Chuck Greenberg | |
---|---|
Born | 1961 (age 62–63) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
Nationality | American |
Education | Tufts University (BS) University of Michigan Law School (JD) |
Occupation(s) | Attorney Professional sports owner |
Known for | Owner of the State College Spikes, Myrtle Beach Pelicans and Frisco RoughRiders of Minor League Baseball Former owner of the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball |
Children | 3 |
Charles M. "Chuck" Greenberg (born 1961) is an American sports attorney, chairman and founder of the Greenberg Sports Group, and owner of three minor league baseball teams. Greenberg was managing partner of Rangers Baseball Express, LLC, which on August 5, 2010, won court approval to purchase the Texas Rangers, a Major League Baseball team, from Tom Hicks and Hicks Sports Group. Greenberg served as Managing Partner and CEO of the Rangers from 2010 to 2011.
Greenberg was born to a Jewish family, [1] in Englewood, New Jersey, but his family moved to Pittsburgh before his first birthday. He is one of three sons of David and Barbara Greenberg. He graduated from Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh in 1978 and went on to enroll at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
While at Tufts, Greenberg majored in political science and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in 1982. From there he went on to the University of Michigan Law School, where he received his juris doctor in 1985.
After law school, Greenberg began his law career in his hometown of Pittsburgh, as an associate and then partner at Cohen & Grigsby, where he practiced for 13 years. In 1998, he joined Pepper Hamilton as a corporate and sports attorney and a partner in the Pennsylvania-based law firm. [2] While at Pepper Hamilton, Greenberg headed the firm's sports practice and was a member of its executive committee from 2002 to 2008.
Among his most prominent work as a sports industry attorney, Greenberg was instrumental in a deal that landed NHL Hall of Famer, Mario Lemieux, [3] ownership of the then-bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team in 1999. [4] The deal is credited with saving the franchise for the city and Western Pennsylvania. [5] In 2007, Greenberg again represented Lemieux and the Penguins in successful negotiations with the state, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County which resulted in a deal to build the new Consol Energy Center (now known as PPG Paints Arena) in downtown Pittsburgh and secured the future of the Penguins in Pittsburgh for another 30 years.
Beginning in 2002, Greenberg formed and led an ownership group that purchased the Double-A Eastern League's Altoona Curve, [6] a minor league baseball team in Pennsylvania. For six years (2002–2008), Greenberg acted as managing partner and president of the team. He is credited with helping the organization set fan attendance records, [7] while continually re-investing money to improve the Blair County Ballpark, which resulted in national recognition of the franchise as one of the most innovative teams in professional sports. [8] Due in part to Greenberg's contributions to the baseball industry and the local community, the organization was awarded the John H. Johnson Presidents Trophy in December 2006, given to the top franchise in all of Minor League Baseball for overall quality and performance. [9] During Greenberg's tenure as managing partner and president, the franchise won several other awards, including the Larry MacPhail Award, presented in December 2004 by the Minor League Baseball association as the top franchise in all of Minor League Baseball for marketing, promotions, and community service [10] and the Bob Freitas Award in November 2006, awarded by Baseball America as the top Double-A franchise in Minor League Baseball. [11] Greenberg was also a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 as a finalist in the Western Pennsylvania and New York Region for ownership and management of Altoona Curve and State College Spikes. Greenberg and his ownership group (Curve Baseball LP) sold the team to the Robert F. Lozinak family in 2008. [12]
While continuing to manage and operate the Altoona Curve, Greenberg and his investment group also purchased the former New Jersey Cardinals. He immediately relocated the franchise to State College, Pennsylvania, in collaboration with Penn State University. Greenberg worked with the university to create the area's first-ever professional sports franchise, the State College Spikes, which began play in the New York-Penn League in 2006. Greenberg's hard work associated with the unique relationship between the Spikes and the university has become a model in the industry for facilities, [13] shared by a major university and a professional sports franchise. Medlar Field at Lubrano Park was the first ballpark in America LEED-certified for leadership in environmental and energy design. [14]
Greenberg took over as president and managing partner of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in June 2006 when he and a group of investors purchased the Minor League Baseball team. [15] Greenberg worked to enhance TicketReturn.Com Field in Myrtle Beach, making it one of the most fan-friendly venues in Minor League Baseball. [16] Greenberg and his group of investors spent $2.5 million to enhance the Pelicans' ballpark including the installation of a state-of-the-art, 550-square-foot (51 m2) video board, a new Outfield Reserved Bleacher Seating section, [17] and the opening of Pelican's Beach, dubbed "the only baseball-front beach in America". As part of a stadium redesign, the franchise moved the visitor's bullpen from beyond left field to beside a dugout, and set up 500-seat bleachers in its place. The Major League-quality video board is the largest in the Carolina League and ranks among the largest in all of Minor League Baseball, while the outfield seating is unique within the Carolina League. The Pelicans also reached several attendance milestones, including setting the team's all-time franchise attendance record in 2008 [18] and the all-time average attendance record in 2009, [19] a record that has since been broken in 2014 and again in 2015. [20] In December 2015, the Pelicans won Baseball America's Bob Freitas Award as the top Class A-Advanced franchise in Minor League Baseball. [21]
In August 2014, Greenberg, along with Scott Sonju, led an ownership that purchased the Frisco RoughRiders, the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. [22] The new ownership group has spearheaded numerous major franchise improvements, from a completely new team identity to massive additions and upgrades to Dr Pepper Ballpark, including a giant new 2,763-square-foot HD video board and nearly 2,500-square-feet of new or upgraded LED boards, a new state-of-the-art sound system, a newly designed and modernistic video control room, an open-air in-park sports bar, a relocated and expanded team store, known as "Riders Outpost", improved food service and menu, and a complete overhaul of in-game entertainment. The improvements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco "Best Ballpark Renovation" of 2015 by Ballpark Digest in the under $6 million category. [23]
Rangers Baseball Express, led by Greenberg and including former baseball great Nolan Ryan, won an auction to purchase the Texas Rangers on August 5, 2010, after hours of courtroom bidding. Greenberg described it as "a painful process ... it dispelled any notion that we haven't earned our way. We will deliver on our promises. And we want to deliver a championship." [24]
The two parties bidding for the franchise were the Ryan/Greenberg group and a group led by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane. Hours of delays and bidding resulted in a final sale price of $593 million, $385 million cash and $208 million in assumed liabilities. [25]
Rangers Baseball Express, LLC, had earlier signed a definitive agreement to purchase the Texas Rangers team from Tom Hicks and Hicks Sports Group on January 23, 2010. [26] The Dallas Observer said in April 2010 that Greenberg "has the money and moxie to lead the Texas Rangers back to relevancy and into the playoffs." [27]
Greenberg served as managing partner and CEO of the Rangers, while Ryan continued in his role as team president. Greenberg's vision for the team included both a dedication to being the best at every aspect of the operation and a focus on creating a highly entertaining fan experience at the ballpark. Greenberg said, "[W]e're here to win. We love baseball. We have an unbelievably deep emotional attachment to the Rangers and Rangers' fans. We're going to do everything we can to win." [28]
Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels has praised Greenberg for his personal connection to the fans, noting "He's just a normal guy. Jeans and T-shirts. He's really in tune with fans and knows how to have his finger on the pulse of what they want. He's very impressive. He wants revenue, make no mistake about that. But above and beyond that comes winning." [27]
During the 2010 World Series Greenberg, as a guest on a local ESPN radio show, Ben and Skin, made negative comments about the New York Yankees fans during the ALCS.
I thought Yankee fans, frankly, were awful. They were either violent or apathetic, neither of which is good. So I thought Yankee fans were by far the worst of any I've seen in the postseason. I thought they were an embarrassment.
— Chuck Greenberg
Greenberg would later apologize publicly and to Hal Steinbrenner and Randy Levine of the New York Yankees. [29] The comments made by Greenberg followed an incident in Game 3 of the ALCS when Kristen Lee, wife of Texas Ranger pitcher Cliff Lee, told the media about the treatment her and other players' wives received by fans at New Yankee Stadium. [30] Misty May, wife of backup catcher Matt Treanor, posted pictures on her Facebook page of Yankee fans spitting from the upper deck down into the section where her family and other Rangers fans were sitting.
On March 11, 2011, Greenberg announced that he was stepping down as Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of the Texas Rangers and that he would be selling his interest in the Rangers and will no longer be associated with the franchise. [31] [32] Club president Nolan Ryan assumed the title of CEO, overseeing all aspects of the Rangers operations on both the baseball and the business side. [31] [32]
In July 2017, Greenberg was reported to have signed a letter of intent to purchase the Carolina Hurricanes NHL franchise for approximately $500M. [33] Previously, Greenberg had expressed interest in purchasing the Dallas Stars in 2011 before the team was sold to Tom Gaglardi. [34] The sale of the Hurricanes to Greenberg would later fell apart and the team would be sold to Thomas Dundon in 2018.
In October 2008, Greenberg founded Greenberg Sports Group. The company provides management, consulting and marketing services to the sports industry. In 2008, he was elected to the Minor League Baseball Board of Trustees, which has exclusive power to determine policies and enact rules and regulations for Minor League Baseball. Greenberg also was named to the Sports Business Research Advisory Board at Penn State University, representing team owners in the work of the Center for Sports Business Research. He also serves on the board of directors of the Mario Lemieux Foundation (1994–present), the board of directors for the Carolina League (2006–present) and the board of directors for the Baseball Interactive Rights Company (2008–present).
Greenberg has had a long-time association with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. When they lived in Pittsburgh, the two were neighbors, and both attended the Temple Emanuel synagogue. Cuban said that Greenberg "puts the fan first, and he likes to make sure they have fun. I think he is going to be great for the Rangers, and I have told him I am happy to help in any way I can." [27]
Chuck has three adult sons; Jeff, Jack, and Ben, and he currently makes his home in California.
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas, alongside the Houston Astros of the same league. The team was founded as the Washington Senators in 1961, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after its previous team became the Minnesota Twins. The new Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas after the 1971 season and debuted as the Rangers the following spring. In 2020, the Rangers moved to the new Globe Life Field after having played at Globe Life Park from 1994 to 2019. The team's name is derived from a historic law enforcement agency.
Choctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. The venue opened in April 1994 as a baseball stadium with the name The Ballpark in Arlington, serving as the home for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball from 1994 through 2019. It replaced the nearby Arlington Stadium, and was succeeded by Globe Life Field.
The Frisco RoughRiders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named after the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment during the Spanish–American War, headed by future American President Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed "The Rough Riders" by the American press. They play their home games at Riders Field, which opened in 2003 and seats 10,316 people.
The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named for Baseball Hall of Famer and Texas native Nolan Ryan, who was nicknamed "The Ryan Express." Ryan, along with son Reid Ryan and Don Sanders make up the team's ownership group, Ryan Sanders Baseball.
The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve. The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Curve play in Peoples Natural Gas Field, located in Altoona; it was opened in 1999 and seats 7,210 people.
The Pulaski Yankees were a minor league baseball team based in Pulaski, Virginia, United States. They were an Advanced Rookie League team in the Appalachian League. The team played its home games at Calfee Park. They were affiliated with several Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Yankees in their final season.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans are a Minor League Baseball team in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and the Single-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Pelicans compete in the Carolina League. Home games are played at Pelicans Ballpark, which opened in 1999 and seats up to 6,599 people.
Pelicans Ballpark is located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and is the home field of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in the Carolina League. The stadium opened in 1999. It holds up to 6,599 people. Since its opening, it has been the finish point of the annual Myrtle Beach Marathon, held annually in March.
Riders Field, formerly known as Dr Pepper/Seven Up Ballpark and Dr Pepper Ballpark, is a baseball park in Frisco, Texas, United States. The home of the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas League, it opened on April 3, 2003, and can seat up to 10,216 people. Though primarily a venue for Minor League Baseball games, the facility also hosts high school and college baseball tournaments, and other public and private events throughout the year. It has been the site of three Texas League All-Star Games.
The Texas Collegiate League (TCL) is a collegiate summer baseball league made up of teams from the states of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. The league's headquarters are in Coppell, Texas. Uri Geva, owner of the Brazos Valley Bombers, is the league's president.
The Dallas Rangers were a high-level minor league baseball team located in Dallas, Texas, from 1958 to 1964. The team was known by the Dallas Rangers name in 1958, 1959, and 1964 and as the Dallas-Fort Worth Rangers from 1960 to 1963. It played in the Double-A Texas League in 1958, the Triple-A American Association from 1959 to 1962 and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 1963 and 1964. Its home stadium was Burnett Field.
D'Angelo Jiménez is a former professional baseball infielder that played primarily at second base. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals.
The Texas Rangers' 2010 season was the 50th in franchise history. The team, managed by Ron Washington, won their first American League West title since 1999 and finally won a playoff series, taking longer than any other North American professional sports franchise to accomplish the feat and making them the last of the 30 MLB clubs to advance past the division series. The club subsequently reached the World Series for the first time in only their fourth playoff appearance. Washington would become only the second manager in franchise history to lead the Rangers to the post season and the first to ever win a post season series. They would win the American League pennant by defeating the defending World Series champions, the New York Yankees, in six games in the ALCS. In the World Series, they lost to the San Francisco Giants in five games.
The Washington Nationals' 2010 season was the sixth season for the American baseball franchise of Major League Baseball in the District of Columbia, and the 42nd since the original team was started in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It involved the Nationals attempting to win the National League East after a 59–103 season the year before – the worst record of any MLB team in 2009. Jim Riggleman was kept as full-time manager after being instituted on July 12, 2009 after Manny Acta's firing.
The Texas Rangers' 2011 season was the 51st season in the overall history of the franchise and the 40th since the team relocated to Arlington, Texas. At the season outset, the Rangers were the defending American League champions.
The Texas Rangers Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise was established in 1961 as the second incarnation of the Washington Senators, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after the old Washington Senators team of the American League moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. The new Senators remained in Washington through 1971 playing at Griffith Stadium in their first season and at RFK Stadium for the next 10 years. In 1972, the team moved to Arlington, Texas, where it became the Texas Rangers. The Rangers played at Arlington Stadium from 1972 to 1993. Arlington Stadium was demolished, and the new Ballpark at Arlington was built, opening in 1994. The Ballpark at Arlington was renamed Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2014.
Nicholas James Tepesch is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Rougned Roberto Odor, nicknamed "Rougie", is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and San Diego Padres.
Luke Ray Jackson is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the first round, 45th overall, of the 2010 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2015 with the Rangers, and has also played for the San Francisco Giants.
The Down East Wood Ducks were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They were located in Kinston, North Carolina, and are named for the wood duck, a colorful local waterfowl. Established in 2017, the team played its home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949 and holds 4,100 people.