Mariners’ President Catie Griggs is in a league of her own

Most 14-year olds are preparing to enter high school. Catie Griggs was a freshman in college. It was an auspicious sign.

Griggs, 41, is in now in her third season as president of business operations for the Seattle Mariners. When she was hired in July 2021, she became the only woman president in a Major League Baseball front office and the first in Mariners’ history.

As the Sports Business Journal noted last year in honoring Griggs with its Forty Under 40 Award, “She has already expanded the ticketing sales and corporate partnerships staffs, helped orchestrate a new long-term sponsorship with Coca-Cola, and created three new vice president positions, including posts overseeing products and technology; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and fan experience.”

Griggs was an equestrian while growing up in White Plains, New York, and also played baseball, softball, tennis, and soccer. She came to the Mariners from Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC., where she served as chief business officer. The club won the MLS title in her second year and has led the MLS in average attendance for years.

Griggs is keenly focused on the July 11 MLB All-Star game at T-Mobile Park. Visit Seattle estimates the game and related events will create $50 million in economic activity.

I was never the person who said, “This is what I want to be when I grow up.” For a long time, I didn’t have a real sense of direction. As I went back for that advanced degree (Griggs earned both an MBA and undergrad degree from Dartmouth College) that my focus was very much on “How do I get into the world of sports?” So, I did.

I don’t know that I’ve done anything particularly unique. I’ve had a lot of both men and women who have helped me along the way. I think one of the things I’ve done well throughout my career is build and maintain really good relationships.

Seattle is different than Atlanta and obviously soccer is different than baseball. You have a much more established sport with a lot more legacy behind it here. So, different challenges, but the nuts and bolts of the roles, they’re fairly similar.

There is no typical day. I could be working with corporate partners. I could be out in the community partnering with different groups. I could be setting the strategic vision. I get to stretch different parts of my brain.

What is the role that sports can play in bringing people together? What is the role that sports can play in igniting passion?

How do we help showcase the athletes as their authentic selves, their culture, leveraging both English and Spanish language as appropriate to really convey and allow people to connect to our players?

A lot of people think of us predominantly for the baseball team at T-Mobile Park, 162 games during the regular season. It’s not all that we do. We have a very active foundation in Mariners’ Care Foundation. We have a lot of work that goes into our community relation efforts. We’re one of the biggest pillars of accessibility to baseball and softball. A lot of work goes on year-round regarding accessibility.

How do we help remove some of those barriers so kids who otherwise might not have an opportunity to play the game do? We know that physically active youths who are part of a team have better life outcomes. It has nothing to do with us as a baseball team. It is just something that is good for our community, is good for those kids.

We want to make sure that we have those experiences available for everyone and the entry point of those experiences is accessible enough that it is not a hurdle for people who are trying to come to the game or otherwise would want to but feel priced out.

We’re expanding our value program. We actually will have a $10 ticket for every single game, for all 81 home games. We want to ensure that we’re doing everything we can to remove hurdles from people of all sorts of different backgrounds.

If I’m coming and bringing my 7-year-old son, chances are I’m sitting up in 300 because he can see everything that’s going on. We’re close to Dippin’ Dots, and if he needs to go run around on the boardwalk and take a break, it’s easy and non-disruptive. That’s actually the best seat in the house for me.

And then if I’m going with girlfriends and just want to chill and have a beer, I’m out in the left field bleachers.

Our opportunity (with the All-Star game) is to really figure out how to celebrate the different parts of our region and the role that baseball and softball play in them. (But) we don’t just serve Seattle. We have a five-state media footprint.

Jerry (Dipoto, the club’s  president of baseball operations) and I work really well together. We do have a lot of conversations. One-hundred percent point of clarity: Baseball, Jerry. Other stuff, me.

Some beers are $5 and $6. I promise you, it’s among the best in the league.

I haven’t tried the crickets. Maybe that’ll be this year.