Sports Business Radio Podcast Catie Griggs - Baltimore Orioles - President of Business Operations
Oct 5, 2026
Catie Griggs, the Baltimore Orioles’ first woman president and a veteran sports executive, discusses her path from Turner Sports and Atlanta United to MLB leadership. She explores fan-centered stadium design, Camden Yards’ distinctive traditions, baseball’s rule changes, player-driven branding, and using feedback to improve each homestand. She also reflects on representation, mentorship, and building meaningful professional relationships.
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Fans Are Not A Monolith
- Fans want different experiences depending on whether they attend as parents, professionals, couples, or friends.
- Organizations should design around changing motivations rather than treating demographic labels as fixed preferences.
Design The Venue Around Fans
- Atlanta United centered the customer by designing Mercedes-Benz Stadium around fan-friendly pricing from the beginning.
- Arthur Blank’s model made affordability an operating principle, not a promotional discount added after construction.
Why Representation Changes Who Applies
- As baseball’s first female team president, Griggs worried her performance might affect future opportunities for women.
- Seeing no other woman in the role made representation’s importance tangible, even though colleagues treated her normally.