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Strava to Acquire Runna Running Training App

Strava, the app for active consumers, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Runna, a UK-based tech company developing personalized running training plans and coaching. Strava noted in a media release that the “acquisition unites the world’s largest fitness community with a leading app in the fiercely competitive running training space, […]

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Strava to Acquire Runna Running Training App

Strava, the app for active consumers, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Runna, a UK-based tech company developing personalized running training plans and coaching.

Strava noted in a media release that the “acquisition unites the world’s largest fitness community with a leading app in the fiercely competitive running training space, creating compelling value for users and shareholders of both companies.”

“Coming off Strava’s accelerated innovation and unprecedented growth last year, it was the right time to look for complementary businesses that could create even greater value for our users,” said Michael Martin, chief executive officer at Strava. “Running is booming worldwide, with nearly 1 billion runs recorded on Strava in 2024. Runna’s mission to give every runner a personalized plan to achieve their goal is a perfect fit.”

Strava’s Year In Sport data states that “running is the fastest growing sport globally, and Gen Z, in particular, are turning to running to create community and connection, which has created a sharp increase in race participation, with 43 percent of Strava users wanting to enter a big race or event in 2025. Demand for training plans has grown quickly as more athletes seek personalized guidance.”

“We are delighted to become part of Strava as we continue to focus on bringing the world the most customized and personalized training plans available,” said Dom Maskell, co-founder and chief executive officer at Runna. “We have spent many hours together with Strava senior management, and we couldn’t be more excited to be on the same team,” he added.

“Our passion is to give every runner a training plan and access to amazing coaching and this investment allows us to make even more improvements to everything we do at Runna, benefiting runners worldwide” said Ben Parker, co-founder.

“I have been deeply impressed with Dom, Ben and the Runna team,” said Martin. “Our plan is to keep the apps separate for the foreseeable future, to invest in growing the Runna team and further accelerate the development of the Runna app.”

The deal is part of Strava’s ongoing initiatives to innovate for its 150+ million registered users and represents a deep investment in Strava’s API developer community. Over 100 training apps connect to Strava’s API to enhance users’ features and functionality. Strava remains firmly committed to maintaining this role as the open fitness platform and supporting all developers alongside Runna.

“We are thrilled to have this opportunity to recognize and invest in an API developer like Runna,” said Martin. “Strava is the community for all active people regardless of sport, skill level, location, app, or device.” 

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Additional terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

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GCU athletes search for options after college cuts Volleyball program

Grand Canyon University cuts its men’s volleyball program, causing widespread disappointment in the community and among athletes. PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University’s men’s volleyball team went from being the top-ranked squad in the nation to nonexistent in just two years. In late April, the university announced it would eliminate the program, citing a desire to […]

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Grand Canyon University cuts its men’s volleyball program, causing widespread disappointment in the community and among athletes.

PHOENIX — Grand Canyon University’s men’s volleyball team went from being the top-ranked squad in the nation to nonexistent in just two years. In late April, the university announced it would eliminate the program, citing a desire to focus resources on its 20 other varsity teams — a move that has sent shockwaves through the volleyball community.

Weeks after the cut, a groundswell of support has emerged. Local high school teams have worn purple in solidarity before matches. Even other NCAA men’s volleyball programs have voiced their disapproval.

“We’re just trying to put the word out there and not let the flame die,” UCLA player Cameron Thorne said at a recent press conference as he wore a #SaveGCUMVB shirt.

For many, it signals a troubling trend that could extend to other universities amid looming changes in college athletics.

“We won’t know the true impact for years to come,” Troy Dueling, boys’ volleyball coach at Sandra Day O’Connor High School and former GCU men’s assistant coach said. “What that program was was a pillar and beacon for this community. There are other programs in Arizona, but none at that level.”

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, boys’ volleyball added more than 8,000 participants in 2024, making it the fastest-growing high school team sport by percentage in the country. With GCU’s decision, Arizona is now left without a single NCAA Division I men’s volleyball program.

The fallout has already affected recruits. Four incoming athletes discovered the news via a GCU post on social media, losing their opportunity to compete at the Division I level in-state.

“It wasn’t super far along, but they told me I was the best fit,” said Jack Slight, a junior setter at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. Slight, whose older brother Nick was an All-American at GCU, hoped to follow in his footsteps. “Would I have played for them if they offered? I would’ve. Now that’s off the table.”

“Jack is a special kid and talent,” Dueling added. “Watching him play beyond high school would’ve been something special.”

Without a head coach for the 2024 season, GCU assistant coaches co-led the program. One of them, Bryan Dell’Amico, was recently named the 2025 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year — and is now unemployed, but was heartbroken about all his players. Specifically, the seven freshmen on the roster and the four incoming recruits.

“Eleven kids just had the next four years of their life changed,” Dell’Amico said. “Beyond that, you have everyone else on the team who still had eligibility left.”

According to GCU’s 2024 Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act report, the men’s volleyball program cost just under $750,000 annually to operate — the sixth lowest among GCU’s 20 sports. Despite the low cost, it had the second-highest average home attendance, averaging over 1,100 fans per match — nearly 600 more than the women’s basketball team, which ranked third in attendance.

“We could debate whether it should’ve been men’s volleyball that got cut,” Dell’Amico said. “But GCU made a business decision. They’re reallocating their resources.”

That decision has raised alarms beyond Arizona, with growing fears that other smaller or non-revenue-generating sports could meet similar fates.

“This isn’t just a GCU-specific issue,” Dell’Amico added. “The House v. NCAA settlement is putting a cap on roster sizes and shifting the power to administrators. They’ll decide how many scholarships and how much revenue share goes to each sport.”

GCU declined to offer further comment on the matter. Meanwhile, advocates for men’s volleyball are exploring the possibility of a new program at Arizona State University.

According to sources, donors have approached and had conversations with ASU leadership. However, ASU tells 12 News it’s very unlikely to add a new men’s program due to Title IX constraints and is “focusing on resourcing their 26 programs.”

Still, local athletes are hopeful.

“I hope another program in the state will step up,” Slight said. “And I hope that school is ASU.”

“I do hope there is hopefully another university that’s seeing this community rally and maybe they want to take an opportunity to give this community a new team and a new home,” Dueling added. “It would be great if a school down in Tempe would like to do that.”

Arizona has a history of producing elite volleyball talent. Just this past week, Sandra Day O’Connor alum Zach Rama competed in the NCAA Division I national championship with UCLA. Two former GCU players — both Arizona natives — were recently invited to try out for U.S. national teams for their age groups.

For many in the state, the loss of GCU men’s volleyball is more than a budget decision — it’s a cultural setback for a sport on the rise.

>> Download the 12News app for the latest local breaking news straight to your phone.



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LBSU men’s volleyball’s championship party continues with parade downtown

Senior middleblocker DiAeris McRaven celebrates with the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team during the May 14 parade. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko Hundreds of Long Beach State men’s volleyball fans lined the streets of downtown Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon as the week-long party celebrating the 2025 national championship-winning team continued. The parade featured players, […]

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Senior middleblocker DiAeris McRaven celebrates with the Long Beach State men’s volleyball team during the May 14 parade. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

Hundreds of Long Beach State men’s volleyball fans lined the streets of downtown Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon as the week-long party celebrating the 2025 national championship-winning team continued.

The parade featured players, coaches, staff and several faculty members riding atop firetrucks down city blocks, blasting celebratory songs like “We Are The Champions” and “No More Parties in LA” – a subtle jab at the University of California, Los Angeles, after sweeping it in the title match.

The Long Beach State men’s volleyball team celebrate its fourth national championship in the program’s history as the team came back to Long Beach to celebrate on May 14. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

“I’m an alumni twice, and I’m also a faculty for the school of nursing, and I just love our team,” LBSU season ticket holder Melissa Dyo said. “I’m a season ticket holder, and I’ve followed them for a lot of years now, and now they’re the best.”

The fans donned head-to-toe black and gold gear showed once again that their men’s volleyball fandom is extremely passionate. Throughout the season, The Beach sold out four matches at the Walter Pyramid, as well as all of their away matches in the conference.

Fans of Long Beach State men’s volleyball proudly held school posters and merchandise in celebration of the team’s NCAA championship victory over UCLA. Photo credit: Justin Enriquez

As it was heavily documented throughout the season, the fanfare that came with the superstar freshman and the 2025 AVCA Men’s National Player of the Year, Moni Nikolov, was unlike anything anyone had seen in the men’s volleyball landscape, including his head coach Alan Knipe.

Nikolov was one of several people to deliver a speech at the parade’s final destination, at Altar Society Brewing Co.

“Thank you to everyone here who has given us the attention I believe we deserve, cause we’ve put a lot of work into the season and it’s finally getting rewarded,” Nikolov said. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart, you guys made me feel truly special.”

Nikolov’s speech was met with the loudest of applause, and finally, the chant of “one more year,” referring to the rumors that Nikolov will turn professional in the coming weeks, erupted throughout the bar.

Long Beach State freshman setter Moni Nikolov waves and celebrates with the Long Beach State fans after The Beach’s national championship win against UCLA. Questions arise if Nikolov will come back to the team for a second year. Photo credit: Samuel Chacko

Knipe, who has now been a member of all four national championship-winning teams at LBSU, as a player in 1991 and being the head coach of the most recent three, expressed his gratitude to the fanbase he has repeatedly dubbed as the best in the country.

“These faces that I see here today, these are the ones we’ve been seeing at our games for years, and all season long at all the sellouts in the Pyramid,” Knipe said.

The parade allowed the fans to celebrate with one of the university’s most beloved teams and give them one final thank you for a truly special season that has ended in immortal glory.

“This has turned into so much more than I ever could have imagined,” Knipe said. “Hearing that tickets to get into a LBSU men’s volleyball game are on the secondary ticket market for hundreds of dollars just to get in and see these guys play is what I believe it should be.”

Even before the street was blocked off, passing drivers honked in celebration, contributing to the overwhelming sense of pride shared by everyone in attendance for what The Beach had accomplished.



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Assistant Coach Beach Volleyball in Miami, FL for Florida International University

Details Posted: 15-May-25 Location: Miami, Florida Type: Full-time Categories: Coaching Coaching – Volleyball Sector: Collegiate Sports To apply, please visit careers.fiu.edu and reference Job Opening ID # 534611 Florida International University in Miami is seeking applications for the Assistant Coach Beach Volleyball. FIU is a member of Conference USA and offers eighteen (17) NCAA […]

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Details

Posted: 15-May-25

Location: Miami, Florida

Type: Full-time

Categories:

Coaching

Coaching – Volleyball

Sector:

Collegiate Sports

To apply, please visit careers.fiu.edu and reference Job Opening ID # 534611


Florida International University in Miami is seeking applications for the Assistant Coach Beach Volleyball. FIU is a member of Conference USA and offers eighteen (17) NCAA Division I sports programs. The successful candidate will provide assistance to the Head Coach with activities associated with the Beach Volleyball program and student athletes, including recruitment, monitoring academic – performance and social development, fundraising activities, coordinating all enrollment activities of student-athletes, retention, assisting with the planning and preparation for practices and games. Duties include:


-Provides assistance to the Head Coach with activities associated with the program and student athletes, including recruitment, monitoring academic performance, fundraising and community service activities, and may include transport of prospect and student athletes to events, practices and competitions.


-Assists in the recruitment of student athletes. Attends off campus games for the purpose of evaluation and contact with high schools, junior colleges, four-year schools, and clubs for recruitment. Coordinates mailing of recruitment materials and recruiting information. Maintains contact with prospective student-athletes. Plans campus visits with prospective student-athletes and their parents.


-Under the direction of the head coach, evaluates, prepares, plans, and coaches practice sessions. Demonstrates proper sport specific skills and techniques and assists with designing training and practices strategies for both injury avoidance and optimizing individual and team performance.


-Coordinates all enrollment activities of student-athletes. Assists with monitoring academic performance, academic progress, retention and class attendance of student-athletes and intervene, when necessary, in conjunction with the Student Athlete Academic Center (SAAC) staff. Works to complete student’s development through graduation by monitoring academic needs.


-Assists to ensure successful administration of travel arrangements for team and processes all paperwork before and after every trip. Supervises and assigns responsibilities to team managers and graduate assistants if applicable. Maintains equipment inventory and oversee distribution to athletes. Follows FIU procedure in handling all ordering of supplies and any funds that flow through the athletic program. Plans long and short-term team objectives under the leadership of the head coach


-Interacts with various campus offices, departments, and athletic support units to ensure the successful operation of the program. Serves in a leadership role and promote participation in community service activities by student athletes. Coordinates community service in conjunction with the Director for Student Athlete Development, as requested.


-Maintains confidentiality for the department. Treats with utmost confidentiality and sensitivity any matter pertaining to medical, academic and personal data of student athletes and any information either directly or indirectly impacting the University and/or Athletic Department.


-Adhere to all State of Florida, University, NCAA, Conference, and department rules and policies pertaining to the position of Assistant Beach Volleyball Coach. Report any known NCAA violations or concerns to the Director of Athletic Compliance.

Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area of specialization and one (1) year of coaching experience at the high school level or above; OR five (5) years of coaching experience at the high school level or above ; OR an equivalent combination of relevant education and/or experience. Successful experience as a graduate assistant or intern in an athletic program is acceptable with one (1) year of the required experience.

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About Florida International University

Florida International University is a top public university that drives real talent and innovation in Miami and globally. Very high research (R1) activity and high social mobility come together at FIU to uplift and accelerate learner success in a global city by focusing in the areas of environment, health, innovation, and justice. Today, FIU has two campuses and multiple centers. FIU serves a diverse student body of more than 56,000 and 290,000 Panther alumni. U.S. News and World Report places dozens of FIU programs among the best in the nation, including international business at No. 2. Washington Monthly Magazine ranks FIU among the top 20 public universities contributing to the public good.


Connections working at Florida International University



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Three-time Olympic medalist Ross almost didn’t reach the beach – Orange County Register

We caught up with Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross two days before she was named USA Volleyball’s head of coaching for the beach national teams, and discovered she was ready to quit the sport before she ever got started on the sand. Ross, who won three Olympic medals, was an indoor volleyball All-American […]

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We caught up with Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist April Ross two days before she was named USA Volleyball’s head of coaching for the beach national teams, and discovered she was ready to quit the sport before she ever got started on the sand.

Ross, who won three Olympic medals, was an indoor volleyball All-American at Newport Harbor High and USC.

After earning Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and NCAA Player of the Year at USC, and leading the Trojans to two national championships, Ross played three years of professional indoor volleyball in Puerto Rico.

But the injuries piled up and she was prepared to enroll in graduate school.

“My body just kind of fell apart,” she said. “You have a whole team of managers (in the U.S.). You have your coach, obviously, and then your physical therapists that work on you. You have your weightlifting coach, who keeps you strong so you don’t get hurt. When I went down to Puerto Rico, I didn’t have any of that. My body broke down. I came home, had surgery on my knee and I was like, ‘I’m done with volleyball. I’m not playing ever again.’”

Ross said weightlifting was a vital part of her training in high school and college, but she struggled doing it on her own in Puerto Rico. Ross couldn’t lift her arm above her shoulder by the end of her third season, and her knee hurt so much that she didn’t even finish her the season.

“It was a really tough time for my body,” said Ross, who quit playing volleyball and wanted to come home. She was unsure of her future and briefly worked as a hostess at House of Blues in Anaheim.

“I did not want to play volleyball anymore,” Ross said. “I was completely burned out. I was hurt and just not having any fun. I was missing my friends and family too much. I had made some money, which I was going to use to go back to school and earn a graduate degree.

“For that summer, during an interim period of time, I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do. My stepsister was the manager at House of Blues in Downtown Disney and she offered me a job, so I went through the whole application process and she helped me get a job there and I worked there for a summer,” Ross said. “I remember once the men’s U.S. national team came in and I seated them at one point. It’s kind of funny. They trained right down the street in Anaheim and they all came in one night to eat. They enjoyed it and had a good time.”

Then, fate intervened.

A former college teammate and roommate, Keao Burdine, called and asked if Ross could play with her in a couple of beach tournaments.

“I was just doing it for fun,” said Ross. It took some time and a few bumpy rides before Ross could fully settle into the beach game.

“My knee had healed and so I just said ‘why not,’” Ross said. “I was really bad, so it was like starting over again, starting a new sport. I had to learn so much. But I fell in love with the sport and the culture and the people.”

Ross had no plans to make a career out of beach volleyball, she said. “I didn’t know the basic differences, which now would be considered pretty stupid questions, and I had a lot to learn.”

Ross said. Ross and Burdine failed to advance past six qualifiers on the AVP Tour, and, well, that hostess job at House of Blues was sounding better and better.

Ross retired in 2024, fulfilled after winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games and earning silver and bronze medals in the previous two Olympics.

“There was a lot of relief after (winning gold), and we (her partner was Alix Klineman) were elated and on cloud nine,” Ross said. “You accomplished what you set out to do. At the time, even when we were still in Tokyo, I felt a lot of closure, because I was 39 at the time and pretty decently older in terms of beach volleyball and Olympic volleyball and playing at that level.

“After that, I knew it was unlikely I would continue to play, regardless of how I did in tournaments. The gold medal sealed the deal for me,” Ross added. “Honestly, I was ready to go home. I played more (AVP Tour) volleyball after the Olympics at Manhattan Beach and Chicago, and we ended up winning those two tournaments. But it was hard to get motivated.”

Ross said she started to consider life after beach volleyball.

“I went through an identity crisis while coming down after the Olympics and I think that happened because I knew I had accomplished that final thing,” she said. “I am so grateful that I was able to reach my goals at the pinnacle of our sport.

“From my time at Newport Harbor, I don’t know why I’m like this, but it’s always about the next step. I made varsity, then can I get starting spot? We won CIF, now can we win state? Then I wasn’t even thinking about a scholarship, until I received my first (college recruiting) letter. Then it was OK, which college should I go to? And can I earn a starting spot? Can we win a national championship? What is the next step? I did that my whole career,” Ross said. “Can we win the gold medal at the Olympics? Once that was checked off, my job is done here.

“Even when I came back last summer on the AVP Tour, after having my son, the motivation wasn’t there and I didn’t have an ultimate goal to chase,” she added. “I had fun, and I’m glad I got to play with Alix and I did that. But it was a very different feeling.”

Richard Dunn, a longtime sportswriter, writes the Dunn Deal column regularly for The Orange County Register’s weekly, The Coastal Current North.



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Men’s Senior Nationals Return To San Diego This Weekend

Story Links SCHEDULE | TICKETS | LIVE STREAMING | LIVE STATS San Diego, CA – May 15 – The 2025 Men’s Senior Nationals tournament returns this weekend in San Diego. Fourteen clubs will descend on the UCSD Canyonview Aquatic Center from May 16-18 for three days of water polo action. Riptide Black and Puerto Rico get things […]

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SCHEDULE | TICKETS | LIVE STREAMING | LIVE STATS

San Diego, CA – May 15 – The 2025 Men’s Senior Nationals tournament returns this weekend in San Diego. Fourteen clubs will descend on the UCSD Canyonview Aquatic Center from May 16-18 for three days of water polo action. Riptide Black and Puerto Rico get things started on Friday, May 16 at 11:30am pt and we crown a champion on Sunday, May 18 at 11:30am pt. Joining Riptide Black and Puerto Rico will be The Olympic Club, Channel Islands, Alumni, Los Angeles Athletic Club, New York Athletic Club, UC San Diego, Berkeley WPC, USA Youth Blue, USA Junior, Long Beach AF, New York Athletic Club B, and USA Youth Red. For a complete event schedule, click here.

All matches will be broadcast LIVE on Overnght, subscribe today by visiting Overnght.com. LIVE stats of all matches will be provided by 6-8 Sports.

Pool Location

UCSD Canyonview Aquatic Center

3302 Voigt Drive

La Jolla, CA 92093

Admission

$15 per day

$25 for the weekend

 



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Rice helping the next generation of players in Brockton

Jim Rice, who has spent his entire adult life in professional baseball, has added ownership to his extensive resume. The Class of 2009 Hall of Famer, who slugged his way to Cooperstown thanks to a 16-year career spent entirely with the Boston Red Sox, finds his latest venture in the game 20 miles south of […]

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Rice helping the next generation of players in Brockton

Jim Rice, who has spent his entire adult life in professional baseball, has added ownership to his extensive resume.

The Class of 2009 Hall of Famer, who slugged his way to Cooperstown thanks to a 16-year career spent entirely with the Boston Red Sox, finds his latest venture in the game 20 miles south of Fenway Park, where he was recently named part owner of the Frontier League’s Brockton Rox.

As a Massachusetts resident, Rice is thrilled to be part of a professional baseball organization in his own backyard.

“I don’t think it’s giving back. It’s giving kids the opportunity to maybe becoming a major league player,” Rice said. “This is about going back to Brockton, putting guys on the field and kids in the stands. And these young kids, the next generation of ballplayer, though they could go to Fenway Park, but instead they’re in Brockton thinking one day I may be able to play in a major league ballpark, I may be able to be a major league player.

“When I was growing up in South Carolina, the closest major league team was the Atlanta Braves and Hank Aaron was my favorite. And the only thing I was thinking about when I was watching Hank was maybe one day I’d be able to be on that field. The dream for all of us is one day that could be me.”

Jim Rice, Brockton Rox ownership group and city officials at press conference
From left: Bob Rivers, Eastern Bank; new Rox owners Bill Janetschek and Hall of Famer Jim Rice; Mayor of Brockton Bob Sullivan; Brockton Rox Team President Shawn Reilly; new Rox ownership Rob Janetschek; and Metro South Chamber President Chris Cooney introduce the club’s revival season under the Brockton Rox name. (Courtesy Brockton Rox, City of Brockton and Eastern Bank)
 

The history of Hall of Fame players getting involved in ownership of baseball teams dates back to the 19th century when labor strife led to the formation of the Players League in 1890. Led by pitcher-turned-shortstop John Ward, elected to the Hall of Fame in 1964, the Players League would feature teams that were cooperatively owned by players and investors. Though it lasted only one season, it included more than a dozen future Hall of Famers, including Hugh Duffy, Dan Brouthers, Jake Beckley, Roger Connor, Ed Delahanty, King Kelly, Buck Ewing, Tim Keefe and Pud Galvin.

More recent examples include Cal Ripken Jr. (Class of 2007), who in 2024 was part of an investor group – led by David Rubenstein – that agreed to buy the Baltimore Orioles. Later in ’24, Ripken sold his majority stake of the Aberdeen IronBirds, a minor league team he has owned since 2002.

Another Hall of Fame shortstop, Derek Jeter, was part of the Miami Marlins’ ownership group for four-and-a-half years. In 2017, a group including Jeter and principal owner Bruce Sherman purchased the Marlins from Jeffrey Loria.

Fire-balling righty Nolan Ryan, a Hall of Famer in 1999, was a member of the ownership group that purchased the Texas Rangers in 2010, selling his ownership stake three years later. He’s also been involved in the ownership of minor league teams in San Antonio, Round Rock and Corpus Christi.

George Brett, the Hall of Fame third baseman, has been part of a group that purchased such minor league squads as the Bellingham Bells, the Spokane Indians, the Tri-City Dust Devils, the High Desert Mavericks and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

In 2021, longtime Seattle centerfielder Ken Griffey Jr. joined the Mariners’ ownership group. The 2016 Hall of Fame inductee said in a statement at the time: “As I said in my Hall of Fame speech, I’m very proud to be a Seattle Mariner…This is a dream come true because of the relationship I’ve always had with the team, its fans and the city of Seattle. I view this as another way to continue to give back to an organization and community that has always supported me and my family. I’m looking forward to continuing to contribute to this organization’s success in any way possible.”

Even a fledgling loop such as Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian Subcontinent, includes among its ownership group a trio of Hall of Famers: Adrian Beltré, Barry Larkin and Mariano Rivera.

Jim Rice speaks at press conference
Jim Rice is one of several Hall of Famers whose post-playing careers have extended to ownership opportunities. (Courtesy Brockton Rox)
 

Rice, 72, currently in his 23rd season as a Red Sox studio analyst on NESN, was an eight-time All-Star and finished his career with a .298 batting average, 382 home runs and 1,451 RBI. Voted the American League MVP in 1978, he helped lead the Red Sox to two World Series (1975 and 1986).

Since retiring after the 1989 season, Rice has remained active in the Red Sox organization, serving as a minor league hitting instructor from 1992 to 1994 before joining the parent club in a similar position in 1995. He currently serves as a special organizational instructor for the team.

“When I was coming up through the Red Sox system I had a lot of mentors,” Rice said. “Johnny Pesky was my hitting instructor. I listened to Ted Williams, but Ted was a little different because he was a .400 hitter. A lot of things that Ted was talking about were way beyond me. Carl Yastrzemski and Rico Petrocelli were there. The thing about it was you always had good hitters around. You had guys in the Red Sox organization that played for years, and they knew the game.

“We’re hoping that we can get these guys down at Brockton to play the game the right way, too. We’ll have scouts there, and they’ll say, ‘Hey, this kid can play. He plays the right way.’ That’s what they’re looking for. When I started, I played three years of A ball, then with Double-A and Triple-A. It all depends on how you’re able to adjust every pitch, not every at bat. If you try to adjust every at bat, you’re 0-for-1. If you try to adjust every pitch, you still could be 1-for-1. And that’s what I tell people. You hate guys coming to the bench saying, ‘I’ll get them next time.’ Hey man, next time, you’re 0-for-1. Why didn’t you get them this time? Because you didn’t make that adjustment.”

Rice feels like he’s in a situation with Brockton where he can help a young player trying to get to the big leagues.

“Oh, I would love to, but the thing is you can’t step over someone’s toes because they’re going to spend more time with the kids than I am,” Rice said. “But still I’m going to give my insights. I was always told you can always give information, but if you’re not willing to receive it’s not going to do you any good. You’ve got to find the kid that wants to receive that information, and you’ve got to find out how he’s going to accept it.

“Everybody’s happy when you are successful, but when you start failing? That’s it. You can go 0-for-4, but you can be very successful. You can be productive. And people say, ‘Well, he went 0-for-4.’ I say, ‘Look, there’s a man on second base, fly ball, ground ball, to the right side. Man goes to third base. Next guy, drive me in.’ That’s productive.” So that’s what you have to look at.”

Jim Rice and Johnny Pesky
Jim Rice, left, credits the mentorship of longtime Red Sox coach Johnny Pesky, right, and teammates Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski for helping reach the Hall of Fame. (Boston Red Sox)
 

The Frontier League, founded in 1993, is an official MLB Partner League with 15 teams in the United States and three in Canada. Teams sign their own players, who usually are undrafted or one-time prospects who have been released.

“I’ll say it’s probably a level a little higher than college baseball. You’re finding the best kids you can put on the field. And that’s what it’s all about – being competitive, being the best that you can be,” Rice said. “And once you associate that with the league, you’re going to see some players that are really going to excel because they want to get to the big leagues.

“The dream is there. In other words, you’re given an opportunity – take advantage of it if you can.”

The Brockton Rox started in 2002 as part of the Northern League, which became the Can-Am League in 2005. After the 2011 season, the team was sold and transitioned to an amateur status, joining the Futures Collegiate Baseball League. Professional baseball returned to Campanelli Stadium in 2024 as the New England Knockouts in the Frontier League and are re-branding to the Rox.

“I’m excited about bringing Rox baseball back to Brockton,” Rice said. “In any sport, it doesn’t have to be baseball, the key thing here is to get the young kids off the street and into the ballpark.

“We will be spending a good amount of effort focusing on getting the younger generation involved in baseball.”

With Brockton’s home opener on May 16, Rice was looking forward to the reaction.

“I’m really excited, but I’m more excited for the people in Brockton and the players and the management. And when you see young kids in the stands, that is joy. It’s the next best thing to Marvin Hagler (boxing champion raised in Brockton),” Rice said with a laugh. “We had a big crowd when I was down there. We had a lot of hype down there. They were happy to get professional baseball back to Brockton. Very happy.”


Bill Francis is the senior research and writing specialist for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

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