Om Field: A Word on Karl Swanson

[Om]

A Word on Karl Swanson
May 5, 2010

Few men I have met support the old adage "I would rather be respected than liked" better than Karl Swanson.

The Washington Redskins long-time Senior Vice President of Public Relations and owner Daniel Snyder's top lieutenant at Redskins Park, Swanson stepped down from his position this week.

Much has been written about Swanson over the years, precious little of it flattering. On a scale of 1 to 10 on the Liked Scale, I think it's safe to say Karl Swanson would barely move the needle. What I find amusing about that is, in the privacy of his own mind, I think that might just please him.

Karl doesn't do maudlin so I wouldn't go there even if I thought it appropriate. But I do think he might appreciate this little vignette, as recalled through the eyes of someone who was paying attention ...

The initial meeting between internet fan site Extremeskins ("ES") and the Washington Redskins happened to fall on the day the Redskins' 2005 regular season schedule was announced.

I was one of four ES representatives on hand that day, and if memory serves, there were somewhere in the neighborhood of ten Redskins reps.

Three of us ES types were at the big conference table (the fourth opted for an easy chair off to one side—that's how he rolls), along with three or four team Suits and a couple of intern types.

Arrayed around the room, standing against the walls and in front of the big picture windows overlooking the practice field, were another half-dozen or so team reps, wearing everything from $2500 suits to $25 polos.

And against one wall, by himself, in business casual and comfortably ensconsed in an easy chair, was Karl Swanson. I'm pretty sure he had an unlit cigar in his hand whole time, but that could just be memory filling in the blanks with what the minds' eye says should have been there.

Karl didn't have much to say that day. Which was understandable, given it was he who brokered the meeting and got that unlikely assemblage in the room in the first place. If the merger was going to work, the fanboys and the Suits were going to have to be able to find common ground. Only so much Swanson could do at that point, and I had the impression he was simply sizing up and assessing the interaction between the message board geeks and the professional football franchise.

Or I suppose he could have just been bored out of his mind ...

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[Homercles82]

Pretty good read. I like the story about the schedule.

[Mark The Homer]

Nice read. Linking this to the history page.

http://extremeskins.com/showthread.php?t=316471

[Art]

Nice read Om.

There are lots of stories from that day. This is one of the good ones .

[Om]

... and one of the ones that can ever be told.

Thanks brother.

[KDawg]

... and one of the ones that can ever be told.

Thanks brother.

What happens at Redskins Park, stays at Redskins Park.

[E-Dog Night]

... and one of the ones that can ever be told.

Thanks brother.

I'd like hang out one of these days & buy you a nice tall glass of sodium pentathol.

[Om]

Ah, you'd be disappointed.

We just like to pretend we're important. It's what fanboys do.

[Rocky21]

OM,
Good moving the needle metaphor and the Christmas analogy was perfect.
Nice work.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

On a scale of 1 to 10 on the Liked Scale, I think it's safe to say Karl Swanson would barely move the needle. What I find amusing about that is, in the privacy of his own mind, I think that might just please him.

Which is why PR was the perfect career for him.

Wait...what?

[Om]

Cute, LKB, but off target.

For one thing, Swanson's wasn't the face man, he was largely behind the scenes. You don't need to be Miss America to run a PR department from the corner office.

For another, the Liked Scale I was referring to isn't some objective Ivory Tower assessment from On High, it's what fans and media think of the man based on what they think they know.

Swanson could have cared less if we liked him. Liking him personally has nothing to do with how well he did his job. And there's nobody reading these words who has enough basis in fact to make an informed judgment on that.

Which I know will drive you crazy, by the way, so I hereby exempt you from that assessment.

[Old Bay]

...it's what fans and media think of the man based on what they think they know.

True that. I didn't expect the write up to go that way because I've heard nothing but bad of the guy. But it's nice to see an acurate first hand account view of an individual, so thank you for that.

[HOF44]

Swanson could have cared less if we liked him. Liking him personally has nothing to do with how well he did his job. And there's nobody reading these words who has enough basis in fact to make an informed judgment on that.

I know he is well liked by most I know who have met him. But he was head of PR for the Redskins and Dan Snyder.

The Redskins nor Snyder appear to have shaped the public perception in a very positive light with Karl leading the way. Is it that he's awesome and the way they have actually looked is the best a great PR guy can do with what he has to work with?? Or was he not very effective at it?

[Om]

I know he is well liked by most I know who have met him. But he was head of PR for the Redskins and Dan Snyder.

The Redskins nor Snyder appear to have shaped the public perception in a very positive light with Karl leading the way. Is it that he's awesome and the way they have actually looked is the best a great PR guy can do with what he has to work with?? Or was he not very effective at it?

Wish I could give you a better answer than "I don't know", HOF, but if I'm being honest it's the best I can do. It has certainly appeared over the years that the Redskins under Snyder have screwed the PR pooch a few times ... but that appearance as you well know is what the media tells us it is, and what the team replies (when they bother to), and what the rest of us try to decipher from all the noise.

The local press, or at least the Post, have had a long-running adversarial relationship with the team that has colored the coverage the rest of us get to read about events. Whose "fault" that is, or that what extent each side is at fault, is simply not something we are ever going to know.

One thing I think I do know ... if he trusted you not to repeat it to the world, Swanson would probably tell you himself exactly when and where he screwed up. I just never got the sense he really cared one way or another what people those who didn't know the whole story think about what they think they know.

[Duckus]

Interesting read. I have no doubts that Swanson is a smart, intelligent and hardworking individual.

However, in my opinion he failed at PR – and I think we can judge him on that. The Redskins have been a PR disaster for years. No one could argue with the fact that the Redskins have had an unhealthy relationship with the media, our fans or even NFL fans in general.

I am glad he is gone and that new blood will be in DC but I wish him all the best in the future.