Alumnus Rick Shapiro '77 to share baseball insight
Alumnus Rick Shapiro ’77, an arbitration expert who is a senior advisor to the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), will be on campus Monday, April 15, for a public lecture titled “The Business of Professional Sports in America.” Free and open to the public, the lecture begins at 6 p.m. in Davis Auditorium, Palamountain Hall.
The public talk will cap a day of events, including meetings with faculty, presentations to MB 240: Coaching and Teamwork, MB 312: Social Identity in the Workplace, and MB 316: Dynamics of Leadership (the classes are open to all faculty, staff, and students in the Athletics Department), and a meeting with students in the Pre-Law Society.
In the evening, Shapiro will give a brief talk on the art of negotiation and the business of sports. Following his presentation, he will take questions from the audience. He is expected to discuss the significance of Jackie Robinson Day (which is April 15), myths surrounding pro athletes, whether professional athletes are paid too much, the art of negotiation and closing the deal. He also will talk about “A Brand Called Rick,” his personal brand in the field and how he has managed it during his career.
Shapiro is a 1982 graduate of Brooklyn Law School and has more than 20 years of experience representing professional athletes. He has served as outside counsel to both the MLBPA, and NHLPA and as an attorney for numerous players and players’ agents in baseball, hockey, and other sports. As a senior member of the players’ association staff, he heads the union’s efforts to support individual contract negotiations and plays a major role in other areas of union activity.
