
Shapiro â89 talks about the business of baseball
More than 40 executives and athletes from professional and Olympic sports -- including eight Princeton alumni -- came to campus Dec. 5 for the third annual Princeton Sports Symposium, a six-hour event designed to bring students together with experts in the field. Mark Shapiro â89, executive vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Indians, headlined the opening session, a discussion with Shaprio and his father, sports agent and lawyer Ronald Shapiro, led by Sports Illustrated baseball writer Tom Verducci. The panelists answered questions, including a few about the fate of pro sports in the current economy. All agreed that sports teams are not recession-proof, with declining ticket sales and sponsorships already affecting most franchises. The younger Shapiro, who is at Major League Baseball's winter meetings this week, predicted shorter free-agent contracts this year, in response to the economy. Each speaker talked about his path to the business of sport. Verducci broke in as a three-month intern at Newsday , while the elder Shapiro negotiated his first baseball contract for Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson a few months after helping Robinson navigate a sticky situation involving a tax shelter. Mark Shapiro loved baseball, but did not know exactly how to turn it into a career. "My father counseled me not to get involved in the front office of baseball, so like a typical 22-year-old, I defied him," he said. After sending letters to every team in baseball, he took a job with the only team that offered one -- the last-place Indians -- and over the last 18 years, he ascended the ranks, helping to build Cleveland into a playoff team and frequent contender. As the session ended, Verducci jokingly urged Indians fans to come forward and suggest off-season trades. Shapiro smiled and replied, "I get a lot of free advice. I could always use a little more."Teams wrap toys for local kids
