Who is John Sherman?
Like the guy next door, except richer
In the past, I’ve written stories critical of how the Royals organization has handled their downtown stadium negotiations. And while I don’t back away from the ham-handed way that process has been going, I did start to wonder if perhaps I have gotten the wrong idea about Royals owner John Sherman.
After all, I’ve never met Sherman, so it’s impossible to know someone without meeting them. This got me wondering, have I formed the wrong opinion about John Sherman? Has my opinion of him been unfairly influenced by online comments and stories, and thus have not gotten a true bearing into the man himself?
As with most public figures, how much do we really know about them and what makes them tick? In truth, not much. Sherman, who is 68 (soon to be 69 on April 12), was born in Japan, son of an Air Force father and is the oldest of seven children. He attended and graduated from Ottawa University, where he played quarterback on the football team. I like the fact that he’s not some Ivy league elite. Ottawa is a KCAC school, a place where you or I may have attended. I lived in Ottawa for awhile and enjoyed my time there. And I’ll be the first to tell you that for someone, anyone, to go from Ottawa University to being a billionaire to being the owner of the Kansas City Royals is a phenomenal accomplishment.
After college, Sherman started his business career in telecommunications before shifting to propane. He worked for Ferrellgas before starting a propane marketing company called LPG Services. LPG eventually became one of the country’s largest propane marketers before merging with Dynegy. He later started a company called Inergy, which eventually became Crestwood Holdings. Crestwood was bought out by Energy Transfer Partners in October of 2023.
In 2016, Sherman purchased a minority stake in the Cleveland Indians. You don’t play at that table unless you have some money. Sherman is reportedly a billionaire, and I don’t doubt that. Many people think that there shouldn’t be any billionaires. I’m not one of them. The United States is remarkable in that through hard work, a lot of smarts, a lot of guts, some risk taking and some luck, even a Kansas kid can make a fortune. I think that’s a good thing. Wealth is not a zero-sum game. Just because John Sherman is a billionaire (or Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, George Soros, Elon Musk, pick one) doesn’t mean that you or I cannot go out and make a pile if you’re willing to pay the price to do it.
And there’s the rub. Politicians and the media have stoked a serious case of class envy, and many people ignorantly fall for it. But the fact is that we all have different gifts, and most billionaires have gifts that the common person does not. That trait is not uncommon. Top level athletes have gifts most of us do not possess, and we reward them richly for those gifts. Same with the very best musicians and actors and writers, just to name a few. Business is no different. Yes, there are always a few people who are born on third base and think they hit a triple, but studies have shown that as many as 85% of millionaires are first generation millionaires! That’s exciting stuff! And since Sherman is the son of an Air Force veteran, I’m making a guess that he made his own wealth. That’s also a great thing!
Sherman got involved in major league baseball when he bought a minority stake in the Cleveland Indians in 2016. While part of the Cleveland organization, Sherman was on the shortlist to buy the team if owner Paul Dolan decided to sell. When David Glass decided to sell the Royals, Sherman stepped forward and purchased the team. That part makes sense. Sherman is a local, having grown up in the Kansas City area. He and his wife Marny reportedly had their first date at a Royals game. Sherman was once a season ticket holder for the Royals. On the surface, I don’t think you could ask for a better ownership candidate than someone with that background. One of my fears is that Sherman could move the Royals out of the Kansas City metro area. Could he? Certainly, but given his roots to the area, I’d be shocked if it ever came to that.
How about Sherman the owner? He’s caught a lot of flak on these pages for hanging onto the prior regime’s administrative staff too long. The mongrel hordes, me included, wanted a total housecleaning. Sherman eventually acquiesced and unloaded Dayton Moore but held onto nearly all the previous scouting and administrative staff. I guess it’s a start. To his credit, Sherman did not lay off any employees during the Covid pandemic. Remember that? From a business standpoint, that was a very bold and unusual move and I applaud him for that.
In the area of community involvement, John and Marny lead the Sherman Family Foundation, which supports local educational causes. They are also involved in the Ewing and Muriel Kauffman Foundation as well as several other local philanthropies. The Sherman’s are plugged into the Kansas City community. You can’t ask for more than that.
I had a couple of conversations with people this last week who know John Sherman personally and they describe him as a kind, polite, generous, down-to-earth person who is committed to bringing a winner to Kansas City. And I like the moves the team has made this past off-season, from signing Bobby Witt Jr. to a long-term extension, the signing of a few veteran free agents and inducting Bo Jackson, John Schuerholz and Cedric Tallis into the club’s Hall of Fame. I think it’s important for a team to remember its roots and I’m glad to see the Royals make a strong move in that direction. This winter has changed my feelings about Sherman’s leadership. Until I see evidence pointing otherwise, I believe he is trying to build a winning organization. I’ve always been a bit of a rebel, a contrarian and absolutely not a bootlicking, corporate Yes man, so this is a big turnaround for me.
Granted, the proposed stadium move has been controversial. There is still a large contingent who would be happy to stay at the K. I understand that. Kauffman Stadium is still a beautiful ballpark. Despite being the sixth-oldest ballpark in baseball, Kauffman Stadium still takes your breath away when you walk in. Many of us remember what Municipal Stadium was like. When Royals Stadium opened in 1973, we understood, and the city and fans were 100% behind the move.
Here’s something to chew on: Municipal was built in 1923. Royals Stadium opened in 1973. Fifty years. Royals Stadium is now older than Municipal was at the time the Royals vacated. That fact blew my mind. Now that the downtown stadium site has been announced, I’ve finally come around to accepting it. Nothing stays the same forever and baseball in an urban setting is appealing. I’ve been to many games in Denver, Minneapolis and San Diego, all cities with downtown ballparks and there is an energy to them. I understand that there will be people and businesses displaced when the new stadium is built. There’s no way to avoid that. There’s almost always some disruption. But the end result can be spectacular.
I remember watching Petco Park rise from an industrial wasteland. Prior to Petco, that section of San Diego was rough. One morning, I walked around the Petco construction site and was happy to make it back to my hotel in one piece. Now the area is a vibrant mix of hotels, businesses, and condominium complexes and game day is a fun experience.
How should the new ballpark be financed? That’s the sore point. I can understand and get behind a public-private split. Ball games bring in people. I’m always amazed at how many fans of the Yankees and Red Sox come to Kansas City to see their teams. I sat next to a group of Red Sox fans one year and asked them, why did you fly all the way from Massachusetts to Kansas City? Their answer was, we can come to KC for the weekend, see a Friday, Saturday and Sunday game cheaper than we can attend three games at Fenway. And we can get decent seats. Those fans also stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, and most likely visit some other tourist attractions while in town.
I loved it. My family does the same. When I take my family to Kansas City for a game, we usually spend at least two nights in a hotel. We eat three meals each day. In our spare time, we might visit the World War I museum, the Nelson Atkins or the Negro League Hall of Fame, or Worlds of Fun. In short, we spend some money in Kansas City. If my experience in other cities is any indication, downtown Kansas City will see a mini-boom once the stadium opens. That’s exciting stuff! Kansas City has always had an overlooked and underrated downtown. It’s time to show the rest of the country what’s there. Will John Sherman benefit from this? Yes he will. But so will the Greater Kansas City area.
John Sherman knows this. He sees a bigger picture than most of us do. That’s why he’s a billionaire and you and I are not. Sherman has changed my mind this offseason and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do with this organization. As fans, our bar for ownership is low. We’ve suffered through many putrid years, so many that Royals losing is almost a birthright.
Ewing Kauffman will always be remembered as our number one owner, and rightfully so. We know Mr. K loved the Royals and the city and very few things were more important to him than building and sustaining a winning franchise. And he did. John Sherman can own this town if he follows that blueprint and, in the process, elevate himself to the level of Ewing Kauffman. Kansas City is a better place when the Royals are winning. I believe John Sherman can get us there.