Newest Reinsdorf not shy about expressing his love for the Bulls
Bulls fans should relate well to Michael Reinsdorf, officially added to the front office last month as president and chief operating officer.
One of the entries on his resume is biggest sports fan in the Reinsdorf family. His obsession with the White Sox began in 1976, the first year of Bill Veeck's ownership and five years before Michael's father, Jerry Reinsdorf, led a group that purchased the team.
"When I grew up in Highland Park, there were two White Sox fans and I was one of them," Michael Reinsdorf joked. "I lived and died with the White Sox in the 70s; 1977 (when the Sox led the AL West most of the summer) was incredible. I remember making my dad take me to see Minnie Minoso when he played a couple games. ... So I know what it's like to be a fan."
But Reinsdorf won't be joining the White Sox' front office. He'll work with the Bulls, which became part of the family business in 1984. The younger Reinsdorf will oversee business operations, while the basketball staff will continue to report to Jerry.
Michael expects to be a United Center regular and stay involved with the day-to-day operations of the team, which is different from his father, who typically spends most of the winter at his home in Arizona. Michael described his father's business style as "more top-level looking down from 20,000 feet."
When his father became chairman of the Bulls, Michael had no trouble expanding his rooting interests.
"I think until I had kids, I never missed a (Bulls) home game," he said. "My buddies and I used to get to the games at 5:30. We set up shop and watched them warm up and we watched the game. We would be there for hours and hours and hours.
"Anyone who sits with me during a game, they'll see how excited I get, how emotional I am. When playoffs come around, I'm crazy. I'm into it. I think it scares my family sometimes when they see how much I'm into it. I understand at the end of the day, it's a game. But if you don't want to win, you shouldn't be involved."
It would be difficult to argue that the Bulls need much help generating revenue. Led by longtime marketing director Steve Schanwald, the Bulls led the NBA in attendance during the past decade and are known for strong in-game entertainment.
The United Center has remodeled many of its luxury suites in recent years to accommodate a wider variety of customers.
"It's not like the Bulls are broke, that's for sure," Michael Reinsdorf said.
In preparation for his newest role, Reinsdorf built his own sports management experience. He is a founding partner for the International Facilities Group, a consulting company specializing in the development of sports and entertainment facilities. He's also former owner of the Stockton (Calif.) Thunder minor-league hockey team.
He'd like to bring some of his minor-league training to the Bulls, especially when it comes to connecting with the fans and finding out what brings them to the games.
"In minor-league sports, you can try anything," he said. "If it doesn't work, no one cares. If it works, then you're a hero. It gave me a lot of positive experience."
Reinsdorf took advantage of one perk that comes with being an official team president by watching Bulls practice on Thursday at the Berto Center. He came away impressed with the revamped roster.
"This has got to be the best team we've had since the championship days," he said. "It's really exciting. It was exciting today to watch practice, the first practice I've seen. It was intense; they were working hard. We're going to be very, very prepared."