Pittsburgh Pirates Executives To Discuss Impact Of Economy On Major League Baseball

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (November 12, 2008) – The Center for Sports Business & Research at Penn State's Smeal College of Business is hosting two executives from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Nov. 14 for a discussion on the effect of the struggling economy on Major League Baseball.

Pirates President Frank Coonelly and Executive Vice President James Plake—both Penn State alumni—will also share highlights from their marketing campaigns and discuss the organization's plans for making the Pirates a winning team. "Major League Baseball: Will It Be Affected by the Economic Crisis?" gets underway at 4:45 p.m. in 112 Borland Building. The event is free and open to the public.

The talk is a joint venture between the Pirates, the Center for Sports Business & Research, and the Penn State Athletic Department, which is also hosting Pirates players and the team's mascot at the Penn State men's basketball game on Nov. 14 and the Penn State football game on Nov. 15.

Coonelly and Plake are the latest in a series of guest speakers from the sports industry who have visited Smeal since the establishment of the Center for Sports Business & Research earlier this year. The goal of the talks is to build relationships between the center and the sports world and to expose students to trends and opportunities in the sports industry. Past speakers include Art Rooney II, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers; Ernie Accorsi, former general manager of the New York Giants; and Jim Delaney, commissioner of the Big Ten.

Coonelly became president of the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 2007. In this role, he is responsible for leading the organization's senior management group and is accountable for the organization's success both on and off the field.

He previously served in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball as senior vice president and general counsel of Labor, negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements with the Major League Baseball Players Association and the World Umpires Association. Prior to joining Major League Baseball, Coonelly practiced law in Washington, D.C., where he represented Major League Baseball and several clubs as outside counsel. Coonelly holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State and a J.D. from Catholic University Law School.

Plake joined the Pirates organization in 1991 as director of finance and was named executive vice president and chief financial officer in December 2006.  In this role, he directs the daily financial and administrative operations for the Pirates and oversees projects that affect all aspects of the club's business operations.

Prior to joining the Pirates, Plake was senior manager with Price Waterhouse where he was responsible for the audit engagements of Fortune 500 and middle market companies. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Smeal.

The Center for Sports Business & Research
Under the leadership of Executive Director Wayne DeSarbo and Associate Director Andrew Bergstein, the Center for Sports Business & Research was founded in January 2008 to focus on developing academic research and providing research services to the sports industry as well as helping to define educational opportunities for students interested in working in sports business. Drawing on Penn State's rich athletic tradition and guided by an advisory board of industry leaders, the center works closely with Penn State sports research centers in communications and law to bridge the gaps between the sports industry, academic sports research, and Penn State students seeking careers in sports.