A few months ago, Peter Wilt - the founding President and CEO of the Chicago Red Stars - publicly announced that he was leaving Chicago and returning home to Milwaukee to serve as President and CEO of the Milwaukee Wave. Wilt served Chicago's professional soccer community as an executive leader with the Chicago Power, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Red Stars for nearly15 years. Here, some of his friends and co-workers reflect on his accomplishments.
Name: Alison Moran
Current place of employment & job title: Women's Sports Director, SRN Broadcasting/Co-Host,
Weekend Sports Report, WKRS-AM 1220.
When did you first meet Peter?
My job is to seek and report on women's sports and trends in sports as they relate to women. When I heard that a new professional women's soccer league league was starting a team in Chicago, I was on it! My relationship with Peter started through a series of emails--from these emails, I felt--wow, this is the most accessible and friendly a CEO that I've ever found. His openness, honesty, accessibility and sheer passion for the game set him apart from virtually every other CEO I'd met. And I wanted to know more about how this league planned to make a go of it. We met for what turned out to be a two-hour lunch/interview at Mama Luigi's, and in that time, despite the fact that he was (and is)
a die-hard White Sox fan, I knew we were on the same wavelength, and I'd made a friend for life.
Peter rockin' his Jets Favre jersey while at a Chicago White Sox game at Cellular Field.
What is/was your soccer relationship with Peter? Did he influence you in any way, and if so, how?
I was always a fan of soccer, primarily because the leagues had almost always included women on fairly equal footing with men. Even before there was a WPS, I had been moved to write a column for
SRN Broadcasting's YourSportsFan.com blog, titled "What Does the US Women's Soccer Team Have To Do To Get Noticed?"
Peter's one of the most intelligent, sharpest, and sensitive people I know. His creativity inspires my own. He remains my go-to guy on all soccer-related questions, His longest-lasting influence in my life, however, will likely be in finding my own passion for soccer. He introduced me to the passion of the sport, the die-hard devotion of the fans who live and breathe with their team. Kind of like my Cubs. Peter's own passion ignited my own love of the sport. And my passion, coming out of that, influenced my family to come out to Red Stars games. I vowed to learn what I could about the sport and continue to promote it as often as possible.
How has Peter influenced soccer in the Chicagoland area; what sort of impact has he made?
Peter will disagree vehemently with me, but I've read the same thing on other people's blogs: Toyota Park will always be "The House that Wilt Built." Section 8 had him perfectly tagged at his
Ring of Fire induction ceremony; they called him "The First Fan." And what
legacies he has left to this town--the Chicago Fire and the Chicago Red Stars will always have his indelible mark--the fan-friendly, accessible, fun atmosphere--almost a throwback to an era that time forgot--before corporations, luxury boxes and VIP seating turned the sports experience into an airline-like First-class versus Coach-class experience. I think
Bill Veeck would be awfully proud of Peter for always remembering the fan first. I have told Peter I want to bottle his formula--and his management style--and sell it. I do hope he puts it down in a book someday, as others would be wise to follow his example.
Wilt & Moran at The Globe Pub
Favorite soccer related memory with Peter:
Probably my favorites were the viewing parties at The Globe on Irving Park; Peter is in his element as the "host with the most," making sure everyone is having a great time, spending time with each person, ensuring that everyone's sharing the unique experience of soccer; creating drinking games on the fly, typing messages on his ever-present Blackberry, all while keeping track of the score of the US Olympic team or the WPS inaugural game. It's dizzying to watch but impossible to ignore. I remember thinking at these moments that Peter is one of God's chosen: certainly blessed with a mission and purpose for his life--eager to share with all who cross his path--an ever-widening circle that is open to all who care to join.
Job well done, Mr. Wilt! Carry on....
****
Previous tributes to Peter Wilt at Red Stars Confidential:
More from Alison Moran:
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