{"id":2401,"date":"2016-06-06T13:25:40","date_gmt":"2016-06-06T17:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/ebuckhor\/?page_id=2401"},"modified":"2018-10-24T12:10:54","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T16:10:54","slug":"for-the-love-of-the-game","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/features\/for-the-love-of-the-game\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Love of the Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sam Kennedy \u201995 leads the Boston Red Sox as president<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Mary Howard<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Boston<\/a>

Boston Red Sox President Sam Kennedy ’95 takes in the view at the team’s spring training site, JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, FL
(Photo by Michael Ivins\/Boston Red Sox)<\/p><\/div>\n

On a winter morning in 1993, Sam Kennedy \u201995 sat down at his Mac computer. It was a Saturday, 9:00 a.m., a time when most undergraduates are still asleep. But despite the hour, the American studies major had given himself an ambitious assignment: to write every owner and president of all 28 Major League Baseball teams. Kennedy was set on a career on the business side of baseball, and his letters requested advice and a summer internship. It was an ambitious move for the college sophomore and set him on a path that would lead to his current position as president of the Boston Red Sox.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always had no doubt he would achieve his dream,\u201d says Brendan Monahan \u201995, Kennedy\u2019s college roommate and lifelong friend, who witnessed the letter-writing marathon. \u201cHe has always been willing to work harder than anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

As president of one of the oldest baseball teams in the country, Kennedy works plenty hard. Managing a staff of approximately 300, he oversees all the team\u2019s business matters, including ticketing, corporate sponsorship, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, and client services. He is also in charge of Fenway Enterprises, which handles all non-baseball activities at the park. But the workload doesn\u2019t faze him. \u201cWhen you love what you do, the last thing you think about is the hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/a>

Aerial view of Fenway Park<\/p><\/div>\n

It is the love of the sport that fuels Kennedy. Despite his high-level position, at the end of the day, he is a baseball fan. \u201cI never take for granted the opportunity to work in Major League Baseball,\u201d he says. On his way to work each morning, he takes time to walk through the ballpark.<\/p>\n

Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, just a mile from Fenway, he watched games perched on his father\u2019s shoulders. An Episcopal priest, Kennedy\u2019s father was eligible to receive $2 standing-room-only tickets as part of a clergy pass program. (After joining the Red Sox in 2002, Kennedy reinstated the pass.)<\/p>\n

\u201cJust to be out there with my dad and standing on his shoulders was awesome,\u201d Kennedy told The Boston Globe <\/em>in 2014. He estimates he attended 20 to 30 games a year with his family as a child. \u201cThis is the magic of baseball: it\u2019s intergenerational.\u201d Kennedy says his proudest moment with the Red Sox was on Father\u2019s Day 2005, when he gave his 2004 World Series ring to his father.<\/p>\n

\"Sam<\/a>

Sam Kennedy ’95 inside Fenway Park (Photo: Pete Tschudy)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was baseball that brought Kennedy to Trinity. An ace player and captain of his high school team, he was recruited by then-Head Coach Bill Decker in 1991. \u201cHe came out to see me play and said he had a place for me,\u201d says Kennedy, who applied to Trinity early decision.<\/p>\n

But after a season with the Bantams, it was apparent to Kennedy that he didn\u2019t have what it takes to succeed in college baseball. \u201cI knew I needed to find another way to stay in the sport,\u201d he says. So, he shifted his focus to the business side and launched his letter-writing campaign.<\/p>\n

Those 56 letters garnered two responses, one from the Milwaukee Brewers and one from the chief operating officer of the New York Yankees. His allegiance to the Red Sox notwithstanding, Kennedy interviewed with the Yankees that spring and interned for them during the next two summers, working in ticketing and media relations. \u201cRunning between the clubhouse and the ticket office, I was in heaven,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He also took advantage of Trinity\u2019s location to intern with the Hartford Whalers hockey team (now the Carolina Hurricanes) and the now-defunct Hartford Hellcats basketball team. \u201cThis opportunity to intern while I was at Trinity was hugely valuable to me. I was a recent college graduate with experience in three sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Sam<\/a>

Sam Kennedy \u201995 and wife Amanda Johnson Kennedy \u201994 with children Jimmy and Ally at the 2013 World Series Championship Duck Boat Parade
(Photo: Brita Meng Outzen\/Boston Red Sox)<\/p><\/div>\n

Kennedy says the relationships he built at Trinity set the course for his life. \u201cWhether meeting my wife, lifelong friends, professors, or administrators, I had the good fortune of choosing the absolute perfect college environment,\u201d says Kennedy, who is a member of Trinity\u2019s Board of Fellows.<\/p>\n

After graduation, Kennedy had a brief stint selling advertising for sports radio before joining the San Diego Padres. As an account executive, he tripled his revenues and caught the attention of then-Padres president and CEO Larry Lucchino. When Lucchino acquired the Red Sox in 2002 (along with partners John Henry and Tom Werner) and became the team\u2019s president, he brought Kennedy along.<\/p>\n

From 2002 to 2015, Kennedy was instrumental in the revitalization of the Red Sox brand and securing the financial stability of the franchise. He and his staff dramatically increased the team\u2019s revenue streams. Under his leadership, the Red Sox sold out 794 consecutive games at Fenway, beginning in 2003, establishing a Major League Baseball record.<\/p>\n

In 2004, Kennedy helped found Fenway Sports Management, an international sports sales representation agency whose clients include NBA superstar LeBron James and the Liverpool Football Club.<\/p>\n

He also led efforts to renovate and preserve Fenway, establishing it as a premier destination in New England for hockey and soccer games, corporate functions, and concerts. James Taylor and Billy Joel are on the roster for this summer.<\/p>\n

\"September<\/a>

Sam Kennedy ’95 with David Ortiz and former Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino during a ceremony recognizing his 500th career home run before a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts Monday, September 21, 2015.
(Photos by Billie Weiss\/Boston Red Sox)<\/p><\/div>\n

Along the way, Lucchino became a mentor to Kennedy. \u201cHis role in my life has been a blessing,\u201d he says. When Lucchino announced his retirement as team president last August, Kennedy was selected to take over. He officially began his new job on October 16, 2015.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is humbling in many ways,\u201d says Kennedy about replacing his mentor. But as chief operating officer for the past six years, as well as Lucchino\u2019s closest adviser, he expects a smooth transition. \u201cIt\u2019s not a turnaround situation,\u201d he says. \u201cMy principal job is to preserve and protect the foundation we have laid here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Talk to anyone who knows Kennedy, and they mention his drive. \u201cI have always been impressed by Sam\u2019s determination,\u201d says his wife of 18 years, Amanda Johnson Kennedy \u201994, a member of Trinity\u2019s National Alumni Association Executive Committee. The two met at Trinity but got to know each other when Kennedy interned for the Yankees, as Amanda grew up on the Upper West Side. She credits his success to his gregarious personality, a strong sense of urgency, and his passion for baseball. Interestingly, Kennedy\u2019s brother, James \u201999, also married his college sweetheart, Tamara Wiley Kennedy \u201997.<\/p>\n

Jay Monahan \u201993, brother of Kennedy\u2019s college roommate Brendan, says his friend and Psi Upsilon brother is \u201cthe most driven and passionate person I know.\u201d Now deputy commissioner of the PGA Tour, Monahan calls Kennedy his sounding board and mentor. \u201cI couldn\u2019t respect the man more,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Kennedy is a people person and says the most rewarding part of his job is being able to take care of others. \u201cWhether it\u2019s upgrading seats for a fan or creating resources for staff, it\u2019s a real privilege,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sam Kennedy \u201995 leads the Boston Red Sox as president By Mary Howard On a winter morning in 1993, Sam Kennedy \u201995 sat down at his Mac computer. It was a Saturday, 9:00 a.m., a time when most undergraduates are still asleep. But despite the hour, the American studies major had given himself an ambitious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":0,"parent":1464,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-full-width.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2401"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2401"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2401\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3036,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2401\/revisions\/3036"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commons.trincoll.edu\/reporter-spring-2016\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}