RAYS ORGANIZATION } FRONT OFFICE MATT SILVERMAN PRESIDENT Commissioner Bud Selig being realized. In 2010, the Rays local television had this to say last fall when ratings rose to fifth highest in all of baseball. And asked about the Tampa Bay in 2011, the FOX network has tabbed the Rays Rays after the team had for eight national or regional telecasts. clinched its second Ameri- To build this regional presence, Silverman de- can League East championship: “It is a great cided early on to do things a little differently. In franchise; they have done a marvelous job. They 2007 and 2008, he relocated a series of regular- have run it beautifully.” season games to the Disney Sports Complex That praise, echoed by many others in Major in Orlando, expanding the team’s reach across League Baseball, is due in no small part to Rays Central Florida. In 2009, the team opened its first President Matt Silverman. spring training camp at Charlotte Sports Park, One of the youngest team presidents in the a state-of-the-art facility that has drawn glow- history of the game, 34-year-old Matt Silverman ing reviews and given the Rays a year-round is in his sixth year of overseeing the day-to-day presence in the southern part of its region along operations of the Rays, widely recognized as Florida’s Gulf Coast. In their first two seasons in one of professional sports’ best success stories. Charlotte County, the Rays have played before Under his direction, the revitalized Rays con- 90 percent capacity in 31 home games. tinue to develop fresh ideas with an emphasis on Silverman also serves as the president of the customer service to keep Tropicana Field fan- Sunburst Entertainment Group, a wholly owned friendly and fun. ESPN selected the Rays as hav- subsidiary of the Rays, which serves as a vehicle ing the most affordable fan experience among to attract events to Tropicana Field. Sunburst the 122 MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL franchises in provides consulting services to industry part- 2009 and ranked them sixth in 2010. ners and enables the Rays organization to make After nine last-place finishes in their first investments in other sports and entertainment- 10 seasons, the Rays 277 wins the past three related business opportunities. seasons are fourth most in the majors. Under Prior to joining the Rays, Silverman worked Silverman, the Rays have combined a winning, closely with Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg at exciting product on the field with a creative pro- Goldman Sachs and orchestrated Sternberg’s motional strategy to sell out 34 home games purchase of controlling interest in the franchise. in the past five seasons. In the eight previous The partnership and friendship that first devel- years, the Rays sold out only three games. Last oped on Wall Street has now found its way to season, in another unique offering to the com- Tampa Bay and directed the Rays triumphant munity, the team gave away free tickets to the last-place-to-World Series season in 2008. first 20,000 fans attending the Rays-Orioles In 2010 Silverman received the George M. game on September 29, the day after they Steinbrenner III Citizen of the Year award from clinched a berth in the postseason. the Sports Club of Tampa Bay. Street & Smith’s Off the field, major capital improvements to Sports Business Journal named Silverman to Tropicana Field and a refreshed commitment its 2009 “Forty Under 40” list honoring accom- to improving staff preparation and training has plished and promising sports executives under greatly enhanced the Rays game-day experi- age 40. ence. The team’s rebranding efforts prior to the A lifelong baseball fan, Silverman also enjoys 2008 season included a new team name, colors running and writing. The Dallas native holds a and uniforms and produced the major leagues’ bachelor of economics degree from Harvard largest increase in retail sales. University. He is a member of the board of the Meanwhile, the team’s charitable work Rays Baseball Foundation the Hillsborough Ed- through the Rays Baseball Foundation has in- ucation Foundation, and Starting Right, Now. He vested more than $1.7 million into the Tampa Bay also serves as chairman of the Tampa Bay Part- region over the past three years and brought the nership’s Council of Governors and is a member team and the community even closer together. of the Florida Council of 100. The organization’s objective to expand its reach and become a regional standard bearer is 6 | 2011 TAMPA BAY RAYS MEDIA GUIDE RaysMG2011_021811.indb 6 2/20/11 3:51 PM.