Well, they say those who can’t do, teach. In that vein, an article from The Real Deal says Jeff Wilpon “has been running a separate company that develops stadiums, complexes, and other related real estate for a fee from sports teams and leagues, according to Bloomberg.”
Some things to keep in mind here.
First, it was Fred Wilpon and his brother-in-law, Saul Katz, who built what became the real estate empire. Like most children, Jeff Wilpon had no involvement in that.
Second, at the moment, according to Forbes, Sterling Equities (the Wilpons real estate arm) has yet to provide their share of the financing for the Islanders Belmont Arena.
Third, post construction of Citi Field and post-Madoff, according to New York Business Journal, shares in the Mets have seen a diminution in fair market value.
Last, and perhaps most important, the reason the Mets are being sold is because of Jeff Wilpon.
This is the same Jeff Wilpon who subjected the team to a lawsuit due to his firing an unwed pregnant woman. He’s forced players like Pedro Martinez to pitch against medical and manager advice. He also tried to intercede with Carlos Beltran getting career saving surgery. That’s all part of his meddling in medical decisions despite his lack of a college degree, let alone a medical one.
These behaviors and others is why Mets fans have been begging him to be gone. It’s not just fans. It’s his family which felt the same way with brother no longer being involved with the Mets due to the treatment of Kazuo Matsui, and eventually, the family, as reported by The New York Times, was “increasingly wary of having Jeff Wilpon, their aggressive, short-tempered relative, in charge of the family’s most valuable heirloom.”
So, there you have it. Despite no one wanting him to run things, and despite the inability to yet provide financing for the Islanders project, Jeff Wilpon is taking his show on the road to tell you exactly how it should be done.
Perhaps, there’s value there in that you can learn exactly what not to do. Mostly, this is something which would be hilarious if it wasn’t so real.