September 18, 2025 • 38 mins
In this episode of The Deal, Alex Rodriguez tells Jason Kelly about his experience watching his Minnesota Lynx during the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Then, they speak with Catie Griggs about how she thinks about the business of baseball as President of Business Operations of the Baltimore Orioles. Griggs – who, like Alex, did a stint with the Seattle Mariners – tells the hosts what she thinks her team and Commissioner Rob Manfred need to do to continue to grow the MLB as a league, why she sees the city’s urban center and the team’s legendary history as strategic assets, and what she’s learned by working with Orioles owners David Rubenstein and Michael Arougheti.
You can also watch this interview on the Bloomberg Podcasts YouTube page.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the Deal.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez and Alex. There you are.
The walls are blank. You're not in a witness protection program.
You're just in your new office in Minneapolis. It's all happening, man,
like you are mister Minneapolis these days.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I have to ask you. I'm talking to you.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
A couple of days after Game one of the playoffs
Links versus Valkyries.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Listen. I watched it on TV. It looked electric. What
was it like in there?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
It really was, Jason, it was a sold out crowd.
One seed where the one seed Joe Lacub's team is,
you know, the eighth seed.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
He came down. We spent some time together. He's such
a great guy.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So Joe Lacub, just to remind people, so, you know,
the majority owner of the Golden State Warriors and now
the Valkyries, which is the brand new WNBA team. This's
the first time an expansion team has made the playoffs
in their first year. They've been so exciting to watch. Like,
what's he saying about the d is he excited?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
It was more me.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Saying to him and congratulating him, and I mean Joe
lacub He's could write a masterclass, just like Jerry Jones
and others.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean the way he creates value.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
He basically sold out every ticket for every game of
the season, sponsorship record breaking for year one, and the
fact that they have a really good team and they're
in the playoffs just tells you what a great operator
he is.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, so what are you feeling as you're watching this
because you're the governor of the most successful WNBA team
in history in the links four championships, you know, going
for a fifth. We're in the in the final last
year and lost to the Liberty. What's the vibe from
where you said?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Well, first of all, yes, four titles, and I had
nothing to do with any of them. But as my
first year as GUVN, as you mentioned, Jason, I was
very nervous, very excited. You know, there's two things about
sports that make you really scared of these short series
three five games and this is the best of three. Yeah,
it doesn't matter who's better. I mean, one ball, one
(02:13):
call can go the other way and you're done. So
good for showing the fan base was awesome. There is
a very very sticky, very passionate, very smart fan base.
And because we have such great continuity, the fans and
the team is almost like one. I mean they do
all this dancing. They do this postgame celebration where they dance.
No one leaves until that dance.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Is over, including me.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
By the way, the WNBA product is just so so good.
And if you look at the numbers, the viewership numbers,
they're actually comparable to baseball, you know, Someday night baseball.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
It's really exciting time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, it is really cool to watch. I mean obviously
this the team too, is just so fun to watch.
I mean within the FISA, Colli, you're especially leading it,
you know, a leading candidate for MVP. So I'm excited.
I got to get out. I want to come to
a game with you.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Please please all right, and when you're here, please help
me decorate my office because it looks like I'm in
the Witness Protective Yeah program.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, it's really time.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
You need to get But you know, you got a
new CEO, like everything's everything's getting underway. And it also
speaking of you being you know, mister Minnesota and mister Minneapolis,
do I also understand you went to a baseball game
there with so Twins yanked.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, so my afternoon they walking every inch of our arena,
target looking for opportunities to improve the fan experience at seats, luxuries,
the VIP experiences, which was fun.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And then I.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Walked across literally the hallway over here where there's a
bridge that takes you from our arena to Target Field,
and my Yankees were there. So I went to see
Michael Kay and I went to see Susan Waldman, went
to see some of the players, and it's always good. Unfortunately,
the Twins beat us down pretty good yesterday. I think
we lost seven zero, but uh, it was always great.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
To see the Yankees.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, and so how are you feeling about the Yankees
right now? That loss notwithstanding, how are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yeah, I think they're they're playing better. I think there's
a bit of a gift and curse. They've had a
bit of an inconsistent year, but they're playing much better
as of late. And if there's one year where you
can kind of sneak into the World Series, is this one.
Because there's no real alpha in the American League. It's
literally wide open. Every team is there's no perfect team
and there are two pitchers, you know, Max Freed and
(04:29):
the others can join. They got some great young pitching too.
I think they have a shot.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see, you know, what these
playoffs look like. You know, we talk a little bit
later in this episode. Coming up, we've got Katie Gregg.
She's the president of Baltimore Orioles. Obviously, they're not threatening
the Yankees right now. It's been a bit of a
tough ride for them, but fascinating to hear what she's
up to. Their massive business opportunity in a really good market.
(04:54):
You know, you and I know a number of people
in the ownership there, David Rubinstein, are sort of colleague
of sorts here at Bloom. He hosts to show peer
to peer conversations as well as some other shows here.
Michael Araghetti, the CEO of Aries, is the number two
partner there at the Orioles and some other folks cal Ripken,
your childhood idol. He's part of the ownership group now.
So there's a lot to be excited about on the field,
(05:16):
but certainly off the field. So I really enjoyed catching
up with her and hearing her vision for it. She
started out, you know or she worked at one point
in Seattle, just like you did.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
If I can just make one little bet, I'm buying
some stock and I'm buying some property for the Baltimore
Orioles for the next five years, because I think the
stock is low, but I think it's going to the
moon under this ownership. Obviously, the management team and the
young players they have, they can retain them. I think
they have a shot to do really special things.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah. I mean, as a Yankees fan, you're probably a
little worried about about them coming up when they really
get it together. I mean, the Al East is certainly
some of the best real estate in all of baseball,
and when all of those teams get going, it's really
really good for the game. All right, coming up, Kittie
Gregg's from the Orioles. Welcome back to the deal. I'm
(06:12):
Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez. So excited to have with
us Katie greg She's the president of business Operations for
the Baltimore Orioles. Someone we've been circling around because we
have a lot of friends in your organization, Katie, but
we wanted to talk to the boss, the person who
actually like runs this ship day to day. Thank you
for joining us, Thanks for having me. So let's start
(06:33):
with the state of baseball. How would you characterize it?
You know, you've been in baseball for some time now,
what's the business of baseball.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Here in twenty twenty five? In a few words, I.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Think the business of baseball is strong. We still play
a really unique role in the sports ecosystem. We have
a lot of games, and I think it's one of
the things that makes us special. We have the opportunity
to bring people together and create those spaces where people
are coming together over shared passions versus perhaps being in
situations where they either don't interact or torn apart by differences,
you know, And I think do you need more of
those spaces? And we're seeing fans going and spending time
(07:06):
at ballparks. Attendance remained strong, TV viewership remained strong, and
I do think that the introduction at the pitch clock
and shortening the game time is something that does have
a role to play in that.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I'm glad you went to this sort of the
real changes and what we've seen over the last couple
of years. How do you see it from a business perspective,
like how did it play through to either, you know,
fan engagement, fans in seeds, merch concessions, Like, did you
see a real change as these rules sort of came
in to the top line and bottom line of your business.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Well, I think there's a lot of questions leading up
to it about what was that impact going to be.
My guiding light has been and remains that if you
do the right thing for your fans, it's good for
your business. I think that holds true in this case.
You know, we've heard for a long time that the
game was long, and we know that we're in a
world of shortened attention spans. You know, we talk a
lot about share of watch versus share of wallet, and
(07:58):
the reality is this is something that's brand new. This
is simply taking game times back to what they were
a decade or two ago. So it's not changing the game.
It's not fundamentally altering it. And I think what you
saw last year in year one was I think economics
were pretty similar in terms of those in game economics.
You know, some teams saw growth, some teams saw minor decreases.
(08:20):
That's something that's pretty common year over year and didn't
seem to be materially impacted by it. But again, we've
seen strong attendance in the league. We've seen strong viewership
in the league over the last few years, and I think,
you know, it's certainly not too difficult to surmise that
that's a part of it.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So, Katie, when you zoom out and you look at
the major four major sports in American sports, right that's MOB, NBA, NFL, NHL.
NHL has had the best growth the last four or
five years. NBA and NFL have been pretty similar both,
you know, high double digits, nh O over twenty percent,
but baseball's midst single digits.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
What do you attribute this to?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And the word on the street is that, you know,
the best buy right now from the four sports is baseball,
and the multiples are quite quite attractive. How do you
make baseball more attractive from an enterprise point of view?
And where's the growth in baseball?
Speaker 5 (09:10):
I think the growth in baseball is recognizing what's always
been there and making sure we're creating environments where all
fans feel not only welcome but wanted. Now, when you
look at the diversity of our athletes on the field,
it's no secret it's changed over time. When you look
at the ways in which teams have shifted from more
urban center ballpark locations out to suburbs, that does carry
with it it's more difficult to get there, you have
(09:31):
less public transit. And I think the reality is, when
you have one hundred and sixty two games each season,
it's incumbent upon us to create one hundred and sixty
two opportunities or at least eighty one at home and
hopefully more to attract fans and create a spot where
everyone feels welcome. And so, as someone who has a
privilege of working for a club in a really diverse city,
I don't know that historically we can look ourselves in
the eye and say we've done all that we could
(09:52):
or should to make sure that everyone feels welcome, everyone
feels wanted, and we've created a space that really does
serve the needs of our entire community.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
And Katie, a follow up on that, like, if you
were to be a commissioner for one day, is there
two or three things you would try to implement? And
by the way, Rob Bamford, who's the commissioner now, has
done a fantastic job. As you mentioned, some of the
rules already changed but how would you add to that.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
I think, look, there are a lot of really great
things that are already underway, and so from my standpoint,
I think we are moving in the right direction. One
of the things that I know that there's been an
emphasis on that I would continue building on is the
connection that fans have to athletes. The increased focus on
storytelling not only about the incredible athletic feats that are
happening on the field of play every single day and
every single evening, but also about who these athletes are.
(10:37):
I mean, we have incredible men playing the sport throughout
the league, throughout each and every team, and the more
that we focus on solely their athletic exploits. You know,
not all of us can be big league players. Most
of us can't, but we can all relate to the
characteristics that each and every one of these people brings
to the sport, to the game, and to themselves. And
I think helping people find those connections, helping people see
(10:58):
themselves in these athletes, whether it's someone where it's reminds
me of my brother, he reminds me of my uncle,
reminds me of a buddy of mine. The more effectively
we're able to showcase the players themselves, which is something
that I would argue the NBA in particular has done
a very good job at I think the more successful
will be.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Does it feel like the players are up for that.
I would imagine that players would look at the baseball
players would look at the NBA and be like, Yeah,
those guys are making more money off the court because
of all of those things. How much convincing do you
have to do as a smart business person to these players,
who presumably are increasingly smart business people in their own right.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Yeah, I think there'd be tremendous humorous and putting myself
inside the head of a professional being league player. So
I might turn that one into Alex. But you know,
from my standpoint, we are at a phase where when
you look at the age of a lot of the
players of the game, like, this is a social media generation.
This is a generation that grew up with the Internet
and social media being part of their everyday lives and
telling their stories and how they connect their friends and
each other. You know. So, I think from a willingness
(11:57):
and an understanding and an appetite, it's there. The question
isn't always remains in a sport like baseball, when there
are so many games and so many demands placed upon
these athletes, how do you do this in a way
that's organic, How do you do this in a way
that's authentic, And how do you do this in a
way that is meaningful and natural and comfortable for each
one of them? And building that system where they know
they're set up for success here? Right? This is something
(12:19):
there is in that gotcha moment. This is about how
do we celebrate them as people? And every single person
is unique. But I'd be curious on alex thoughts on it.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, Alex, what do you think is it starting to resonate?
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
In the numbers suggest so as well. I mean, Baseball's
had a twenty four month one here that is as
good as I've seen it on quite a long time.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
I think it's an interesting thing about narrative, right.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
I Mean, we always thought when I came in nineteen
eighty four that baseball was the most attractive sport for
TV because we had so much content, and we grew
up in an era where they said more contents better.
Somehow they flip that on his head and are saying
they're holding that against this right because it's not as scarce.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
But I don't see it that way.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I think we have to be able to turn that
narrative like the Titanic and say we have a better
offering because we can be on one hundred and sixty
two games, which is like a soap opera at home
every night. So I think there's some work to do there.
I also think there's some low hanging fruit. I mean,
if you think about Thanksgiving this year, you have the
Dallas Cowboys going up against Kansas City in the second
slot on CBS, and I heard Jim Nance talking about
(13:17):
it that he thinks is going to be the largest
TV audience ever for a regular season game. So how
do we take July fourth as the American Day and
take America's pastime and have both Fox and ESPN the
media partners, on location and have the best four games
from the time that is twelve to midnight, and it
should be all baseball every day. I don't want to see.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
The hot Dogs.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
The hot Dogs are great on ESPN, but it should
be America's pastime. And then I think, to Katie's point,
You've never had better young players than you have today
since I've been around the game for the last thirty
or forty years, and you know, how do we take
the helmet off of the gunner Henderson's, the Aaron Judge Jotani's,
But then there's the second layers of that, right then,
who's the next Bryce Harper? And a lot of play
(14:00):
on Katie seemed the Baltimorials. So I think we have
to be able to do a better job of storytelling.
Whether is that some reality TV where we follow him
around in the off season to find out who they
are so we can be invested, Especially like my mom
and my sister, they care more about the person, not
just the stats. And I think we can appeal to
women a lot better than we are right now.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, it's interesting, Katie. I mean to think about your
franchise in particular. You know, I came along at a
time and I've been a baseball fan all my life.
You and I shared a little common history as Southerners,
and I know you worked in Atlanta for a time
for the soccer club down there. I believe you know
I've been a Braves fan all my life. We could
talk about the Braves. It's painful in their current iteration,
(14:42):
but you know, one of the greatest storylines in the
history of baseball was Cal Ripken. You know Cal Riken
j I mean, you know, an unbelievable thing. Now he's
obviously I know he's you know, back more involved with
the club. He's a minority owner. You know, I've spent
some time with him. I know he's a hero of Alex's.
(15:03):
How do you marry this? You know kind of youth
movement and all this stuff we're talking about with this
like rich heritage you have as a club.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
I think that's a huge strength in an asset. So
to your point on Cal, we had the opportunity to
celebrate him recently in the thirtieth anniversary of his twenty
one thirty one feet which I don't know how that
ever gets broken at this point. But I think one
of the things that does make baseball so special is
the true connection and tie that it has. It is
that sense of tradition, It is that sense of history.
You know, whenever I'm at a game, I'm still struck.
(15:34):
In the seventh thinning, you have the seventh thinning stretch.
Everyone in the ballpark knows the song. Yeah, those moments
don't happen elsewhere. Right, have different teams, different leagues, everyone
has special things that make them unique. So this isn't
a better than but I do think it's something that's
different than is. We have the opportunity to celebrate the history.
We have the opportunity to celebrate all of our all
time great So you have a lot of really incredible records,
(15:56):
many of which still stand. You still talk about the
athletes who played one hundred years ago as if they
were stars today, and that's something you simply don't see.
And so I think there's a really unique opportunity to
showcase not only all of the incredible things that are
happening now and will be happening in the future, but
also tie them back to what makes us great, what
makes this sport great, and particularly in communities, what makes
(16:19):
these communities great. There's so many special moments, using Baltimore
as an example, whether they're here at Camden Yards or
at Memorial Stadium, where this team means something to this community, right,
And it means something this community because it's something that
you've been a part of. Whether you're a young adult
and you're listening to your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandparents,
what have you like? This is a club that means
(16:40):
something to this city, and I think being able to
reflect on that history while also celebrating the president and
future is a really unique strength and asset to baseball.
That's somewhat unique, Katie.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Speaking of community and assets, one of the greatest assets
that you have, in my opinion from playing there for
almost twenty five years, is Camden Yards. It's truly one
of the the great landmarks in America, and not just
Baltimore area. When you think about your job and whether
that's cutting expenses, adding different levers to add revenue, that
(17:12):
will affect tremendously. Because you do play in the ivy
League of Baseball, the American League East, and it's been
there for a very long time. How do you compete
against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and
so on and so forth.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Very tough competition. How do you think about that?
Speaker 5 (17:28):
I mean, I won't speak to in depth from the
baseball side, because again I don't want to get out
of her my skis, But I think the reality is
we compete by being ourselves. We compete by leaning into
the things that make us special. We compete to leaning
into the fact that we have incredible community, an amazing ballpark,
and a lot of things. We're just a mentality ethos
of this place is we're going to do it differently,
like great, you've got the money, Great you've got this,
(17:50):
Great you've got that. That's fine, We're just going to
outwork you, right, We're going to show up. It's I
think Cal is the perfect example of what exemplifies Baltimore
and the Baltimore ethos. I mean, he's a guy who
showed up every single day, right, no off days. You
come up, you show up, you work hard, and you
come back again and do it again tomorrow. I think
there are certain things about this team and this community
(18:11):
that are just incredibly special and incredibly unique. And that's
not to say that you don't have great things about
all of the other clubs. Every club has things that
make them special and unique. But I think what's going
to help Baltimore win is by being Baltimore and not
trying to pretend that they're the Yankees, not trying to
pretend that we're the Red Sox because we're not, and
that doesn't make us weaker, it just makes us different.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So I'm glad Alex brought up Camp New Yards, because
I remember going there, you know, when I was going
to college nearby and just being sort of blown away
was so different back then. There are a lot of
ballparks in the intervening, you know, couple decades, several decades
that have have copied a lot of a lot of
the playbook. I know Alex is thinking a lot about
this as an owner in a different league. Now, how
(18:53):
do you think about the physical plant, how do you
think about the area around the stadium? I know that's
is this is something that ownership has talked about, But
how do you think about the opportunities to create even
more of an ecosystem around Camden Yards.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Well, I think one of the things that makes it
special that we touched on earlier is the fact that
we are in the heart of the city, right We're
walking distance to the harbor. We're somewhere where there's public
trends that you have the ability for different fans to
get here, whether they're fans who are here in Baltimore
City or fans throughout the sort of mid Atlantic region
that I believe is a unique strength. And to your point,
Camden Yards is a cathedral like it is such a
(19:31):
special ballpark and we are so fortunate to have statewide
support to actually continue to invest it in and make sure
that it is as great for fans looking ahead as
it has been for fans to date. And so for us,
it really is about doubling down on the fan experience here,
making sure that we're creating spaces and experiences that resonate
with different fans and recognize different people want different things
at different times, and that's okay, right. This is no
(19:54):
longer about telling people how they should watch a baseball game.
It's creating the opportunity for fans to consume a baseball
came and take part of it in a way that
actually makes sense for them and feels right for them.
So I think inside the ballpark, we're very committed to that.
We've got a lot of construction that'll be going on
this off scene in the part of that project, and
then looking around the ballpark, look, one of the counterpoints
of a urban center ballpark is it is in the
(20:15):
urban center. And so for us, ensuring that we're collaborating
with public and private sector to make sure that this
is a safe, comfortable, and part of town where our
fans want to be, where our fans feel safe, where
our fans feel welcome. That always is top of mind.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And so do you look at something, do you drive
going back to the Braves for a second again on
my own worst enemy in this regard, not talking about
on the field, but talking about off the field. You know,
Alex every time he goes down and sees tru As
he raves about the battery and everything that they've done
around there. As you look around the league and maybe
tapping into your experience in Seattle where Alex started his career,
(20:51):
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
What do you see that you like? What are the things.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Where you know you call your counterpart, you know, at
another club and say, how'd you do that? What are
the things that you have sort of presidential envy over?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
I think there are a lot of different things to
your point. Looking down in Atlanta, I had the privilege
of being down there as they were building and building
out Torurist Park and the Battery. I think they did
an incredible job. I think it's very different than our situation.
You know, there there at the intersection of two major
highways where they had a lot of real estate because
it's not in the urban core, so they had the
ability to build out this really amazing environment around the
(21:27):
ballpark that I think works great for them. I don't
think that approach would necessarily be appropriate in the middle
of Baltimore, but I do think that there are other
teams that are doing interesting things. You've seen a lot
of development around Fenway and Wrigley, You've seen a lot
of development around the Cardinal Stadium and down in Colorado.
So there are a number of different teams who are
in more similar locations to us, who have been thinking
(21:48):
strategically and creatively about how do they make sure that
the space around their ballpark is space that fans want
to be, It's space that the community wants to be,
not only on game days, but for all of the
other days throughout the course of the year. And so
it's something that as we continue to look forward, we're
very much having conversation with posts, We're very much learning
because ultimately our desire is to make sure that Camden
(22:10):
Yards the Baltimore Ools, but more broadly, that Baltimore is
a place that fans want to be and where our
community members and our players want to be, and where
everyone feels safe and welcome and it's generally thriving environment.
And so we think that we do play a role
in that, and so we're having a lot of those conversations.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Katie shifting a little bit.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
I would love your advice here and pick your brain,
even though I hate that term pick your brain.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Maybe we just get your advice.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
As Jason said, I played in Seattle. You worked in Seattle,
and now you're working in Baltimore. You work for Mike
Arraghetti and David Rubinstein, who are you know, two of
the giants of private equity and very respected Mark and
I my partner, Mark LOORI. We just hired a wonderful CEO,
Matthew Caldwell, who came from the Florida Panthers. And I'm
(22:57):
wondering what's been the best cadence for you to talk ownership,
what works best for you and what advice can you
give Mark and I to maximize Matthew talent.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
I think it depends on the people, and it depends
on what's going on right in a period of significant change.
In my experience, more conversations better. Right as you're trying
to get to know someone and learn how you work
and how he works, figuring that on taking the time
to build that relationship upfront I think pays dividends in
terms of allowing both people and both parties or in
your case, all three parties, the opportunity to free up
(23:30):
time down the road because you know how the other
people are thinking about things. You know the types of
things where you're going to want more information. He knows
when to go to you, and vice versas, so you're
not sort of yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not something I
need to know, or oh gosh, I really wish I
knew about that before this went that far. So I
think in that upfront period it's important to take the
time to get to know each other. And then ultimately, again,
(23:50):
it sort of depends on what's going on in the
state of the business, what's going on with sort of
the extent to which this is a operate steady state
versus say, hey, it's time to roll up our leaves
and make some changes. But it really does depend, in
my experience, on the people and on sort of where
you're at at the stage of business. But given where
you're at, I think communicating on a regular basis, whatever
that may mean for the three of you, is probably healthy.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Alex and I both mentioned the ownership group.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's a really interesting one, you know beyond you know
David and then Mike, and you know you have some
you know, some smaller stake owners like cal Roken junior
David Marchik, who's a former partner and senior executive at
Carlisle worked with David there. What was the pitch that
they gave you about why'd you end up at Baltimore?
What was appealing to you about this opportunity?
Speaker 5 (24:37):
It's Camden Yards, It's Baltimore Orioles. Come on now, look,
I think you know I had an incredible experience in Seattle. Seattle,
the city was good to me, all of the ownership
at Seattle and my team, like, there's zero complaints. It
certainly is not an example of running from But Alex noted,
this is the Al East, this is Camden Yards. This
is a young team that I expect to be really coetive,
(25:00):
not just season, but many seasons looking forward. And I
enjoy being surrounded by people who are smarter than I
am and push me to be my very best version
of myself. And Mike Garraghetti and David Rubinstein are two
of the very best, and having the opportunity to work
alongside and learn from them was also something that was appealing.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
So Katie, I'm curious about you go to home school,
you start college at fourteen, that's insane, and then you
get your masters and undergrad both from Dartmouth. I guess
my question with your resume, you can literally work anywhere.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Why sports?
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I love what sports does for communities. I've always been
interested in what makes people tick, how do you influence behavior?
And I think sports is one of the very unique
things where it's an intrinsic motivator.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Right.
Speaker 5 (25:56):
It has the power to move entire communities. It has
the entire to bring people joy. There are so few
places where you can say that or like again, at
our best, you know we've had We've had a lot
of walk offs lately, and I assure you at the
every at the end of every single one of those,
looking around the ballpark, you see a lot of happy faces.
When we had the opportunity to celebrate Cal and his
family on the twenty one thirty one celebration, we had
(26:17):
a packed ballpark and then got to walk off on
top of it, and you saw a lot of happy faces.
Being able to play a role in bringing communities together,
creating that sense of place and bringing people joy. It's
pretty special.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yeah, And so you know to that point about you know,
sports within a community.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
You know, one of the interesting things you did.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Just going back to Seattle for a second, is it
felt like and I have I was tipped off to this,
so I sort of know why I'm asking this question.
You know, you developed really strong relationships with other ownership
groups in that city, and specifically Samantha Holloway, you know,
who leads the crack in there and has made it
clear that she wants to be an NBA own as well.
(27:01):
You know, you have the Seattle Storm out there in
the w as well. You guys hosted an NHL game
I believe at T Mobile. How did those sorts of
deals come about? And is it about the existing relationships?
Is it about reaching out to the NHL? Like tell
us that story, because I find that fascinating.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
I mean, look, when you're looking at those types of events,
those are league wide events, right. So, needless to say,
having the support of in this case, the Kraken is
hugely important. I don't know that it would have worked
without that. Ultimately, these are league decisions where our job
is to put forth. This is why you should come
to our venue. This is why you should come to
our city. This is why we believe it'll be great
for you, your athlete, it's your fans in the sport.
(27:41):
And so for us, it's no different than many things.
It's looking understanding what someone's looking for, understanding if you
can deliver it successfully and deliver it better than others,
and then making that pitch. And we've were very fortunate
in Seattle that between the MLB All Star Game and
twenty twenty three and the NHL Winter Classic and January
twenty four New Year's Day, to be a specific, we
(28:03):
had the opportunity to bring two very very special league
wide events to the city of Seattle and put on
a fantastic show both times. And so it really is
about relationships are always critical, but ultimately it's about the
work and demonstrating that this is something that is going
to be best for the fans, and that's what we
all hope to deliver.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And so as you think about you know, sort of
similar you know, outreach, it's a very different region that
you're in the Pacific Northwest, it's its own thing.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Baltimore also mid Atlantic also its own thing.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
How do you leverage some of what this region that
you're in now has to offer to continue to build
sort of the brand.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Of the Orioles.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Obviously a very good brand, but you know, as you say,
you know you're fighting for just share of attention these days.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
No, I think, Look, we've got a lot of tremendous
assets here like Baltimore. One of the things that I
do love about it is how accessible it is. It's
not just a city that obviously is in the mid Atlantic.
It's right night to DC. It's an easy train ride
from affiliate, it's an easy train ride from New York.
You know, we have fans who are going up to
which you're on the O's when we're playing in other venues. Conversely,
we have fans who are coming down to check out
(29:10):
Camden Yards because they've heard how incredible it is. Our
job is to make sure we deliver against that promise.
That's something where I mentioned we have the privilege of
having state funding to help ensure that we're continuing to
make this ballpark the best it possibly can be, and
we're going to be working through a lot of that
this offseason and making sure that we're continuing to deliver
against that promise. But Ultimately, this is a special ballpark,
(29:31):
this is a special team, this is a special community.
And then, as Alex knows better than anyone, ultimately what
comes next is we've got to win, right, That's something
that always matters. We know what fans care about. That
is something that fans care about, and we need to
deliver against that too.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
Yeah, and fans want hope, and there's no other team
that's better positioned than the Baltimorials with hope, with the
young players, new ownership, you ky ripkin.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
I mean, you guys are in a great place.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
But as you're speaking, Katie, I'm wondering playing personally in
Seattle for parts of seven years and Baltimore and you
talked about the assets and how easy it is to
commute to other communities, you know, when I was there,
I do remember, you know, amazing attendance. I remember merchandise sales,
you know, off the chain with Ken Griffith, Juniors are
Michael Jordan and the TV ratings, you know, incredible ratings
(30:20):
because you basically have a monopoly of the Northwest. As
Jason referred from a business point of view, where's the
bigger business opportunity in Seattle? That runs a very healthy
business in Baltimore that you're trying to get it to
where you wanted to go.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I think, just on like paper, Seattle is a bigger DMA, right,
and so that is that is just the reality. That's
a statement of fact. But I don't know that that
makes it better from a business opportunity standpoint. I think
it has. It has a lot of fortune five hundred
who are headquartered right there. It has a to your point,
it has a tremendous history and an amazing ballpark in Seattle.
So I think there's a lot of really wonderful things
(30:55):
that you know, when I was in Seattle, we had
to offer that helped us running really strong business. I
think we have a different set of circumstances here in Baltimore,
but I don't think it's actually worse. It's interesting if
you look at Washington, DC. Needless to say, until nineteen
ninety three, that was O's territory, right for my sister
in law grew up down in Georgetown and as a kid,
(31:17):
her team was the O's. Again, not because the Nats
aren't great, but because the Nuts weren't there. And so
we do have a really strong connection to this region
that extends beyond simply the Baltimore DMA. But the other
thing that's interesting about Baltimore is this community loves this team.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Right.
Speaker 5 (31:32):
This is a community where this team has been here,
whether it's a memorial stadium, whether it's here at Camden
Yards for a very long time. It's part of the
lifeblood of Baltimore. There's a lot of pride about being
from Baltimore, and this team is associated with a lot
of it. So again, I think when you look about
the strength of community, this is a community that cares
about its baseball team, and so for us, it's making
sure that, to your point, we're giving them reason to
(31:53):
hope and then we're delivering against that promise.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Yeah, it is interesting.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
I mean, you saw it with the ownership change and
the types of people who came together, and that feels
like a good time to mention in full disclosure that
one of the minority owners of the Baltimore Orioles is
in fact Mike Bloomberg, who is the founder majority owner
of Bloomberg News, which obviously publishes this podcast. So disclaimer
given on that front, you know, So, Katie, as we
(32:20):
start to wrap up, I mean, one thing that also
strikes me as I look across your experience both in sports,
it also includes media, and media is such a fascinating
part of the baseball equation right now. Alex obviously knows
it very well from a lot of different perspectives. How
do you see sort of the media side evolving because baseball,
(32:41):
as a lot of listeners of this podcast know, it's
one of the trickiest when it comes to the big
four sports in terms of sort of figuring out national
versus regional and the number of games.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Which you've talked about.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
How do you see that moving forward and what are
some of the decisions that need to be made to
ensure that baseball gets the media sort of packaging and
strategy that it needs.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
Well. I know this is an area that the commissioner
and the team up at MLB is spending a lot
of time thinking about. But I don't think I would
be speaking out of turn to say that we all
know that our job is to get our content in
front of many fans, current and future as possible, and
that right now there are some challenges in doing that.
I think with the increasing prevalence of direct to consumer offerings.
(33:26):
From a local media standpoint, I think that does help,
but it's challenging to know where the game is playing,
when the game is going to be, where I should
be tuning in to watch it. The easier you can
make that, I think, the better. And so from my standpoint,
I think a lot of what I would hope to
see as they continue to think through what those opportunities are.
What are ways in which we can start presenting our
content to fans, and the way in which our fans
(33:47):
are thinking about it, which is not I am in Baltimore,
i am in the United States States, or I'm traveling
in London. It's I love the O's and I want
to watch my team. What is the easiest way for
me to do that? So I think there's an opportunity
to start moving in that direction, and I'm hopeful that
we'll do so. But it is a very complicated environment,
and it's also one that's hugely important to the health
and well being of our league, both where we are
(34:10):
now and going forward. So it's no simple task.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, and presuming I would imagine, you know, you are
to Turner Broadcasting and that was a sort of revolutionary
I mean Ted Turner again, having grown up in Atlanta.
I watched all that you know in front of my eyes.
I saw the power that TBS had for making you know,
the braves that America's team back in the day. You know,
now we're dealing in a streaming world. It must make
(34:34):
it that much more challenging to your point of like
even finding the games, but also knowing.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Where to put them so that people can see them.
Is that fair?
Speaker 5 (34:44):
I mean, I think, look, it is. It is a challenge.
Like the beauty of choice is also the challenge. It
gets much more complicated and you have to pay a
little bit more attention, and so you know, there are
a lot of opportunities for all of us. I think again,
our focus here at the Orioles is how do we
ensure that we're getting as many of our games as
possible in front of as many of our fans as possible.
And that's something that is our north star. Needless to say,
(35:06):
we can only control what we have from a local
rights standpoint, but I know that Major League Baseball is
also dedicated to the same premise. I'm looking at it
more nationally and internationally. So again, it's complicated. It is
certainly not something that I want to brush over and
make look like an easy challenge to be fixed. But
I'm really hopeful there are a lot of really smart
folks in New York. There are a lot of really
(35:26):
smart folks at the clubs, and I'm really hopeful that
between all of us, we can come up with something
that continues to be as good for fans going forward
as it has been previously.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
All right, let's do the lightning around real quick. It's
five questions, Katie. We're going to bunce it back and forth.
First thing that comes to your mind. What's the best
piece of advice you've ever received on deal making or business?
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Be honest, who's your dream deal making partner?
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Someone who looks at things totally differently than I do?
So depend on the deal.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
All right, So this is the dumbest question we could
probably ask you, But I'm gonna ask you. Anybody, which
team do you want to see win a championship more
than any The Baltimore Oriols very good? If you had,
I get I guess we have to ask you because
if you didn't say the Oriels, then that would be
a whole different podcast.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
This has been a great conversation. Yeah, I speak with
you again.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I'm sorry, Dan calling right now and I'm looking for
a new job.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Headhunter anyone, what's your hype song before big meeting or negotiation?
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Oh, for a long time, As as Jason mentioned, I
was down in Georgia for a long time, so I
was double went down to Georgia. Now I've got a
h I've got a variety that, depending on the mood,
gets me in the right mood. So I have a
nine year old son at home. He is my personal DJ.
So it's whatever James would pick, We'll go with that.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
There you go, all right?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
What's your advice for someone listening who wants a career
like yours?
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Don't get in your own way right, work hard, be kind,
build relationships. You never know the person who's gonna be
able to open a door. Also, you never know the
person will be able to keep it closed. So if
you care about something, go at it, have the conversations,
be willing to work hard, and when an opportunity shows up,
be willing to lean in.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Great answer, Katie Greggs, what a pleasure we've really enjoyed
getting you to know you a little bit. Thank you
for being so generous with your time and your insights
and excited to see what you do down there in Baltimore.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Sincerely appreciate it. It's wonderful speaking with you both.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
Thank you, Katie.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by Anamazarakus, Stacy Wong, and Lizzie Phillip.
Amy Keen is our editor and Will Connelly is our
video editor. Our theme music is made by Blake Maples.
Our executive producers are Kelly Leferrier Ashley and Brenda neonham
Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcast. Additional support
(38:05):
from Rachel Carnivale and Elena Los Angeles. Thanks so much
for listening to the Deal. If you have a minute, subscribe,
rate and review our show. It'll help other listeners find us.
I'm Jason Kelly. See you next week.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Welcome back to the Deal.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez and Alex. There you are.
The walls are blank. You're not in a witness protection program.
You're just in your new office in Minneapolis. It's all happening, man,
like you are mister Minneapolis these days.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
I have to ask you. I'm talking to you.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
A couple of days after Game one of the playoffs
Links versus Valkyries.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Listen. I watched it on TV. It looked electric. What
was it like in there?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
It really was, Jason, it was a sold out crowd.
One seed where the one seed Joe Lacub's team is,
you know, the eighth seed.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
He came down. We spent some time together. He's such
a great guy.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
So Joe Lacub, just to remind people, so, you know,
the majority owner of the Golden State Warriors and now
the Valkyries, which is the brand new WNBA team. This's
the first time an expansion team has made the playoffs
in their first year. They've been so exciting to watch. Like,
what's he saying about the d is he excited?
Speaker 4 (01:14):
It was more me.
Speaker 3 (01:15):
Saying to him and congratulating him, and I mean Joe
lacub He's could write a masterclass, just like Jerry Jones
and others.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
I mean the way he creates value.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
He basically sold out every ticket for every game of
the season, sponsorship record breaking for year one, and the
fact that they have a really good team and they're
in the playoffs just tells you what a great operator
he is.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Yeah, so what are you feeling as you're watching this
because you're the governor of the most successful WNBA team
in history in the links four championships, you know, going
for a fifth. We're in the in the final last
year and lost to the Liberty. What's the vibe from
where you said?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Well, first of all, yes, four titles, and I had
nothing to do with any of them. But as my
first year as GUVN, as you mentioned, Jason, I was
very nervous, very excited. You know, there's two things about
sports that make you really scared of these short series
three five games and this is the best of three. Yeah,
it doesn't matter who's better. I mean, one ball, one
(02:13):
call can go the other way and you're done. So
good for showing the fan base was awesome. There is
a very very sticky, very passionate, very smart fan base.
And because we have such great continuity, the fans and
the team is almost like one. I mean they do
all this dancing. They do this postgame celebration where they dance.
No one leaves until that dance.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
Is over, including me.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
By the way, the WNBA product is just so so good.
And if you look at the numbers, the viewership numbers,
they're actually comparable to baseball, you know, Someday night baseball.
Speaker 4 (02:45):
It's really exciting time.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, it is really cool to watch. I mean obviously
this the team too, is just so fun to watch.
I mean within the FISA, Colli, you're especially leading it,
you know, a leading candidate for MVP. So I'm excited.
I got to get out. I want to come to
a game with you.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Please please all right, and when you're here, please help
me decorate my office because it looks like I'm in
the Witness Protective Yeah program.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Yeah, it's really time.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
You need to get But you know, you got a
new CEO, like everything's everything's getting underway. And it also
speaking of you being you know, mister Minnesota and mister Minneapolis,
do I also understand you went to a baseball game
there with so Twins yanked.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, so my afternoon they walking every inch of our arena,
target looking for opportunities to improve the fan experience at seats, luxuries,
the VIP experiences, which was fun.
Speaker 4 (03:35):
And then I.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Walked across literally the hallway over here where there's a
bridge that takes you from our arena to Target Field,
and my Yankees were there. So I went to see
Michael Kay and I went to see Susan Waldman, went
to see some of the players, and it's always good. Unfortunately,
the Twins beat us down pretty good yesterday. I think
we lost seven zero, but uh, it was always great.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
To see the Yankees.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
Yeah, and so how are you feeling about the Yankees
right now? That loss notwithstanding, how are you feeling?
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yeah, I think they're they're playing better. I think there's
a bit of a gift and curse. They've had a
bit of an inconsistent year, but they're playing much better
as of late. And if there's one year where you
can kind of sneak into the World Series, is this one.
Because there's no real alpha in the American League. It's
literally wide open. Every team is there's no perfect team
and there are two pitchers, you know, Max Freed and
(04:29):
the others can join. They got some great young pitching too.
I think they have a shot.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see, you know, what these
playoffs look like. You know, we talk a little bit
later in this episode. Coming up, we've got Katie Gregg.
She's the president of Baltimore Orioles. Obviously, they're not threatening
the Yankees right now. It's been a bit of a
tough ride for them, but fascinating to hear what she's
up to. Their massive business opportunity in a really good market.
(04:54):
You know, you and I know a number of people
in the ownership there, David Rubinstein, are sort of colleague
of sorts here at Bloom. He hosts to show peer
to peer conversations as well as some other shows here.
Michael Araghetti, the CEO of Aries, is the number two
partner there at the Orioles and some other folks cal Ripken,
your childhood idol. He's part of the ownership group now.
So there's a lot to be excited about on the field,
(05:16):
but certainly off the field. So I really enjoyed catching
up with her and hearing her vision for it. She
started out, you know or she worked at one point
in Seattle, just like you did.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
If I can just make one little bet, I'm buying
some stock and I'm buying some property for the Baltimore
Orioles for the next five years, because I think the
stock is low, but I think it's going to the
moon under this ownership. Obviously, the management team and the
young players they have, they can retain them. I think
they have a shot to do really special things.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Yeah. I mean, as a Yankees fan, you're probably a
little worried about about them coming up when they really
get it together. I mean, the Al East is certainly
some of the best real estate in all of baseball,
and when all of those teams get going, it's really
really good for the game. All right, coming up, Kittie
Gregg's from the Orioles. Welcome back to the deal. I'm
(06:12):
Jason Kelly alongside Alex Rodriguez. So excited to have with
us Katie greg She's the president of business Operations for
the Baltimore Orioles. Someone we've been circling around because we
have a lot of friends in your organization, Katie, but
we wanted to talk to the boss, the person who
actually like runs this ship day to day. Thank you
for joining us, Thanks for having me. So let's start
(06:33):
with the state of baseball. How would you characterize it?
You know, you've been in baseball for some time now,
what's the business of baseball.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Here in twenty twenty five? In a few words, I.
Speaker 5 (06:43):
Think the business of baseball is strong. We still play
a really unique role in the sports ecosystem. We have
a lot of games, and I think it's one of
the things that makes us special. We have the opportunity
to bring people together and create those spaces where people
are coming together over shared passions versus perhaps being in
situations where they either don't interact or torn apart by differences,
you know, And I think do you need more of
those spaces? And we're seeing fans going and spending time
(07:06):
at ballparks. Attendance remained strong, TV viewership remained strong, and
I do think that the introduction at the pitch clock
and shortening the game time is something that does have
a role to play in that.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
And I'm glad you went to this sort of the
real changes and what we've seen over the last couple
of years. How do you see it from a business perspective,
like how did it play through to either, you know,
fan engagement, fans in seeds, merch concessions, Like, did you
see a real change as these rules sort of came
in to the top line and bottom line of your business.
Speaker 5 (07:38):
Well, I think there's a lot of questions leading up
to it about what was that impact going to be.
My guiding light has been and remains that if you
do the right thing for your fans, it's good for
your business. I think that holds true in this case.
You know, we've heard for a long time that the
game was long, and we know that we're in a
world of shortened attention spans. You know, we talk a
lot about share of watch versus share of wallet, and
(07:58):
the reality is this is something that's brand new. This
is simply taking game times back to what they were
a decade or two ago. So it's not changing the game.
It's not fundamentally altering it. And I think what you
saw last year in year one was I think economics
were pretty similar in terms of those in game economics.
You know, some teams saw growth, some teams saw minor decreases.
(08:20):
That's something that's pretty common year over year and didn't
seem to be materially impacted by it. But again, we've
seen strong attendance in the league. We've seen strong viewership
in the league over the last few years, and I think,
you know, it's certainly not too difficult to surmise that
that's a part of it.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
So, Katie, when you zoom out and you look at
the major four major sports in American sports, right that's MOB, NBA, NFL, NHL.
NHL has had the best growth the last four or
five years. NBA and NFL have been pretty similar both,
you know, high double digits, nh O over twenty percent,
but baseball's midst single digits.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
What do you attribute this to?
Speaker 3 (08:56):
And the word on the street is that, you know,
the best buy right now from the four sports is baseball,
and the multiples are quite quite attractive. How do you
make baseball more attractive from an enterprise point of view?
And where's the growth in baseball?
Speaker 5 (09:10):
I think the growth in baseball is recognizing what's always
been there and making sure we're creating environments where all
fans feel not only welcome but wanted. Now, when you
look at the diversity of our athletes on the field,
it's no secret it's changed over time. When you look
at the ways in which teams have shifted from more
urban center ballpark locations out to suburbs, that does carry
with it it's more difficult to get there, you have
(09:31):
less public transit. And I think the reality is, when
you have one hundred and sixty two games each season,
it's incumbent upon us to create one hundred and sixty
two opportunities or at least eighty one at home and
hopefully more to attract fans and create a spot where
everyone feels welcome. And so, as someone who has a
privilege of working for a club in a really diverse city,
I don't know that historically we can look ourselves in
the eye and say we've done all that we could
(09:52):
or should to make sure that everyone feels welcome, everyone
feels wanted, and we've created a space that really does
serve the needs of our entire community.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
And Katie, a follow up on that, like, if you
were to be a commissioner for one day, is there
two or three things you would try to implement? And
by the way, Rob Bamford, who's the commissioner now, has
done a fantastic job. As you mentioned, some of the
rules already changed but how would you add to that.
Speaker 5 (10:16):
I think, look, there are a lot of really great
things that are already underway, and so from my standpoint,
I think we are moving in the right direction. One
of the things that I know that there's been an
emphasis on that I would continue building on is the
connection that fans have to athletes. The increased focus on
storytelling not only about the incredible athletic feats that are
happening on the field of play every single day and
every single evening, but also about who these athletes are.
(10:37):
I mean, we have incredible men playing the sport throughout
the league, throughout each and every team, and the more
that we focus on solely their athletic exploits. You know,
not all of us can be big league players. Most
of us can't, but we can all relate to the
characteristics that each and every one of these people brings
to the sport, to the game, and to themselves. And
I think helping people find those connections, helping people see
(10:58):
themselves in these athletes, whether it's someone where it's reminds
me of my brother, he reminds me of my uncle,
reminds me of a buddy of mine. The more effectively
we're able to showcase the players themselves, which is something
that I would argue the NBA in particular has done
a very good job at I think the more successful
will be.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Does it feel like the players are up for that.
I would imagine that players would look at the baseball
players would look at the NBA and be like, Yeah,
those guys are making more money off the court because
of all of those things. How much convincing do you
have to do as a smart business person to these players,
who presumably are increasingly smart business people in their own right.
Speaker 5 (11:35):
Yeah, I think there'd be tremendous humorous and putting myself
inside the head of a professional being league player. So
I might turn that one into Alex. But you know,
from my standpoint, we are at a phase where when
you look at the age of a lot of the
players of the game, like, this is a social media generation.
This is a generation that grew up with the Internet
and social media being part of their everyday lives and
telling their stories and how they connect their friends and
each other. You know. So, I think from a willingness
(11:57):
and an understanding and an appetite, it's there. The question
isn't always remains in a sport like baseball, when there
are so many games and so many demands placed upon
these athletes, how do you do this in a way
that's organic, How do you do this in a way
that's authentic, And how do you do this in a
way that is meaningful and natural and comfortable for each
one of them? And building that system where they know
they're set up for success here? Right? This is something
(12:19):
there is in that gotcha moment. This is about how
do we celebrate them as people? And every single person
is unique. But I'd be curious on alex thoughts on it.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, Alex, what do you think is it starting to resonate?
Speaker 4 (12:29):
I think so.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
In the numbers suggest so as well. I mean, Baseball's
had a twenty four month one here that is as
good as I've seen it on quite a long time.
Speaker 4 (12:37):
I think it's an interesting thing about narrative, right.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
I Mean, we always thought when I came in nineteen
eighty four that baseball was the most attractive sport for
TV because we had so much content, and we grew
up in an era where they said more contents better.
Somehow they flip that on his head and are saying
they're holding that against this right because it's not as scarce.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
But I don't see it that way.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
I think we have to be able to turn that
narrative like the Titanic and say we have a better
offering because we can be on one hundred and sixty
two games, which is like a soap opera at home
every night. So I think there's some work to do there.
I also think there's some low hanging fruit. I mean,
if you think about Thanksgiving this year, you have the
Dallas Cowboys going up against Kansas City in the second
slot on CBS, and I heard Jim Nance talking about
(13:17):
it that he thinks is going to be the largest
TV audience ever for a regular season game. So how
do we take July fourth as the American Day and
take America's pastime and have both Fox and ESPN the
media partners, on location and have the best four games
from the time that is twelve to midnight, and it
should be all baseball every day. I don't want to see.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
The hot Dogs.
Speaker 3 (13:37):
The hot Dogs are great on ESPN, but it should
be America's pastime. And then I think, to Katie's point,
You've never had better young players than you have today
since I've been around the game for the last thirty
or forty years, and you know, how do we take
the helmet off of the gunner Henderson's, the Aaron Judge Jotani's,
But then there's the second layers of that, right then,
who's the next Bryce Harper? And a lot of play
(14:00):
on Katie seemed the Baltimorials. So I think we have
to be able to do a better job of storytelling.
Whether is that some reality TV where we follow him
around in the off season to find out who they
are so we can be invested, Especially like my mom
and my sister, they care more about the person, not
just the stats. And I think we can appeal to
women a lot better than we are right now.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, it's interesting, Katie. I mean to think about your
franchise in particular. You know, I came along at a
time and I've been a baseball fan all my life.
You and I shared a little common history as Southerners,
and I know you worked in Atlanta for a time
for the soccer club down there. I believe you know
I've been a Braves fan all my life. We could
talk about the Braves. It's painful in their current iteration,
(14:42):
but you know, one of the greatest storylines in the
history of baseball was Cal Ripken. You know Cal Riken
j I mean, you know, an unbelievable thing. Now he's
obviously I know he's you know, back more involved with
the club. He's a minority owner. You know, I've spent
some time with him. I know he's a hero of Alex's.
(15:03):
How do you marry this? You know kind of youth
movement and all this stuff we're talking about with this
like rich heritage you have as a club.
Speaker 5 (15:13):
I think that's a huge strength in an asset. So
to your point on Cal, we had the opportunity to
celebrate him recently in the thirtieth anniversary of his twenty
one thirty one feet which I don't know how that
ever gets broken at this point. But I think one
of the things that does make baseball so special is
the true connection and tie that it has. It is
that sense of tradition, It is that sense of history.
You know, whenever I'm at a game, I'm still struck.
(15:34):
In the seventh thinning, you have the seventh thinning stretch.
Everyone in the ballpark knows the song. Yeah, those moments
don't happen elsewhere. Right, have different teams, different leagues, everyone
has special things that make them unique. So this isn't
a better than but I do think it's something that's
different than is. We have the opportunity to celebrate the history.
We have the opportunity to celebrate all of our all
time great So you have a lot of really incredible records,
(15:56):
many of which still stand. You still talk about the
athletes who played one hundred years ago as if they
were stars today, and that's something you simply don't see.
And so I think there's a really unique opportunity to
showcase not only all of the incredible things that are
happening now and will be happening in the future, but
also tie them back to what makes us great, what
makes this sport great, and particularly in communities, what makes
(16:19):
these communities great. There's so many special moments, using Baltimore
as an example, whether they're here at Camden Yards or
at Memorial Stadium, where this team means something to this community, right,
And it means something this community because it's something that
you've been a part of. Whether you're a young adult
and you're listening to your mom, dad, aunt, uncle, grandparents,
what have you like? This is a club that means
(16:40):
something to this city, and I think being able to
reflect on that history while also celebrating the president and
future is a really unique strength and asset to baseball.
That's somewhat unique, Katie.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Speaking of community and assets, one of the greatest assets
that you have, in my opinion from playing there for
almost twenty five years, is Camden Yards. It's truly one
of the the great landmarks in America, and not just
Baltimore area. When you think about your job and whether
that's cutting expenses, adding different levers to add revenue, that
(17:12):
will affect tremendously. Because you do play in the ivy
League of Baseball, the American League East, and it's been
there for a very long time. How do you compete
against the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees and
so on and so forth.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Very tough competition. How do you think about that?
Speaker 5 (17:28):
I mean, I won't speak to in depth from the
baseball side, because again I don't want to get out
of her my skis, But I think the reality is
we compete by being ourselves. We compete by leaning into
the things that make us special. We compete to leaning
into the fact that we have incredible community, an amazing ballpark,
and a lot of things. We're just a mentality ethos
of this place is we're going to do it differently,
like great, you've got the money, Great you've got this,
(17:50):
Great you've got that. That's fine, We're just going to
outwork you, right, We're going to show up. It's I
think Cal is the perfect example of what exemplifies Baltimore
and the Baltimore ethos. I mean, he's a guy who
showed up every single day, right, no off days. You
come up, you show up, you work hard, and you
come back again and do it again tomorrow. I think
there are certain things about this team and this community
(18:11):
that are just incredibly special and incredibly unique. And that's
not to say that you don't have great things about
all of the other clubs. Every club has things that
make them special and unique. But I think what's going
to help Baltimore win is by being Baltimore and not
trying to pretend that they're the Yankees, not trying to
pretend that we're the Red Sox because we're not, and
that doesn't make us weaker, it just makes us different.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
So I'm glad Alex brought up Camp New Yards, because
I remember going there, you know, when I was going
to college nearby and just being sort of blown away
was so different back then. There are a lot of
ballparks in the intervening, you know, couple decades, several decades
that have have copied a lot of a lot of
the playbook. I know Alex is thinking a lot about
this as an owner in a different league. Now, how
(18:53):
do you think about the physical plant, how do you
think about the area around the stadium? I know that's
is this is something that ownership has talked about, But
how do you think about the opportunities to create even
more of an ecosystem around Camden Yards.
Speaker 5 (19:09):
Well, I think one of the things that makes it
special that we touched on earlier is the fact that
we are in the heart of the city, right We're
walking distance to the harbor. We're somewhere where there's public
trends that you have the ability for different fans to
get here, whether they're fans who are here in Baltimore
City or fans throughout the sort of mid Atlantic region
that I believe is a unique strength. And to your point,
Camden Yards is a cathedral like it is such a
(19:31):
special ballpark and we are so fortunate to have statewide
support to actually continue to invest it in and make sure
that it is as great for fans looking ahead as
it has been for fans to date. And so for us,
it really is about doubling down on the fan experience here,
making sure that we're creating spaces and experiences that resonate
with different fans and recognize different people want different things
at different times, and that's okay, right. This is no
(19:54):
longer about telling people how they should watch a baseball game.
It's creating the opportunity for fans to consume a baseball
came and take part of it in a way that
actually makes sense for them and feels right for them.
So I think inside the ballpark, we're very committed to that.
We've got a lot of construction that'll be going on
this off scene in the part of that project, and
then looking around the ballpark, look, one of the counterpoints
of a urban center ballpark is it is in the
(20:15):
urban center. And so for us, ensuring that we're collaborating
with public and private sector to make sure that this
is a safe, comfortable, and part of town where our
fans want to be, where our fans feel safe, where
our fans feel welcome. That always is top of mind.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And so do you look at something, do you drive
going back to the Braves for a second again on
my own worst enemy in this regard, not talking about
on the field, but talking about off the field. You know,
Alex every time he goes down and sees tru As
he raves about the battery and everything that they've done
around there. As you look around the league and maybe
tapping into your experience in Seattle where Alex started his career,
(20:51):
you know.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
What do you see that you like? What are the things.
Speaker 1 (20:54):
Where you know you call your counterpart, you know, at
another club and say, how'd you do that? What are
the things that you have sort of presidential envy over?
Speaker 5 (21:05):
I think there are a lot of different things to
your point. Looking down in Atlanta, I had the privilege
of being down there as they were building and building
out Torurist Park and the Battery. I think they did
an incredible job. I think it's very different than our situation.
You know, there there at the intersection of two major
highways where they had a lot of real estate because
it's not in the urban core, so they had the
ability to build out this really amazing environment around the
(21:27):
ballpark that I think works great for them. I don't
think that approach would necessarily be appropriate in the middle
of Baltimore, but I do think that there are other
teams that are doing interesting things. You've seen a lot
of development around Fenway and Wrigley, You've seen a lot
of development around the Cardinal Stadium and down in Colorado.
So there are a number of different teams who are
in more similar locations to us, who have been thinking
(21:48):
strategically and creatively about how do they make sure that
the space around their ballpark is space that fans want
to be, It's space that the community wants to be,
not only on game days, but for all of the
other days throughout the course of the year. And so
it's something that as we continue to look forward, we're
very much having conversation with posts, We're very much learning
because ultimately our desire is to make sure that Camden
(22:10):
Yards the Baltimore Ools, but more broadly, that Baltimore is
a place that fans want to be and where our
community members and our players want to be, and where
everyone feels safe and welcome and it's generally thriving environment.
And so we think that we do play a role
in that, and so we're having a lot of those conversations.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
Katie shifting a little bit.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
I would love your advice here and pick your brain,
even though I hate that term pick your brain.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
Maybe we just get your advice.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
As Jason said, I played in Seattle. You worked in Seattle,
and now you're working in Baltimore. You work for Mike
Arraghetti and David Rubinstein, who are you know, two of
the giants of private equity and very respected Mark and
I my partner, Mark LOORI. We just hired a wonderful CEO,
Matthew Caldwell, who came from the Florida Panthers. And I'm
(22:57):
wondering what's been the best cadence for you to talk ownership,
what works best for you and what advice can you
give Mark and I to maximize Matthew talent.
Speaker 5 (23:07):
I think it depends on the people, and it depends
on what's going on right in a period of significant change.
In my experience, more conversations better. Right as you're trying
to get to know someone and learn how you work
and how he works, figuring that on taking the time
to build that relationship upfront I think pays dividends in
terms of allowing both people and both parties or in
your case, all three parties, the opportunity to free up
(23:30):
time down the road because you know how the other
people are thinking about things. You know the types of
things where you're going to want more information. He knows
when to go to you, and vice versas, so you're
not sort of yeah, yeah, yeah, that's not something I
need to know, or oh gosh, I really wish I
knew about that before this went that far. So I
think in that upfront period it's important to take the
time to get to know each other. And then ultimately, again,
(23:50):
it sort of depends on what's going on in the
state of the business, what's going on with sort of
the extent to which this is a operate steady state
versus say, hey, it's time to roll up our leaves
and make some changes. But it really does depend, in
my experience, on the people and on sort of where
you're at at the stage of business. But given where
you're at, I think communicating on a regular basis, whatever
that may mean for the three of you, is probably healthy.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Alex and I both mentioned the ownership group.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
It's a really interesting one, you know beyond you know
David and then Mike, and you know you have some
you know, some smaller stake owners like cal Roken junior
David Marchik, who's a former partner and senior executive at
Carlisle worked with David there. What was the pitch that
they gave you about why'd you end up at Baltimore?
What was appealing to you about this opportunity?
Speaker 5 (24:37):
It's Camden Yards, It's Baltimore Orioles. Come on now, look,
I think you know I had an incredible experience in Seattle. Seattle,
the city was good to me, all of the ownership
at Seattle and my team, like, there's zero complaints. It
certainly is not an example of running from But Alex noted,
this is the Al East, this is Camden Yards. This
is a young team that I expect to be really coetive,
(25:00):
not just season, but many seasons looking forward. And I
enjoy being surrounded by people who are smarter than I
am and push me to be my very best version
of myself. And Mike Garraghetti and David Rubinstein are two
of the very best, and having the opportunity to work
alongside and learn from them was also something that was appealing.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
So Katie, I'm curious about you go to home school,
you start college at fourteen, that's insane, and then you
get your masters and undergrad both from Dartmouth. I guess
my question with your resume, you can literally work anywhere.
Speaker 4 (25:45):
Why sports?
Speaker 5 (25:47):
I love what sports does for communities. I've always been
interested in what makes people tick, how do you influence behavior?
And I think sports is one of the very unique
things where it's an intrinsic motivator.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Right.
Speaker 5 (25:56):
It has the power to move entire communities. It has
the entire to bring people joy. There are so few
places where you can say that or like again, at
our best, you know we've had We've had a lot
of walk offs lately, and I assure you at the
every at the end of every single one of those,
looking around the ballpark, you see a lot of happy faces.
When we had the opportunity to celebrate Cal and his
family on the twenty one thirty one celebration, we had
(26:17):
a packed ballpark and then got to walk off on
top of it, and you saw a lot of happy faces.
Being able to play a role in bringing communities together,
creating that sense of place and bringing people joy. It's
pretty special.
Speaker 1 (26:32):
Yeah, And so you know to that point about you know,
sports within a community.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
You know, one of the interesting things you did.
Speaker 1 (26:40):
Just going back to Seattle for a second, is it
felt like and I have I was tipped off to this,
so I sort of know why I'm asking this question.
You know, you developed really strong relationships with other ownership
groups in that city, and specifically Samantha Holloway, you know,
who leads the crack in there and has made it
clear that she wants to be an NBA own as well.
(27:01):
You know, you have the Seattle Storm out there in
the w as well. You guys hosted an NHL game
I believe at T Mobile. How did those sorts of
deals come about? And is it about the existing relationships?
Is it about reaching out to the NHL? Like tell
us that story, because I find that fascinating.
Speaker 5 (27:21):
I mean, look, when you're looking at those types of events,
those are league wide events, right. So, needless to say,
having the support of in this case, the Kraken is
hugely important. I don't know that it would have worked
without that. Ultimately, these are league decisions where our job
is to put forth. This is why you should come
to our venue. This is why you should come to
our city. This is why we believe it'll be great
for you, your athlete, it's your fans in the sport.
(27:41):
And so for us, it's no different than many things.
It's looking understanding what someone's looking for, understanding if you
can deliver it successfully and deliver it better than others,
and then making that pitch. And we've were very fortunate
in Seattle that between the MLB All Star Game and
twenty twenty three and the NHL Winter Classic and January
twenty four New Year's Day, to be a specific, we
(28:03):
had the opportunity to bring two very very special league
wide events to the city of Seattle and put on
a fantastic show both times. And so it really is
about relationships are always critical, but ultimately it's about the
work and demonstrating that this is something that is going
to be best for the fans, and that's what we
all hope to deliver.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
And so as you think about you know, sort of
similar you know, outreach, it's a very different region that
you're in the Pacific Northwest, it's its own thing.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
Baltimore also mid Atlantic also its own thing.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
How do you leverage some of what this region that
you're in now has to offer to continue to build
sort of the brand.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
Of the Orioles.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
Obviously a very good brand, but you know, as you say,
you know you're fighting for just share of attention these days.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
No, I think, Look, we've got a lot of tremendous
assets here like Baltimore. One of the things that I
do love about it is how accessible it is. It's
not just a city that obviously is in the mid Atlantic.
It's right night to DC. It's an easy train ride
from affiliate, it's an easy train ride from New York.
You know, we have fans who are going up to
which you're on the O's when we're playing in other venues. Conversely,
we have fans who are coming down to check out
(29:10):
Camden Yards because they've heard how incredible it is. Our
job is to make sure we deliver against that promise.
That's something where I mentioned we have the privilege of
having state funding to help ensure that we're continuing to
make this ballpark the best it possibly can be, and
we're going to be working through a lot of that
this offseason and making sure that we're continuing to deliver
against that promise. But Ultimately, this is a special ballpark,
(29:31):
this is a special team, this is a special community.
And then, as Alex knows better than anyone, ultimately what
comes next is we've got to win, right, That's something
that always matters. We know what fans care about. That
is something that fans care about, and we need to
deliver against that too.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
Yeah, and fans want hope, and there's no other team
that's better positioned than the Baltimorials with hope, with the
young players, new ownership, you ky ripkin.
Speaker 4 (29:53):
I mean, you guys are in a great place.
Speaker 3 (29:55):
But as you're speaking, Katie, I'm wondering playing personally in
Seattle for parts of seven years and Baltimore and you
talked about the assets and how easy it is to
commute to other communities, you know, when I was there,
I do remember, you know, amazing attendance. I remember merchandise sales,
you know, off the chain with Ken Griffith, Juniors are
Michael Jordan and the TV ratings, you know, incredible ratings
(30:20):
because you basically have a monopoly of the Northwest. As
Jason referred from a business point of view, where's the
bigger business opportunity in Seattle? That runs a very healthy
business in Baltimore that you're trying to get it to
where you wanted to go.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
I think, just on like paper, Seattle is a bigger DMA, right,
and so that is that is just the reality. That's
a statement of fact. But I don't know that that
makes it better from a business opportunity standpoint. I think
it has. It has a lot of fortune five hundred
who are headquartered right there. It has a to your point,
it has a tremendous history and an amazing ballpark in Seattle.
So I think there's a lot of really wonderful things
(30:55):
that you know, when I was in Seattle, we had
to offer that helped us running really strong business. I
think we have a different set of circumstances here in Baltimore,
but I don't think it's actually worse. It's interesting if
you look at Washington, DC. Needless to say, until nineteen
ninety three, that was O's territory, right for my sister
in law grew up down in Georgetown and as a kid,
(31:17):
her team was the O's. Again, not because the Nats
aren't great, but because the Nuts weren't there. And so
we do have a really strong connection to this region
that extends beyond simply the Baltimore DMA. But the other
thing that's interesting about Baltimore is this community loves this team.
Speaker 4 (31:32):
Right.
Speaker 5 (31:32):
This is a community where this team has been here,
whether it's a memorial stadium, whether it's here at Camden
Yards for a very long time. It's part of the
lifeblood of Baltimore. There's a lot of pride about being
from Baltimore, and this team is associated with a lot
of it. So again, I think when you look about
the strength of community, this is a community that cares
about its baseball team, and so for us, it's making
sure that, to your point, we're giving them reason to
(31:53):
hope and then we're delivering against that promise.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
Yeah, it is interesting.
Speaker 1 (31:58):
I mean, you saw it with the ownership change and
the types of people who came together, and that feels
like a good time to mention in full disclosure that
one of the minority owners of the Baltimore Orioles is
in fact Mike Bloomberg, who is the founder majority owner
of Bloomberg News, which obviously publishes this podcast. So disclaimer
given on that front, you know, So, Katie, as we
(32:20):
start to wrap up, I mean, one thing that also
strikes me as I look across your experience both in sports,
it also includes media, and media is such a fascinating
part of the baseball equation right now. Alex obviously knows
it very well from a lot of different perspectives. How
do you see sort of the media side evolving because baseball,
(32:41):
as a lot of listeners of this podcast know, it's
one of the trickiest when it comes to the big
four sports in terms of sort of figuring out national
versus regional and the number of games.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Which you've talked about.
Speaker 1 (32:54):
How do you see that moving forward and what are
some of the decisions that need to be made to
ensure that baseball gets the media sort of packaging and
strategy that it needs.
Speaker 5 (33:05):
Well. I know this is an area that the commissioner
and the team up at MLB is spending a lot
of time thinking about. But I don't think I would
be speaking out of turn to say that we all
know that our job is to get our content in
front of many fans, current and future as possible, and
that right now there are some challenges in doing that.
I think with the increasing prevalence of direct to consumer offerings.
(33:26):
From a local media standpoint, I think that does help,
but it's challenging to know where the game is playing,
when the game is going to be, where I should
be tuning in to watch it. The easier you can
make that, I think, the better. And so from my standpoint,
I think a lot of what I would hope to
see as they continue to think through what those opportunities are.
What are ways in which we can start presenting our
content to fans, and the way in which our fans
(33:47):
are thinking about it, which is not I am in Baltimore,
i am in the United States States, or I'm traveling
in London. It's I love the O's and I want
to watch my team. What is the easiest way for
me to do that? So I think there's an opportunity
to start moving in that direction, and I'm hopeful that
we'll do so. But it is a very complicated environment,
and it's also one that's hugely important to the health
and well being of our league, both where we are
(34:10):
now and going forward. So it's no simple task.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, and presuming I would imagine, you know, you are
to Turner Broadcasting and that was a sort of revolutionary
I mean Ted Turner again, having grown up in Atlanta.
I watched all that you know in front of my eyes.
I saw the power that TBS had for making you know,
the braves that America's team back in the day. You know,
now we're dealing in a streaming world. It must make
(34:34):
it that much more challenging to your point of like
even finding the games, but also knowing.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Where to put them so that people can see them.
Is that fair?
Speaker 5 (34:44):
I mean, I think, look, it is. It is a challenge.
Like the beauty of choice is also the challenge. It
gets much more complicated and you have to pay a
little bit more attention, and so you know, there are
a lot of opportunities for all of us. I think again,
our focus here at the Orioles is how do we
ensure that we're getting as many of our games as
possible in front of as many of our fans as possible.
And that's something that is our north star. Needless to say,
(35:06):
we can only control what we have from a local
rights standpoint, but I know that Major League Baseball is
also dedicated to the same premise. I'm looking at it
more nationally and internationally. So again, it's complicated. It is
certainly not something that I want to brush over and
make look like an easy challenge to be fixed. But
I'm really hopeful there are a lot of really smart
folks in New York. There are a lot of really
(35:26):
smart folks at the clubs, and I'm really hopeful that
between all of us, we can come up with something
that continues to be as good for fans going forward
as it has been previously.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
All right, let's do the lightning around real quick. It's
five questions, Katie. We're going to bunce it back and forth.
First thing that comes to your mind. What's the best
piece of advice you've ever received on deal making or business?
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Be honest, who's your dream deal making partner?
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Someone who looks at things totally differently than I do?
So depend on the deal.
Speaker 1 (36:09):
All right, So this is the dumbest question we could
probably ask you, But I'm gonna ask you. Anybody, which
team do you want to see win a championship more
than any The Baltimore Oriols very good? If you had,
I get I guess we have to ask you because
if you didn't say the Oriels, then that would be
a whole different podcast.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
This has been a great conversation. Yeah, I speak with
you again.
Speaker 4 (36:31):
I'm sorry, Dan calling right now and I'm looking for
a new job.
Speaker 3 (36:35):
Headhunter anyone, what's your hype song before big meeting or negotiation?
Speaker 5 (36:42):
Oh, for a long time, As as Jason mentioned, I
was down in Georgia for a long time, so I
was double went down to Georgia. Now I've got a
h I've got a variety that, depending on the mood,
gets me in the right mood. So I have a
nine year old son at home. He is my personal DJ.
So it's whatever James would pick, We'll go with that.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
There you go, all right?
Speaker 1 (37:00):
What's your advice for someone listening who wants a career
like yours?
Speaker 5 (37:03):
Don't get in your own way right, work hard, be kind,
build relationships. You never know the person who's gonna be
able to open a door. Also, you never know the
person will be able to keep it closed. So if
you care about something, go at it, have the conversations,
be willing to work hard, and when an opportunity shows up,
be willing to lean in.
Speaker 1 (37:22):
Great answer, Katie Greggs, what a pleasure we've really enjoyed
getting you to know you a little bit. Thank you
for being so generous with your time and your insights
and excited to see what you do down there in Baltimore.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Sincerely appreciate it. It's wonderful speaking with you both.
Speaker 4 (37:37):
Thank you, Katie.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
The Deal is hosted by Alex Rodriguez and me Jason Kelly.
This episode was made by Anamazarakus, Stacy Wong, and Lizzie Phillip.
Amy Keen is our editor and Will Connelly is our
video editor. Our theme music is made by Blake Maples.
Our executive producers are Kelly Leferrier Ashley and Brenda neonham
Sage Bauman is the head of Bloomberg Podcast. Additional support
(38:05):
from Rachel Carnivale and Elena Los Angeles. Thanks so much
for listening to the Deal. If you have a minute, subscribe,
rate and review our show. It'll help other listeners find us.
I'm Jason Kelly. See you next week.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com