Page 7 - NYLS Magazine • 2014 • Vol. 33, No. 2

their own individual brand,” Mr. Viola remarked. He has begun to educate his players about dealing with the public as well as taking care of their personal finances.
“The one thing I didn’t realize about being the owner of a sports team is that we are all stewards and ambassadors for
a team that is really owned by the fans,” said Mr. Wilf, the 10-year veteran sports owner. “You have to have passion and you have to have money, but passion carries everything.”
The son of Holocaust survivors, Mr. Wilf immigrated to the United States with his family in 1951 and settled in Birmingham, Alabama, before moving to Elizabeth, New Jersey, where they were drawn by the local Yeshiva and synagogues. For Mr. Wilf, the experience of growing up as the son of Holocaust survivors not only instilled a strong sense of humility, but left a burning desire to succeed for those who had lost so much.
As a teenager, Mr. Wilf played doubles tennis and was an avid fan of hockey, baseball, and football, especially the New York Football Giants. Sandy Koufax, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers
was his idol—an admiration that was solidified after Koufax refused to play the opening game of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur.
After graduating from NYLS, Mr.
Wilf went on to join his family-run businesses, Garden Homes and Garden Properties, where his legal education served him well. From owning a few humble shopping centers, Mr. Wilf ’s leadership resulted in the company’s expansion and acquisition of over a hundred other properties, including several large shopping malls and over 90,000 apartment units across the country. In 2005, drawing on the success of the family businesses, Mr. Wilf purchased the Minnesota Vikings.
All three owners commented on the tremendous amount of attention they’ve received in the press and on social media after acquiring their teams. “It’s
astonishing how much you’re in the public eye,” said Mr. Lasry. In answer to the question whether they would take advice from fans, he said, “I do it all the time.” Mr. Wilf responded, “That will change in a couple of years.”
Despite living in New York, hundreds of miles from their teams, the three owners spend as much time as they can in the local communities. Mr. Lasry said he gives a lot of speeches in Milwaukee. Mr. Wilf said that his family’s foundations
and legacy of giving back to the community helped ingratiate him with the Minnesota fan base. All three said they are heavily involved in day-to-day personnel decisions.
If one thing became clear during the course of the discussion, it was that, despite their rather unorthodox career paths, hard work and dedication can lead to opportunity, even in the exclusive world of professional sports. •
“I went to law school because my mother made me,” said Mr. Lasry with a smile to a chorus of laughter from the audience. “But really, whether you use your law degree or don’t use it, it’s great to be a lawyer and it’s been really helpful in the sports world.”
“I manage the team exactly the same way I did my business,” said Mr. Viola. “It all begins with trust. Trust breeds communication.
And discipline—discipline will always feed efficiency.”
“The one thing I didn’t realize about being the owner of a sports team is that we are all stewards and ambassadors for a team that is really owned by the fans,” said Mr. Wilf, the 10-year veteran sports owner. “You have to have passion and you have to have money, but passion carries everything.”
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