The Oakland Raiders have long had a reputation as a maverick organization, an anti-establishment team in the male-dominated, conformist National Football League. Even so, it’s surprising that a woman, Amy Trask, rose as high as she did in the front office, all the way to CEO, making her the league’s highest-ranking female executive. It all started when she was a law school student and she made a cold call to the Raiders, who were then based in Los Angeles. She landed a job as an intern. In her book, she tells about working her way up through the ranks, dealing with some of the biggest personalities in the game (including team owner Al Davis), and what attending league meetings is like. Today Trask is an analyst for CBS Sports and the CBS Sports Network.
Here’s an excerpt from You Negotiate Like a Girl:
“One of the things I love about football is that it is highly cerebral. The first time I saw a game, I decided it was like a game of chess, played by very large, very strong, and very fast men. It is game of matches in which one must find ways to exploit the weaknesses of an opponent while camouflaging, to the extent possible, the weaknesses of one’s own team. How do our backs match up against your linebackers? How does our offensive line match up against your defensive line? Do we need to send extra men? Do we need to keep extra men in to block? Can our corners cover your receivers man to man? Should we play zone?
“The best coaches exploit matches and hide deficiencies to prevent other coaches from doing so. The best coaches maximize the talent on their roster. The worst coaches insist on forcing players into their system, irrespective of whether the players are suited for it. It never ceases to amaze me when coaches do that."
