkers can play home playoff games elsewhere, and the 'Cats can play the last weeks of the season on the road....hahahahahahaha - - pay me - pay me - pay me? What you are not paying me enough... well it IS because I am BLACK you racist community.
Hey Bob - glad your gone. At a minimum I hope MJ changes the name to just plain CATS. I think he has a clue. You were so arrogant you had no clue.
How can you say Mr. Johnson "boasts one of the best business minds" when he willfully ignored the largest marketing survey that Charlotte has ever had (the rejected 6-5-01 Arena Referendum) and foolishly invested millions in a project the voters had overwhelmingly said THEY DIDN'T WANT? Duh!
"to a group of black business people" - - - why wasn't it just a group of business people. When someone is speaking to a group that happens to be all white, is it ever written, "speaking to a group of white business people?"
That was so irrelevant. ...and people wonder why we can't get past race.
Bob Johnson never had "it" - a great business mind. He just had one idea B.E.T., got lucky, but then sold it to his white counterparts. He had the opportunity to mean more to the black race and sold it for money/power. BET has done more to bring down the black race than it ever has done to build it up.
Talk about selling out.....
Just sour grapes. What Bob Johnson didn't seem to understand is that the NBA is a business, not a past time. How many games did he attend? Why should we care if you do not? How many winning seasons were under his watch? The NBA is a business, and if you put as little into it as Bob Johnson did, the result is to be expected. Furthermore, if the product is lousy, people won't pay money for it.
Bob Johnson had an inferior product that he didn't really care for, and now he is telling us it is our fault because it failed? No, the fact is Bob Johnson has no one to blame but himself. But, like many people, he thinks he is blameless. And by his logic, and the logic of many others, since he is blameless, someone else is to blame. And that someone is the city. Bob Johnson is bitter because he failed and it is his fault.
Bob Johnson failed with the Bobcats because no one knows they exist.
This entertainment industry businessman failed at his area of expertise. No form of media generated any interest or excitement for this team. They've always had very limited TV exposure. People all over the Carolinas should know about the Bobcats but very few in Columbia, Charleston, Wilmington or either Greenville even know they are a professional team. Maybe he just hired a bad marketing team but they desperately need national and regional exposure.
Best comment on there...Bob Johnson couldn't sell basketball in NC.
That truly says it all.
Now that MJ owns the team, I'm ready to embrace them.
Buh bye Bob...good riddance.
Ron,
You used the term "big city black power broker." If that is how Johnson sees himself then thats why he failed. I never liked BET. I as well as many other blacks have always felt that BET propogated an ignorant image of black people across the entire world. I also understand that most billionaires have not always made their money with decency either. His comments at the "black business meeting" were inapropriate and the blunders he made running the Bobcats from day one makes Princeton look bad. I dislike Bob Johnson even more now that we have seen him up close for the last six years.
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