Sporting KC
OPINION: Sporting Kansas City betrays fans with hiring of Gavin Wilkinson
Sporting Kansas City chose winning over what’s right. By hiring Gavin Wilkinson, they potentially irreparably betrayed the trust of their fans.
No other club.
You see it on the walls of Children’s Mercy Park.
You see it on Sporting Kansas City jerseys.
You see it all around Kansas City.
No other club.
Three words that have defined the relationship between fans and Sporting KC ever since the re-brand from the Kansas City Wizards. They’ve certainly defined mine. This club helped me find a community when I moved here from Los Angeles more than ten years ago. It helped me find a home.
No other club.
No other club has won an MLS Cup with a manager who also won an MLS Cup with that team as a player.
No other club has the Blue Hell as its home environment.
No other club claims its city as “The Soccer Capital of America.”
No other club hired Gavin Wilkinson as Sporting Director after he was named in the Yates report for his role in widespread misconduct in women’s soccer and failed to report a domestic violence incident involving then-Timbers player Andy Polo.
Wait, what?
Sporting Kansas City announced on January 11 that the former Portland Timbers executive had been hired as its newest front office executive. The announcement was curiously made during a mid-day press conference at the exact same time as MLS Media Day in Miami and while the United Soccer Coaches Convention was happening in Anaheim, CA. Interesting.
There was no Zoom link for national or remote media to attend or ask questions as there normally is for major club announcements. Curious.
There was no SportingKC.com homepage banner announcing an exciting addition to the front office staff. Odd.
There was no mention of Gavin Wilkinson by name nor his new position with the club in the tweet that announced the hire. Strange.
Sporting announces new technical staff appointments: https://t.co/JGOsSaHSPP pic.twitter.com/Nq4tnNW07p
— Sporting Kansas City (@SportingKC) January 11, 2024
It’s almost like Sporting KC knew this was a bad idea and did what they could to bury it.
As part of his statement on the hire, Sporting KC co-owner Mike Illig said, “Gavin is a strong principled individual worthy of a second chance that can and will represent the elevated standards and expectations of Sporting Kansas City well into the future.”
Really? So strong and principled that you tried to hide the hire from the light of day as much as possible? Something doesn’t add up.
At the introductory press conference, Peter Vermes and Mike Illig tried to hide behind the fact that a sports executive recruiting firm called Nolan Partners recommended Wilkinson as a finalist. They said they believe “people deserve a second chance, especially if they understand where they can improve and all those other things, and we saw that reflection in him.”
Peter Vermes and Mike Illig were not victims of abuse that Wilkinson ignored. They were not harmed by former Thorns coach Paul Riley because Wilkinson reportedly recommended him for another NWSL job with the Western New York Flash after being fired by the Portland. They were not abused by Andy Polo. Is it really the place of these powerful men to determine the sincerity of reflection and apology from Wilkinson? Or should that be left to women and victims of domestic and sexual abuse?
Daniel Sperry of the Kansas City Star asked a simple, yet important question of Peter Vermes during the press conference: Were any women involved in the hiring process?
“We have owners that are women, so were they consulted? This was a fast process, but it’s part of the ownership group’s vetting process and yeah, that would be it.”
That’s a lot of words just to say, “No.”
As KC Soccer Journal’s Mike Kuhn pointed out on Twitter, Sporting KC does not list any women in the ownership group on their website. It sure is convenient to be able to hide behind all those women owners when you need to justify a hiring like Wilkinson while not listing a single one on your own website.
Thinking about this answer from PV again, this is NOT a good answer, in fact it's really bad, considering these are the owners listed on the #SportingKC site. https://t.co/fgWfShMmEY pic.twitter.com/OOihQECpF7
— Mike (@downthebyline) January 11, 2024
As I mentioned Thursday on Twitter, I don’t look to my favorite sports teams to be my moral compass. I do, however, expect that they will not actively enable and perpetuate sexual abuse or willfully employ and put people in positions of power who do. That seems like a pretty low bar.
Or so I thought.
Sporting KC’s press conference announcing Wilkinson’s hire only made things worse for me. An “apology” read by Wilkinson that was carefully crafted nearly a year and a half after the Yates report came out only infuriated me more. Does apologizing and trying to take responsibility for mistakes only after you get a new job in an effort to save face really count as an apology?
This is the club whose main supporters’ group has regularly held up signs and tifos stating “All are welcome.” Does hiring someone like Gavin Wilkinson make supporters who are women feel welcome? Victims of domestic abuse? Sexual abuse?
I am not a woman. I have not experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse. And yet I feel uncomfortable and disgusted by this move. Imagine what they are going through after this announcement. Imagine what it feels like Sporting KC said to them today about their importance to the club or value as human beings. Do they feel welcome at a club who clearly chooses winning above morals and ethics?
Vermes did mention how having Wilkinson as part of the technical staff will allow him to re-focus solely on soccer. “I’m actually really excited to get a little bit of my life back,” he said.
I’m glad you are Peter. I’m glad you feel good about this move and will get some peace of mind while many fans sit here and wonder how the club they have loved for so many years could go so far astray.
In my more than a decade of watching, cheering for, and covering this club, I have seen my fair share of controversies and debates among the fan base. Never have I seen a club decision so swiftly and passionately unite the fan base the way this decision has. Only this time the damage may be irreparable.
Will the anger and disgust from fans turn to action? Will it do anything to change the minds of Peter Vermes, Mike Illig, and Jake Reid? Would Sporting KC actually reverse course, admit their massive mistake, and part ways with Gavin Wilkinson? Only time will tell. My money is on no. If they made this decision knowing his history, I don’t know why they would reverse course now.
No other club.
I will forever be grateful to Sporting KC for making me feel welcome in Kansas City all those years ago. I will forever have fond memories watching the team I loved lift trophies, break records, and win games at Children’s Mercy Park.
But if Gavin Wilkinson remains a part of Sporting Kansas City? As long as that is the case, for me there will be no other club.
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This.
I’ve mentioned in other threads that I am no longer in KC, but in Denver. But I am a ride or die KC boy in all sports. Boycotting SKC isn’t going to make a difference because I’m not a regular at CMP. But I have been trying to get back once a summer and very much following from afar. I have also mentioned that part of my soccer journey has been with my now adult daughter, starting with watching the ’99 World Cup when she was 9. I am very excited to get us to a Current game this summer in the first women’s only soccer stadium. We were hoping the schedules would work out for us to do a Sporting-Current double. Now – gross.
I was already looking forward to going to CPKC. But now I’m definitely leaning toward putting my intended $99 for Season Pass and the cost of my normal couple SKC games per year entirely toward the Current instead this year. Doesn’t hurt that the Royals are finally stirring in their grave, either.
I feel a little helpless, myself, living in NorCal and having no ties to KC other than the team. I love hearing that the ‘99 World Cup was a special and pivotal moment for you and your daughter… it was for me and my dad, too!
Out of curiosity – and to lighten the subject a bit – how does a NorCal girl become a Sporting fan?
Well, after the 2014 WC I was pretty intrigued by the USMNT. When I saw so many from that squad played in MLS, the $8 subscription for the back half of the 2014 season more than sold itself. I watched some of the heavy hitters like LA, Seattle, RSL (don’t @ me! I grew up up watching Kreis at Duke and he was my first tru luv) before I finally got to see my first Sporting game. It was in July, at home against Chicago and two things really struck me. First, and likely remembered by many, was Dwyer scoring a goal then running over to the supporters and taking a selfie with Soony Saad. I remember thinking: “Who is this showman with the biggest calves I have ever seen?” It was by far the most exciting thing I’d seen so far in my initial foray into to MLS. But the second thing was far more impactful than even Dom Dwyer antics. In the second half, Graham Zusi came on as a late sub. I of course knew who he was after Brazil, but that didn’t matter. I was watching on a shitty old iPad with a cracked screen and a busted speaker, but I could still feel what was happening in what was then Sporting Park. The crowd was electric, so excited to celebrate and welcome him back after a successful turn in Brazil (I don’t believe Besler made the 18). It didn’t compare to anything else I’d seen in MLS, and I was hooked. It was a loud, proud, inclusive fan ommunity that I wanted to be a part of.
And for ten years I’ve tried to be a part of it, though looking back now it is quite bittersweet. That 2014 environment feels so far from where we are now I almost wonder if it was real.
Love that you shared this story!
Ditto! My sporting story is relatively boring – slap a KC on it, I’m in – that is nice to hear something more nuanced.
Spot on.
I look to sport to escape, if only briefly, the political and moral discussions that permeate life. This hire makes it impossible to do that.
There’s guilt by association, and I don’t want to be branded as condoning SA because of the scarf I wear.
Sporting was definitely an escape for me, too, and a huge source of comfort and happiness. But if there was ever a reason for me personally to give it up and take a stand against the direction the club is going, it’s this.
I just don’t even understand the benefit of hiring the guy. Sure, he’s cheap but he’s going to cost you more than he saves if 10-20 season ticket-holders leave because of him. And what about PV? I don’t like his youth development, but I’ve always liked him. How does he feel about having his name paired with Wilkinson’s? How does he feel about his daughters seeing him shake hands with a guy who lets wife-beaters and sexual-harassers prance around willy-nilly? Reporters: Please ask PV this and suggest that punching Wilkinson square in the mouth would go a long way to making his daughters feel less gross.
Well said. Have to say I agree with every word. But maybe one thing was left out: was there really No Other Candidate? PV could get a little of his life back with quite a few qualified smart people out there who’d love to work for such a storied franchise (including, I’d bet, some women). So why was this the only possible choice, when they HAD to know there’d be blowback? I’m just mystified by why this had to be the hire.
Exactly my question too. You’re telling me that this firm SKC hired to conduct the search determined that a former disgraced executive mired in controversy was a top candidate? And then SKC said yeah, we agree with your evaluation, lets hire him. It’s a terrible decision from any angle.
One wonders if Gavin and Peter have some previous connection.
According to the Wiki, his entire playing career was in New Zealand, except for 2001-06 with the Timbers, who he then went into coaching and front office. No clear links. Which seems worse.
Per Fox 4: “Vermes and Wilkinson have known each other for years, and Vermes said Wilkinson was the best candidate to work with him.”
https://fox4kc.com/sports/sporting-kc/sporting-kc-hires-former-timbers-thorns-executive-named-in-yates-report/amp/
Where’s the part about atoning for sins? Looks like some weak apologies and some that didn’t happens. He took a class. Okay, that’s a start. A very first step on a journey that shouldn’t already be back in charge. The SKC front office needs a flush.
Fox 4 published an article today confirming that exact thing. It seems like Vermes was the catalyst for Wilkinson ‘s hire.
So yeah. Vermes out, again
In the press video there were 14 other final candidates. Peter chose this chucklefuck. He chose him because he has MLS experience, has won a title, and a third thing that I can’t remember.
The third thing was probably, “he’s really, really sorry for his actions.”
He’s willing to be another stooge for Vermes.
#ReidOut #WeDeserveBetter
This has been my club since I was a kid. I was born in 96, so I’m not a true 96er, but I can remember going to 1st grade with my KC Wizards folder and putting my favorite subject in their every year. This team has meant a lot to me (and a ton of other people), so to have them go and make a decision like this is infuriating. PV’s comments about women weighing in is just so false and cowardly. Myself, and many others it seems, feel powerless to do anything in the face of this. I don’t even live in KC anymore so it’s not like I can even cancel tickets or anything that has a financial impact (apparently the only thing they care about). I can take down my flags and not wear the jerseys, but that won’t make a difference to the owners one bit–and that sucks.
I was a fan of this club way before any of these jokers got put in charge, so I refuse to give up supporting the players. But there’s no way that I can support the ownership group in this decision. It’s easy to say that something must be done from afar when I won’t be able to do anything they will see, but I sincerely hope that the fans in KC will be able to do something big enough to make the ownership group understand that this is not their club. It belongs to the people, not the billionaires that have stupid amounts of money to throw around.
I’m struggling with this aspect, too. I don’t follow clubs for the owners or managers. I do it for the players and the joy on the field and the community. It helps tie me to a place, as a person without deep family roots anywhere. And I’m pretty uncomfortable with the idea of letting that go because a few dudes are being gross.
My perspective (and this is not to say yours (or anyone’s who is wrestling with how to move forward as a supporter)is wrong or that you should change it) is that the joy and community is both built on the backs of and fostered by employees who are largely already in thankless jobs. They are the foundation of the club that allows us to put those players on a pedestal. Yet they are the ones now forced to work for a person (or if not directly him, an ownership group who enabled this) with a history of fostering hostile work environments and disregard for the safety of women. What about them? Who is supporting them?
I loved this team and considered following Sporting my absolute favorite thing for a decade. But, for me at least, this is so much bigger than just a couple of (absofuckinglutely) gross dudes.
You seem awfully upset because the majority does not agree with your view. I am sorry you feel the need to come on here and insult others’ opinions. You are entitled to your views, but if you don’t show respect to others then nobody on here is going to respect what you have to say.
Not to defend him but the Polo thing was a bit different. There was no attempted coverup and an investigation found club incompetence or something like that.
That’s not really accurate.
And incompetence is the selling point?
Unfortunately this is just sports in KC, Jevon Belcher, Larry Johnson, Justyn Ross and Tyreek Hill. They take a blind eye approach to character and especially abuse to women. Why I hate sports in the US but expected better from Sporting, not sure why
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Mike Illig being club president is a huge problem. He will wreck this club and sell it to someone else.
This is why I’m burned out on baseball and football. The skills and the money seem to matter more than the morality. Not a hardcore SKC fan by any means, never going to be at this rate. What a dumbass decision these idiots have no idea what their fanbase is. They may have just killed the team.
This is not an endorsement of the hire, i know nothing about the guy beyond what is public knowledge. He seemed to have made some poor judgement calls on how to deal with things in Portland, but from my understanding he didnt actively abuse anyone, correct? If that is the case, i really do think he is owed a second chance somewhere. It is a bit unfair that people who have evidence that they actually are responsible for abuse or ill intent such as Willie Gay, Tyreek Hill, Sean Payton and bounty-gate, etc. are allowed second chances, and this guy isnt. I could totally be missing something, in which case please educate me, but the reaction does feel very strong.
I appreciate the question. I would encourage you to read more about the pattern of behavior and poor judgement Wilkinson displayed in his roles with the Thorns and Timbers. You’re correct, he was not the one directly abusing anyone. But, he was made aware of Paul Riley’s abuse allegations in 2015 and did not cite those as reasons why he was firing Riley. Mistake number 1. He then went on to give Riley a positive recommendation and said he “would hire him again” when Riley interviewed with the Flash, per the Yates report. Mistake number 2 (and his second chance at better judgement). Then, when he was made aware of domestic abuse allegations against a Timbers player years later, he did not report those as required by the league and Timbers staff attempted to discourage the victim from reporting the abuse, per reports. There is a pattern of behavior that is well documented through very thorough reporting on Wilkinson that goes beyond “he deserves a second chance.” He’s had multiple chances. If he wants another, he doesn’t have to jump right to the front of the line for another coveted, well-paying front office job.
Regarding comparisons to players like Tyreek Hill, I don’t think those are quite fair because they are vastly different circumstances. As you said, Wilkinson wasn’t directly responsible for abuse. The NFL has a clear track record of dismissing/overlooking abuse (which is bad!), so those are sadly unsurprising; however, many people did speak out against those players. A front office executive responsible for the long-term strategy and culture of the club should be held to a much higher standard. He has not shown appropriate remorse to many, and went so far as to continue to assert the investigation/report that he reportedly did not willingly participate in was wrong without citing specific sources.
Lastly, I would encourage you to look at the reaction from many fans who are women or victims of abuse. They do not feel seen by the club because of this. They do not feel heard by the club. They do not feel valued. The club seemingly consulted zero women when making this decision.
It’s all around a poorly thought out decision at the best interpretation of it. There are other qualified candidates who do what Wilkinson did in terms of building teams and developing talent at an equal or better level.