MLB Network President Rob McGlarry informed staff via email that he is stepping down in December. Sports Business Journal’s John Ourand first reported the news on Tuesday morning.
McGlarry has been an executive at MLB Network since the channel launched in 2009. He was named president of the network in 2014.
“After a lot of thought, I believe it is the right time for me to move on to the next chapter in my career after 19 years of working with Major League Baseball,” McGlarry wrote. Ourand mentioned that McGlarry didn’t reveal a succession plan in the email.
“From his time at the Office of the Commissioner to his role on the team that prepared MLB Network for its groundbreaking launch in 2009, Rob McGlarry has been uniquely positioned to lead the award-winning team at MLB Network for the last seven years,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said to SBJ.
Gauging from the emails Ourand obtained, the pandemic is weighing heavily into McGlarry’s decision.
“I understand how hard the last 20 months have been for all of us in many ways, and I appreciate the dedication and professionalism that everyone has displayed to get both networks to this point,” McGlarry wrote. “With that said, as difficult and challenging as this time has been, it has offered many opportunities for reflection.”
McGlarry is proud of the innovations he brought to MLB Network over the past seven years. One notable addition is Bettor’s Eye, the network’s first attempt at a baseball betting show.
“We’ve also continued to innovate our coverage of baseball every year, becoming a one-stop production facility for MLB and its digital partners, including game telecasts for Facebook and YouTube, and—just this year—game telecasts in five different formats, plus baseball’s first sports betting show, Bettor’s Eye.”
McGlarry was the senior VP/programming and business affairs before becoming network President in 2014.