New York Giants Owner John Mara Trusted on Both Sides of the Table

It’s worth noting that as heated as the NFL work stoppage has been since its inception in March, at least one man has managed to remain civil.

He might not be the most vocal or flashy, but when it comes to being universally respected, New York Giants owner John Mara is beyond reproach.

The latest in a line of Maras who’ve played instrumental roles in the foundation and growth of the NFL, John has lived up to his family name.

Football is in Their Blood

The survival of the NFL may not have rested on a New York franchise, but its success would have been impossible without it. And in that sense, Tim Mara (John’s grandfather) was instrumental.

He took a chance on football in 1925, even though he admitted to knowing almost nothing about it.

Initially, it looked like a foolish investment. Despite paying only $500 to purchase the New York franchise (which is roughly $6,500 adjusted to 2011 inflation), Mara lost a lot of money (nearly $40,000 in the first year).

Yet he persisted. And like the NFL as a whole, Tim slowly turned the team around both on the field and off of it.

Eventually, he passed on responsibility to his sons, Jack and Wellington (who many Giants fans will smile at the mere mention of).

It was Wellington who backed the idea of revenue sharing during its infancy, and few would dispute the overwhelming success of that concept in making exponential league-wide advances.

Though he sacrificed an enormous advantage, Wellington improved the league as a whole, allowing fans in tiny Green Bay the same chance at success that his beloved fans already enjoyed in New York.

When John Mara took over from his father upon the latter’s death in 2005, the Mara family name was synonymous with fairness and reason.

A Quiet Influence

So when the 2011 lockout became inevitable, players could look to John Mara as a unique figure. He wasn’t some short-sighted newcomer, determined to press the NFLPA for as much money as possible.

He was (and certainly remains) someone whose family name and entire professional career is invested in seeing the Giants and the league itself do well.

So along with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Mara is recognized as a reasonable, rational influence in this sea of turmoil and uncertainty.

Both Kraft and Mara have been two-thirds of a small group of owners who have been present at every labor negotiation session (the third of that group being Panthers owner Jerry Richardson).

In Mara, both parties in the NFL’s negotiation have a man they can trust.

If the lockout’s resolved, part of the credit will undoubtedly go to Mara, but he’ll probably deserve a lot more than he’ll get. And that’s exactly the way Mara will want it.