I connected with Mark Shapiro two years ago at the Princeton Sports Symposium, and had a great time getting to know more about his professional career in Major League Baseball. He came from humble upbringings, but through his hard work and perseverance, he worked his way up to become the Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland Indians and was recently promoted to become team president for the club next season. Mark’s journey has been an inspiring one and his zero-to-hero story has something that we can all take away in our own journey to success in the sports world.
In the following video, he explains the steps he took and what got him to where he is today:
There are three major themes within Mark’s interview that I believe can be applied to each of us and take you where you want to go, no matter if you want to become a professional coach, general manager, or team president:
1. Passion.
Mark had worked in the business world for a couple years with a stable job, but he wasn’t satisfied. His passion for baseball is the fuel for all the success. Money and stability are great things to have, but they should not be the sole driving force behind your success. Working in sports for the ‘love of the game’ is an old cliche, but it holds true. Without passion, the second and third steps become that much harder.
2. Being Fearless and Taking the Lumps.
His own father had advised him not to become involved in the baseball front office, but the passion instilled in him by his father outgrew his father’s words. Mark followed his heart and went to work on 26 different cover letters to all the different teams. Most of them didn’t even bother replying, but he didn’t that discourage him because he was willing to do whatever it took, and then the God-awful (at the time) Indians came calling.
He jokes that he would have liked to go to any team except the Indians because they were so bad, but it was a blessing in disguise. Opportunity arose from the ashes that would not have been there for him had he went to a more established baseball club. And as luck would have it, Mark has spent his entire career thus far with the club – a rarity in professional sports management. By not being caught up in failure and willing to go work for whoever game him an opportunity paved the road for success.
3. Staying Open Minded
When the Cleveland Indians offered Mark a job, they didn’t even bother giving him a title. At the time, not only were the on-field Indians bad, it was arguably the least respected franchise in all of professional sports. Staying open minded and being laser focused on his long term goals allowed Mark to look past the present. Some of you may often feel lost and unsure of where you’re headed, but every step you take fearlessly towards your passion is the right step.
For a lot of you, it may mean becoming an intern for little to no pay with local teams or small agencies but remember, success doesn’t happen over night. Mark didn’t go from no name to general manager once the job opened up and he put in his CV. He went from his initial position to become farm director, assistant general manager, general manager, vice president, and now team president. Look at each opportunity, dissect it’s long term benefits and you’ll win.
Above all, there is one golden rule that Mark may not have distinctly talked about. He worked his butt off. Passion is nothing without action, and he climbed the organizational ladder with his bare hands. I’m sure there were many tough days and sleepless nights but he stayed focused to get to where he is today. Stories like Mark’s are what inspired me to create programs like the Sports Executive Association and the Sports Internship Program, because I want to help you get as many opportunities to live out your passion as possible.
What do you think of Mark’s story? Do you have any experiences similar to his? I’m looking forward to your comments.
###
Great advice. I am following my dream and hopefully I will wind up where I wanted to be all along. I have been an usher at the organization for five years and I have talked to the SVP for fifteen minutes and have been emailing him back and forth for the past month and he usually writes back. He has my resume and I am hoping to land an Account Coordinator position. I am hoping I can get it. I have wanted to be in this organization for six years and a fan of the team for all my life.
I have an interview in the morning for an internship with an independent minor league baseball team that has had a recent ownership change and has suffered from declining attendance in recent years. Last season’s average was less than 1,000 fans per game. If I’m hired, it’ll be my first connection to the baseball industry. I see it as my very own “Mark Shapiro” opportunity!
I am currently 17 years old and it is my dream to one day become the general manager of a major league team. I’ll do whatever it takes to reach that dream even if I have to become an unpaid intern of a minor league like the Springfield Cardinals. I keep up with all minor league team and major league baseball stats. I constantly check to see what the big money teams can do to improve their major league teams as well as their farm system as I also do with the smaller market teams. One day I will make it no matter what it takes.
Fantastic blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers?
I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything.
Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go
for a paid option? There are so many options
out there that I’m completely confused .. Any suggestions? Kudos!
Good answer back in return of this difficulty with real arguments and describing everything on the topic of that.
If you want to take a great deal from this post then you have to apply
these techniques to your won blog.
I really love your website.. Pleasant colors & theme. Did you create this site yourself?
Please reply back as I’m attempting to create my very own website and want to learn where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Thank you!
I’m really inspired with your writing abilities as smartly
as with the structure in your weblog. Is that this a paid theme or did you modify it your self?
Either way stay up the nice high quality writing, it’s
rare to see a great blog like this one these days..
This is just amazing to see. It really is such an inspiring story for a young man to be given an opportunity and to really take it and run with it. The biggest thing I drew from this is passion. He truly loves the game and that is what drives him. I’m sure if you ask him would you do this job for nothing and still be comfortable he would answer with a emphatic yes. I hope this story will help to inspire people to chase their dreams and let the riches of a satisfied soul be your reward.
It’s actually very complicated in this full of activity life
to listen news on TV, thus I just use the web for that reason, and get the newest news.
There’s certainly a lot to know about this topic.
I like all of the points you made.
I believe he is one of the most sensitive and reasonable individuals. He impresses a lot and by earning the trust of people around him. No matter, they are Chief Executive Officer or a ticket-taker, he care everyone. Everyone around him often likes him due to his down to earth personality.
I believe he is one of the most sensitive and reasonable individuals in Toronto Blue Jays. Throughout his career, he impresses a lot and by earning the trust of people around him. No matter, they are Chief Executive Officer or a ticket-taker, he care everyone. Everyone around him often likes him due to his down to earth personality.
I would like to say great blog!