MLBPA exec, Skidmore alum breaks from fall classic to visit

Rick Shapiro, a Skidmore graduate who is senior executive with Major League Baseball Players Association, will give two presentations at Skidmore on Monday, Oct. 25. The public is welcome at both. 

At 4 p.m. in Emerson Auditorium, Palamountain Hall, Shapiro will lead a discussion covering such topics asthe business of sports, career entry and paths, labor-management relations, and the professional athlete.

At 7 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium of Palamountain Hall, Shapiro will lecture on "Power and Influence in the Context of the Business of Sports." A question and answer period will follow.

Admission to both sessions is free and open to the public. Shapiro's visit is sponsored by the departments of athletics and management and business, and the college's Advancement Office.

Shapiro has been with the MLB Players Association for close to a year, where, as a senior member of the association's staff, he heads the union's efforts to support individual contract negotiations and contributes his expertise to other areas of union activity. He previously was a long-time arbitration consultant and has more than two decades of experience representing professional athletes.

A 1977 Skidmore graduate, Shapiro earned a B.A. degree in government. He also holds a degree from Brooklyn Law School. He has served as outside counsel to both the MLBPA and the NHLPA and as an attorney for numerous players and player agents in baseball, hockey, and other sports.

"Rick is a superb lawyer and has been a great friend and supporter of the MLBPA for over two decades, said MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner in announcing his appointment.