On March 1, the Red Sox’ ownership group made a somewhat curious announcement about team president and CEO Sam Kennedy. Kennedy, who has been the lead man at Fenway Park for more than eight years, received a new title, being named chief executive officer (CEO) of Fenway Sports Group while retaining his responsibilities with the Red Sox.
The fact Kennedy received a more wide-ranging role within Boston’s parent company led to the natural question of whether or not he’d eventually step away from his day-to-day responsibilities with the baseball club. Media speculation, including from MassLive’s Sean McAdam, centered around the possibility of Kennedy focusing on the FSG portfolio as a whole while the Red Sox brought in a new president to oversee club affairs.
Kennedy had not spoken on his future until Thursday, when while appearing on MassLive’s Fenway Rundown podcast to commemorate Opening Day, he emphatically stated that he had no plans to change anything about his day-to-day.
“It’s a totally fair question and I understand why you asked,” Kennedy said when asked if he had any thought about leaving his posts with the Red Sox. “The answer is an emphatic no.
“I am blessed to be the president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox. I’ve been in this position since the middle of 2015 and been with the organization going back to 2002. I was honored to be given the title of CEO of Fenway Sports Group at our last board meeting. I think it was a reflection of the incredible people in this organization across Fenway (Sports Group). What it really means is that I am available to John (Henry) and Tom (Werner) and Mike (Gordon) and the ownership group to help executives across the portfolio with management related issues.
“In terms of the Red Sox… this is very much my priority and commitment, and that will continue. That said, that recognition was only made possible because of incredible executives within the Red Sox.
“I could go on and on about the senior leadership team that we have. Obviously, I’ve spent a lot more time with baseball operations the last couple of months, given the transition to Craig Breslow. But now that we have him on board, the organization, in terms of our executive leadership, is in really great shape. But I see that as my role. My role is to make sure we have the best possible people in each of the critical positions and then support them with communication with ownership and providing them the resources to do their job. That won’t change in terms of my future.”
The Red Sox begin their 2024 season Thursday night in Seattle with first pitch slated for 10:10 p.m. ET.
