Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting admits he was unprepared for the limelight that came with running one of baseball’s oldest and most deeply rooted franchises when he took control of the club in 2007.
Nine years and three playoff appearances later, Nutting not only is at peace with the level of attention, he has established himself as one of baseball’s leading ownership voices.
“One thing I definitely underestimated coming in was the public scrutiny placed upon the organization, and me
personally. I didn’t think of myself as a particularly public-facing person,” he said. “But I love it. To see the commitment, the passion and the energy of the fans, either in an up cycle competitively or a down one, it’s humbling.”
Nutting became the team’s board chairman in 2003, four years before becoming principal owner, and during that initial period was rarely seen or heard from publicly regarding club matters. He likened his transition in embracing the public elements of being a pro team owner to what he also does as a licensed commercial pilot and flight instructor.
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“When you’re flying, it’s all about a constant series of self-corrections and adaptations,” he said. “You don’t just put it on auto pilot and take a nap. It’s all about continually reacting and responding to changing conditions. And that’s also been one of the most fascinating parts of the club.”
Nutting has overseen a historic rebirth for the Pirates, who in 2013 ended a 20-year streak of losing seasons and have reached the playoffs each of the past three years. The club’s home attendance at PNC Park has also increased each of the past six seasons. As the Pirates have grown into more of an industry stalwart, Nutting’s own league profile has elevated. He sat two years ago on the MLB commissioner succession committee that ultimately led to the election of Rob Manfred as baseball’s 10th commissioner. And Nutting is now one of eight team owners on MLB’s Executive Council, management’s top owner committee.
“It’s easy for individual teams to get caught up in our own agendas,” Nutting said. “But it’s been really interesting to see the game from a lot of different viewpoints and help do what I can to support baseball at large, as a strong, balanced league goes a long way to help what we do locally.”
Nutting and the Pirates maintain a strong relationship with the neighboring Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been an NFL institution for decades thanks in large part to the steady, decisive management of the
club’s principal owners, the Rooney family. Nutting sees the Pirates as having a similar structure.
“The club is primarily owned by my family. We have a very cohesive, small ownership group. And that’s presented some real advantages, I believe,” Nutting said. The Pirates have 15 limited partners, half the number the team had in 2003. “We have a particular ability to look long term and carry through multiyear commitments to various initiatives. And the people working below us in the organization can have confidence there won’t be radical, sudden shifts in broad outlook and strategy. That’s been a real differentiator for us.”
