Perhaps caught up in the wave of leadership angst washing over the capital city, Wizards part-owner Michael Jordan called his team a "disgrace to the fans in Washington." This disdain from on high reminds me of that other owner-come-lately in D.C. -- Redskins boss Dan Snyder. I wonder: in the race to resurrect their underachieving teams, which of these two will be victorious? Let's take a look.

Ownership Credentials

Jordan: Five-time league MVP, six-time Finals MVP, most successful black pitchman since OJ's 'fro bounced through an airport terminal in the '70s, and simply the most charismatic man in sports.

Snyder: He wants desperately to conjure the spirit of Eddie DeBartolo. (I've met Eddie D. I've worked for Eddie D. Dan, you are no Eddie D.) But in America, loot is power. And the little, bespectacled one earned his $4 billion by running a business, not an offense.

Advantage: Snyder

Quick-Hook Skills

Jordan: After taking over the Wizards last January, he immediately fired coach Bernie Bickerstaff.

Snyder: In the spring of '99, he immediately fired all those pesky front-office people and assorted groundskeepers and little old ladies. But he tortured Norv Turner for two long, humiliating seasons before finally letting him go.

Advantage: Jordan

Sartorial Splendor

Jordan: Any owner who rocks Armani, Hugo Boss, Versace, and Kenneth Cole better than anybody on his team gets the players' respect. Period.

Snyder: The Brooks Brothers suits, accentuated by the yellow power ties, gives him a certain Gordon Gekko flair. But let's face it, the man is too much of a dork to be really fly.

Advantage: Jordan

Game Face

Jordan: He sits in the owner's box. Well, at least when he's at the game. A host of other commitments -- like playing golf with Gretzky and Elway while MVP.com clings to life -- make him an absentee despot.

Snyder: He has yet to adopt Jerry Jones' habit of stalking the sidelines in the final minutes of every game. Instead he stays in his box, where he knows the fans and TV cameras can catch all of his antics and pained expressions.

Advantage: Snyder

Minority Hiring Policy

Jordan: As a famous black owner of a team in a league consisting of nearly 80% black players, he hired the very big and very black Leonard Hamilton from the U. of Miami last season.

Snyder: He replaced Turner with Terry Robiskie. Okay, so Robiskie will probably get fired next week, but I gotta admit it was still a pretty cool gesture.

Advantage: Even

A dead heat. Jordan is smoother and has the better athletic pedigree. Snyder is annoying and has questionable -- make that abysmal -- people skills. But here's the difference: after helping orchestrate the year's greatest sports debacle, Snyder is obsessed with a desire to correct things. Look for the Redskins to return to playoff contention next year, while the Wizards languish under a part-owner who treats his new job as little more than a hobby.

Alan Grant, a former NFL defensive back, is a writer/reporter for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at alan.grant@espnmag.com.