John F. Bassett Jr., athlete, professional sports owner and no fan of Trump
On my walk through St. John’s, York Mills Cemetery in Toronto, racquet in hand—a vintage TAD Victor Davis tennis racquet—I came across the grave of a man who achieved an extraordinary amount in a life cut far too short: tennis and squash champion, writer, major league sports owner, successful businessman, and, by all accounts, a true gentleman—John F. Bassett Jr.
John Jr. likely learned a great deal from his father, John Bassett Sr.—a powerful media executive and part-owner of multiple professional sports franchises, including the legendary Toronto Maple Leafs. So perhaps it’s no surprise that by 1973, still in his twenties, John Jr. owned a hockey team in the newly-formed World Hockey Association. That team, the Toronto Toros, would eventually become the Birmingham Bulls.
Producer John F. Bassett, left, actors Trudy Young and Art Hindle, in the the premiere of the Canadian hockey film, Face Off, at the Odeon Carlton Theatre in Toronto in 1971.
Never one to think small, Bassett Jr. set his sights on football. He led a bid for the Tampa Bay Bandits in the United States Football League (USFL), a bold upstart rival to the NFL. The league was full of big dreams and bigger egos—none more divisive than Donald Trump, owner of the New Jersey Generals. While Trump schemed to force a merger with the NFL—regardless of the consequences to the league—Bassett fought for a sustainable, principled vision of what the USFL could be.
When Bassett had seen enough of Trump’s antics, he sat down at his typewriter and composed a six-paragraph letter dated August 16, 1984. It was clear, direct, and fearless—a dressing-down of a man who rarely heard “no.”
Some choice excerpts:
“I really hope you don’t know that you are doing it, but you are not only damaging yourself with your associates, but alienating them as well. Think before you shoot, and when you do fire, stick to the message without killing the messenger.”
And then, with unmistakable clarity:
“While others may be able to let your insensitive and denigrating comments pass, I no longer will. You are bigger, younger, and stronger than I, which means I’ll have no regrets whatsoever punching you right in the mouth the next time an instance occurs where you personally scorn me, or anyone else, who does not happen to salute and dance to your tune.”
The USFL folded in 1986 after just three seasons. Trump never got his team into the NFL—thankfully.
John F. Bassett Jr. died that same year in Toronto, on May 15, 1986. He was only 47.
1939-1986
See my related site on John Sr.
John Bassett Sr. Former Toronto Maple Leaf co-owner with Smythe and Ballard
