Should sports fans have a say in the firing of NFL coaches?

At any given point, countless NFL fanbases are furious with their team’s ownership and management. Maybe it’s time to give them a say in decisions?

There were seven NFL head coaches fired during or after the 2021-22 season. Throw in three general managers and you have some serious upheaval among NFL teams. It’s costly to owners, the search process is rancorous and appears to be flawed when it comes to making good long-term decisions about NFL franchise leadership. From 1990-2020, the average term of a head coach without a Super Bowl appearance is 3.6 years according to research from Ben Lyso of The Vikings Territory.

Should fans have a say in the decision to fire a coach or general manager? After all, fans foot the bill to pay the exorbitant general manager’s and head coach’s salaries by purchasing tickets, merchandise, food and beverage, parking and NFT’s. Even the television and social media metrics that drive handsome contracts from sponsors and property rights holders are the result of fan participation.

Owners regularly opine about fans being the lifeblood of the franchise. They can reward fans for their support after a losing season by asking for their opinion. If not a vote, maybe an officially sanctioned poll conducted by an unbiased firm?

Could the collective wisdom of fans make better choices than an NFL owner?

Citizens of the United States are used to electing leaders or recalling them during their term. A recall (basically a vote to fire a political leader) begins with a petition that requires a minimum number of citizen signatures. Then an election is called for citizens to vote to recall the politician and select another candidate. In 2003, California Governor Gray Davis was recalled and replaced by actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2021, there were well over 100 recall efforts across the United States according to Ballotpedia. California Governor Gavin Newsome recently won his recall election but faced an expensive, embarrassing citizen revolt to have him removed from office. The recall mechanism for unpopular, sometimes corrupt political leaders is a symbol of our democratic process. Even if a leader has the comfort of a four-year term, they can lose their job if organized citizen’s groups rise up and recall them.

Barcelona FC is a shining example of fans (socios) participating in the democratic process. A socio is a paid member of the organization with the right to elect a team president every six years or recall the president with a no-confidence vote. MLS’s Seattle Sounders FC have similar democratic procedures in place. The Green Bay Packers are publicly owned but shareholders have no vote on team matters.

There is an argument that fans don’t comprehend sports business at the highest level and would be irrational when it comes to key leadership decisions. If fans are given a say in determining the status of a head coach, there would be frequent leadership turnover at a high cost to team owners. And the wisdom of crowds isn’t always reliable. If Patriots fans had a vote on Bill Belichick’s status after his first season record of 5-11, they likely would have ousted him. When given the opportunity to name a minor league soccer franchise in San Diego, fans selected San Diego Footy McFooty Face. But Barcelona and Seattle have astutely written guidelines on fan voting to assuage extreme outcomes. Both franchises have a history of stable management, with success both on and off the field.

Today, an owner might look at the team performance, player morale, salary cap management, in-game strategy, off the field issues, internal workstyle, media carping and sponsor unrest as factors when considering the replacement of a GM or head coach. Fans currently exercise their dissatisfaction to management by not showing up to games or worse, attending with the hideous brown bag over their head.

An official fan poll, sanctioned by the league, could be a useful tool to take some pressure off an owner to make a change. Let’s say a poll conducted after a losing season concluded that 60 percent of fans had “no confidence” in a team GM. That could be a determining factor and used as “cause” for firing, relieving owners of costly long-term contract payouts. Owners would still take into consideration other factors that might supersede the fan poll.

Naturally, the fan poll would be unpopular with coaches or GMs who are used to having leverage with owners. But sports franchises are a unique business entity. On paper, except for the Packers, they are owned by wealthy individuals and private equity firms. In reality, fans’ passion for the team is unlike any connection to a business; their time and financial investment, along with their emotional attachment is on par with the owner of a franchise, perhaps even stronger. Sports teams might find that elevating fan involvement in their franchise through a poll spurs fan growth and overall revenue. Look at the aforementioned franchises: Barcelona FC, Seattle Sounders and the Green Bay Packers. All three have prodigious and spirited fan bases.

The fan poll concept mirrors the burgeoning blockchain movement to decentralize institutions and empower users. Fans currently have no voice in the running of professional sports franchises they passionately support. Perhaps now is the time to empower fans, starting with a postseason poll on failing team leadership. Cowboys fans might have something to say about their current head coach.