As baseball’s top business executive, Tim Brosnan oversaw a period of unprecedented revenue growth and development from the league office.
Brosnan’s 24-year run at MLB formally ends next month, but the executive behind efforts such as the World Baseball Classic, MLB Network and MLB Fan Cave leaves a legacy within the game. Brosnan was the one who negotiated MLB’s massive national media deals, most recently in 2012 when ESPN, Fox and Turner committed to pay $12.4 billion over eight years.
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As executive vice president of business, Brosnan has been behind new ideas like the MLB Fan Cave.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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“When we did Turner’s first playoff deal, Tim was very aggressive about growing revenue and exposure for the game,” said NBC Sports Group Chairman Mark Lazarus, who now oversees deals with five MLB teams through Comcast-owned regional sports networks. “He oversaw tremendous growth for MLB, and he should be very proud of that.”
Brosnan, since being elevated to his current role in 2000, oversaw record sales for baseball’s sponsorship and licensing business, and he drove the elevation of baseball’s All-Star Game commercially and competitively during a time when other sports have struggled with their all-star events.
“For 24 years, Tim gave 100 percent to our game, and baseball is extremely grateful for his vision and leadership,” said Bob Castellini, Cincinnati Reds president and chief executive. “I know he will give 100 percent to any future endeavor he is involved in.”
Brosnan last week declined to comment on his departure beyond a prepared statement in which he thanked MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and MLB team owners and wished Commissioner-elect Rob Manfred well. As a result, the career plans of Brosnan, a former aide to then New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, are not known.
But given his deep experience in multiple areas of media, sponsorship and licensing in sports, not to mention his extensive relationships throughout the business, he is expected to be in high demand within the industry.
“Tim was the reason baseball went through its biggest period of revenue growth and innovation,” Fox Sports President Eric Shanks said. “Through Tim, Fox has no stronger or deeper relationship with any partner than we have with baseball.”
