June 16, 2005

Feature: Peter Wilt Ripped from the Fire

Story by Dan Shalin

Deposed Chicago Fire general manager Peter Wilt said he felt like he was attending his own funeral. Such was the outpouring of affection from fans, employees, media and players the week the news broke that Major League Soccer benefactor Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) was replacing the League’s longest serving GM, and the only person to hold that post in Fire history.

The official announcement was made just days before the Fire’s 2005 home opener, its last curtain-raiser at Soldier Field before moving to a new stadium next year. The decision did not play well in the Windy City, where Wilt, 45, is held in the highest regard. Fire employees and players were united in their disappointment. Fans voiced their anger on Web sites and organized protests for the game against San Jose.

“They took his team away and they took his stadium away. He built it all,” said Don Crafts, one of the founding fathers of the Barn Burners cheering section. “(Wilt) is more important (to the Fire) than any player.”

Wilt, who turned down the option of seeing out his contract in a lesser capacity, was replaced by John Guppy, a Brit who had been assistant GM of the MetroStars, another one of the five MLS teams owned by AEG. With this ownership setup, it’s the League’s general managers who truly run the show, and few were as successful as Wilt.

The Fire entered the league in 1998 and quickly became one of MLS’s model franchises, both on and off the field. The team has regularly contested League and Cup titles. Wilt was named the League’s Executive of the Year in that first season and in 2004 was named to the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame. The Fire was chosen as MLS’ Fan Friendliest Team in 2003 and is currently one of four finalists for the University of Massachusetts Prism Award for Excellence in Professional Team Sports Management. Wilt also helped the organization overcome obstacles such as the two-season relocation in the suburbs during Soldier Field’s renovation and the departure of many star players.

Arguably Wilt’s crowning achievement was securing the public financing for the team’s 70 million dollar soccer-specific stadium set to open in South Suburban Bridgeview in 2006.

“(Playing for the Fire) has been a unique experience and Peter is a big part of why it has been,” said midfielder Jesse Marsch, one of the team’s originals. “With this team, there are so many things to be proud of. Winning has been great, but we’ve been about doing things the right way and treating people the right way and that comes from the top.”

Perhaps most unique was Wilt’s warm relationship with the Fire fans; specifically with the renowned Section 8 crowd, who regarded the jovial Chicagoland native as one of their own. It was not unusual to see Wilt tailgating with fans before a game or, clad in a club scarf, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Barn Burners behind the Fire goal. He conversed regularly with the fans on soccer Web sites, purchased beers for Fire die-hards at road games and once even bought season tickets for a supporter who had lost his job. If it seemed like something from a bygone era, it was. Wilt idolized legendary Chicago White Sox owner Bill Veeck, and vowed to emulate Veeck’s fan-first style if he ever got the chance.

“(Veeck) always said that everyone in sports, at the end of the day, is working for the fans, our customers. It’s the same philosophy for any successful business,” Wilt said. “What you’re really trying to do is create emotional connections and that means connecting with the fans on a one-on-one basis.”

However, when it came to soccer, Wilt, who previously ran the A-League’s Minnesota Thunder, eschewed Veeck’s flair for odd-ball gimmicks—think Comiskey Park’s exploding scoreboard or the shower in the outfield bleachers—in favor of selling the game in its pure form. It was what the true soccer fans said they wanted, and he listened to them.

“There is a reason God gave us two ears and only one mouth,” Wilt is fond of saying.

Employees have described Wilt as “impossible not to like” and praised his ability to hire talented people and trust them to do their jobs. Players called him a friend whom they could speak to about anything and someone who was always up-front during contract negotiations. Fire head coach Dave Sarachan said he’ll remember Wilt as a champion of the underdog and as someone able to converse comfortably with anybody.

“No matter what function we’ve been at, he gets hoots and hollers and high fives (from fans). I’ve been with other GMs and they generally get booed,” said Sarachan, whom Wilt hired two years ago.
All the success and admiration made Wilt’s unceremonious ouster that much more vexing, and the timing of the decision left many, including Wilt, feeling betrayed and confused.

“It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. When I found out, my head was spinning, I couldn’t sleep and I wondered why this happened,” said Wilt, whose bio in the Fire media guide begins with the line “Peter Wilt is living a childhood dream...”

AEG’s reason for the change appears to be rooted in a desire to increase the flow of corporate sponsorship dollars into the Fire coffers. Though the organization has recently set sponsorship sales records and has already sold nearly half of the new stadium’s luxury suites, the folks in California obviously felt there was more money to be made. Guppy, who had been in charge of corporate sponsorships in New Jersey, praised Wilt at Fire media day, then quickly turned his attention to corporate types, saying the organization would work closely with them to “deliver ROI (return on investment).”

“We can improve as a business and that’s an important reason why I’m here,” said Guppy, formerly an executive at Octagon Sports Marketing. “Across the board: ticket sales, sponsorship sales, merchandise and all of our revenue streams, we can do better and that’s the area I’m going to be focusing on.”

As Guppy and Wilt, who profess to be friends, appeared together at a few awkward press conferences throughout that first week, some local scribes pointed out the contrast between the two: Wilt, the bubbly, casually-dressed local who had paid his dues in minor league sports and Guppy, the suit and tie-clad Englishman with the Masters degree in sports marketing.

“They obviously wanted more of a salesman,” Crafts said. “Peter is not a salesman. He is a real dude!”

Some have speculated that Wilt’s reputation as every fan’s best friend may have created a misperception that he was not a shrewd businessman; but his trail of success suggests otherwise.

Meanwhile, Fire fans’ initial reaction to Guppy’s hiring was negative. They regarded him as a “suit” plucked from a hated, less- successful rival. But the former Southampton trainee, whose second cousin Steve Guppy plays for D.C. United, made it a point to play up his true passion for the game. He also made it clear that a running dialogue with the Fire supporter’s groups was an important part of his agenda. It did not take long for many fans to agree that Guppy deserved a chance and that Wilt’s ouster should not be held against him. However, the Fire still felt it necessary to assign security detail to Guppy during the opener.
That night, Section 8 fans wore black and remained out of the seating area for the game’s first eight minutes, to symbolize Wilt’s eight years in charge. They chanted Wilt’s name throughout the game and held up banners with slogans like “Built By Wilt”, “I Love Wilt” and “Wilt = Success, AEG = Mess.” Though many fans directed their anger at the corporate mothership, they also reluctantly acknowledged that without AEG there would be no MLS.

Wilt admitted to being overwhelmed by all tributes, but said one moved him more than the rest. It happened at the season’s first reserve game and he started to cry as he told the story. “A dad walks over to me with two children, ages nine and five, and reaches out his hand and says, ‘I want to thank you for all you’ve done. We’ve been going to games since my child was a one-year-old and you have made things very special for my family.’ I saw the boy and I just realized what we’ve done these last eight years, the way you can touch people and help them,” he said.

Wilt said helping others could be an important part of the next phase of his life. Though the Internet has been rife with speculation and hope that he will be brought on board by another MLS franchise, Wilt said he will not make any decisions on his future until he is finished helping Guppy through the transition. Another sport is an option, though he said he would hate to “abandon” soccer after investing so many years in the sport. However, another soccer job would likely mean leaving the Chicago area, which he is reluctant to do. Wilt said he is intrigued by the idea of working in the non-profit sector—something he had a taste of as the founding President of the Fire Works for Kids Foundation, the team’s charitable arm. This man-of-the-people also admits politics is an option.

“I know he’ll get another job and maybe even be a GM in this League again,” Marsch said. “When that happens, I’ll be more than willing to work for him in any capacity. I have enjoyed his leadership.”

When the first ball is kicked in Bridgeview next season, it will be a time for Chicago’s soccer community to celebrate. Though Peter Wilt’s name should someday appear on a Wall of Fame at the stadium, he will be conspicuous by his absence from the sidelines and the crowd. Missing, will be that perpetual smile and that team scarf draped over the slightly wrinkled blazer worn by the Fire’s biggest fan.
“Peter was crucial in getting Bridgeview done—he and Peter Nowak. Those guys and Bob Bradley built the dynasty,” Barn Burner Anisah Michael said. “All three are gone now. We’re moving to the stadium and we’re all happy about that. But, it’s a hollow victory because the people who helped us get there are gone.”