Putting down roots
New soccer team president discusses the challenges and future of the sport in Oakland
After making its debut in 2019, the Oakland Roots Sports Club has quickly built a strong fan base that shows up in full force for the professional soccer team's games to soak in the festive atmosphere, cool merchandise and community spirit.
It hasn't all been smooth sailing, though, as some games had to be postponed because of COVID-19 and the field's turf hasn't always held up.
To steer it going forward, the team last month announced it has hired Lindsay Barenz as its new president. Barenz previously was president of business operations for the Washington Spirit, and before that vice president of business development for the National Women's Soccer League.
She sat down with the Bay Area News Group to discuss operating a soccer club in the midst of a pandemic and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Oakland's soccer team.
Q
You've held a diverse array of jobs across different industries; can you describe your path to being a sports executive?
A
I started in sports with Real Salt Lake about three years ago. Before that, I had a diverse career working in law as a mergers and acquisitions attorney. I worked in the Obama administration, in digital entrepreneurship and activism as a union organizer. In 2018 I was distraught about the state of the country, and I was looking for something I could do to try to make a positive contribution to the direction of our country. My instinct was to go into politics, but I'm a values-driven person, and the compromise that politics requires was challenging for me. A team was launched in my hometown, Salt Lake City, and I felt like maybe sports was the intersection of my skill sets, like deal-making, and my passion.
Q
How does sports help bring about that positive change you talked about?
A
I think sports generally brings people together. Whether it's on
the field or the court, it's having a common purpose. It allows us to overcome a lot of the barriers, and maybe it allows us to look at those barriers or divisions and question whether we should allow them to divide us. Whether it's the NBA players and their activism after George Floyd's murder or the women's national team demanding equal pay, or even going back to activism we saw with Muhammad Ali and the Olympics. And soccer is the global game.
Q
What are some of the challenges and opportunities of building up a new soccer team like the Oakland Roots?
A
When you're launching a new team, it's all about letting people know they exist and making sure they're aware of your brand, your players, the competition, and the wonderful experience that is attending one of your games. The Roots have done an incredible job with their branding. They have amazing merchandise and a fan base that is so much larger than you would expect for a team that's really in its infancy. It's been around a few years but is now in its second year in the (United Soccer League) Championship. I can't wait to attend a game after everything I've heard.
We are very fortunate to have our training facility at the Raiders' old training space in Alameda. We are interested in expanding our team, too. I won't say when, but we're interested in having a women's team in the future. That will require additional training space and additional places to have game days. So those are the challenges I see on the horizon.
Q
In what ways has COVID-19 disrupted soccer, and has it compounded the challenges for new teams?
A
COVID was difficult for everyone, and it was particularly
challenging for anyone who wanted to put on a live event where anyone would gather in a small space. That includes live sports, and it was difficult in all sports. But it seems to be rebounding well.
Hopefully we are going to be in an improved situation this spring. We are fortunate in soccer that we play outdoors, which is a much safer environment than being indoors. We do expect to be at full capacity in the stadium, with all necessary safety precautions, so hopefully we weathered the worst of it.
The Roots did an incredible job of not just surviving but elevating the club through the pandemic and jumping up to USL Championship and putting on a large number of games that were well attended and fun to attend.
I think it's now about stabilizing and building from here.
Q
You mentioned eventual plans to start a women's soccer team in Oakland. How do you see soccer in the grand scheme of women's professional sports right now, and is soccer a cool place to be a woman leader?
A
We have reached a tipping point in women's sports where we are certain of its value. We no longer have to debate whether we should or should not have professional women's sports. It's really about how to make it as successful as possible. I think there are a variety of factors that contributed to that tipping point, like the longevity of the WNBA. I think the 2019 Women's World Cup was a particularly
powerful moment because the potential for the sport to reach millions and influence millions was undeniable, and people with capital started to understand that if they invest money into it today, that's like putting money into some of these men's leagues in the early 1900s. So now it's like, how do we make it as successful as possible?
The other thing about professional women's sports: Being a physically active person is important to each person's physical health but also to their emotional and mental health. But when we gender sports, we deny women and girls those benefits. There are also things like like leadership, teamwork, overcoming obstacles. Resiliency is actually a skill that's hard to learn, but one area where it's common
to learn it is in sports, because you lose but you don't give up. You keep trying and fight the next day. It's very harmful when we try to tell girls this isn't for you. And to be able to truly tell young women and girls that it's important for them to lead active and healthy lives, we have to be able to show them the full spectrum that we show to men.
I think it's truly important that we have professional women's sports because professional women's sports are awesome, fun to watch, fun to attend, fun to root for, but also an important social message to deliver to kids that they be active because it's good for them physically but also mentally. I really think that message is damaged in society if we don't have professional women's sports.