The list of player owners in skilled sports is very short. Mario Lemieux became part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins during his time on the ice. Michael Jordan retired when he became a minority owner of the Washington Wizards. And currently a two-time world champion in sailing Mike Buckley is co-owner, CEO and strategist of the American SailGP team.
SailGP is a global racing league created by Oracle founder Larry Ellison and America’s Cup sailor Russell Coutts, featuring 10 national teams competing in modern, fast 50-foot foiling catamarans. During the season, races happen in locations around the world – including New York, Dubai and Sydney – and the three highest-placed teams compete in the Grand Final.
As the recent season is able to sail on November 23, I caught up with Buckley to learn about his risk-taking philosophy on and off the water and how he and his partners secured investments from a diverse group that features actresses and producer Issa Rae, NFL star DeAndre Hopkins and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk.
You don’t have a very “normal” job. Can you explain how someone becomes a boat racing strategist?
I grew up with a single mom who worked multiple jobs. I’ve never met my dad. So sport was like free childcare for my mother and protected me from trouble. I all the time played hockey, soccer, and lacrosse, but when I went to boarding school in highschool, I noticed I would not play those sports there. I used to be a boy among men! So I attempted out for the sailing team – my mother had a deep love of the ocean and passed that on to me. Lots of other kids took it as a fun hobby, but I all the time loved competition, so it became my recent arena. Thanks to this, I got into college and then into my profession. It’s not a normal profession, but I’ve never considered myself normal.
What does it take to be a great leader on the water?
I think it’s the same with all the pieces. What makes Steve Jobs great? Or Kobe Bryant? I think it’s the constant pursuit of perfection and the realization that perfection doesn’t really exist. But you simply keep wanting to maintain fighting. Even if you fall on your face a few times, you are motivated to realize your dreams.
There are legendary stories about Kobe Bryant going to the gym at 3 a.m. and taking the same shot over and all over again. How does this translate into the world of sailing?
For a very long time, I didn’t really understand when you heard a quarterback or point guard talk about slowing down the game for them. But I now understand that this will easily translate to the world of racing sailboats, especially in SailGP where our boats cruise at 50 or 60 miles per hour. If the game is fast, it normally means your heart rate has gone up and you are not communicating well, and then it drops. But when you practice, when you see it over and all over again, then you definitely kind of know what is going on to occur, and you’ll be able to calmly assess the situation and make the right decision. The game slows down for you.
What inspired you to maneuver from racing driver to team co-owner?
I all the time get a lot of motivation from other athletes, and when I hearken to people like LeBron talk about building their businesses, I believed, “How could I do that in the sport of sailing?” In this sailing world, you deal with a lot of successful people – great entrepreneurs who have done all these amazing things. Taylor Canfield, one of my long-time partners on and off the water, and I attempted to mix two different America’s Cup campaigns and fell flat on our faces a bit. But when SailGP got here along, we saw it as the perfect platform for us not only to compete, but to build a business business that has real value, is investable and is sustainable.
Source: Ricardo Pinto
You have quite a diverse group of investors – NFL stars, Hollywood stars and entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk. How did you come to bring them?
Ryan McKillen, who co-owns the team and was Uber’s third worker, is simply one of the most sensible people I have ever met. When we desired to attract investors, we set three rules: First, we only desired to do business with really good people – we wanted it to be fun. Secondly, we wanted individuals who were just doing amazing things in their spaces. It didn’t matter whether it was behind a desk, in a DJ booth, or on an NFL field – we just wanted individuals who were innovators. And finally we said no sailors. If we would like to alter our sport, commercialize it and bring it to the masses, bringing in a group of like-minded people is a great method to get a really mediocre product.
Can you describe what it’s like to be on one of these boats?
When I say we’re going 60 miles an hour, it sounds pretty cool and fast, but not like an F1 automotive going 180. But I like to say that driving as much as 60 miles an hour on water is a lot like driving on a highway. – except you are sitting on the roof and it’s raining all the time. That’s principally what it looks like.
Does being an owner make you more or less risk averse when competing?
When we get on the boat, we are aware of the risk. And we bury them very deep in the depths of our brains. If you are pondering about the risks while doing this, you most likely should not be there. But look, I have two little kids now, so I don’t desire to do something silly. But when it involves being an owner and being an athlete, it’s really the same thought process.
Do you have any rivalries?
We’re just starting out, so our competition is recuperating and higher. Sure, some of us get along higher or worse with certain people on other teams, but there is a huge level of respect all over the place. In this league, you have to trust people on other boats when it involves safety. But my motivation is focused internally – on what we are going to enhance so that we are able to go out and make ourselves, our families, our fans and our partners proud to compete.