Batter Up: Women in Sports, with Rochester Red Wings CEO, Naomi Silver

Growing up in Rochester, New York, the closest major league baseball team from me was about three hours north across the pond in Toronto, Canada. My family and I would always try and catch a game up there a couple times a year. Luckily though, I grew up in a city that is extremely passionate about the game of baseball. The Rochester Red Wings are currently the Class AAA affiliate of the Washington Nationals. This season will be their first with Washington as they have spent the last 18 years as the affiliate for the Minnesota Twins. Prior to the Twins, they were affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals. The Red Wings are beloved in the city of Rochester, and their history dates back all the way to the early 1900’s.

In 1956, baseball in Rochester was in jeopardy, when the St. Louis Cardinals decided to cease operations with the Red Wings as the team and the stadium were put up for sale. Knowing how much the sport and the team meant to the community of Rochester, local businessman Morris Silver orchestrated a stock drive in hopes of raising enough money to purchase the team and stadium to keep baseball in Rochester. The stock drive was a success as Silver and 8,221 other shareholders purchased the team and formed the Rochester Community Baseball Inc. He is credited with saving baseball in this city. The number 8,222 is retired by the Red Wings in his honor. Silver had the largest stake in the team and went on to run the ballclub.

Frontier Field, 2018

I had the honor of talking with Mr. Silver’s daughter, Naomi Silver, who is currently the President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer of the Red Wings. Baseball has always run in Naomi Silver's blood, so it is natural that she would run Rochester's beloved baseball team. She grew up attending games since her father was so highly involved.

“I would go to the ballpark with my mom, but it was my dad’s place of doing business and visiting with fans,” Silver said. “He was the president, and general manager but didn’t take a salary because it was a community endeavor for him.” 

Naomi’s father passed away when she was just 15 years old, but her mom, Anna, immediately got involved with the ballclub as chairman of the board. It was important for her family to keep her father’s passion and tradition alive.

“Her one desire was to keep the franchise healthy because it meant so much to my dad that baseball remained in Rochester,” Silver said. He devoted so much of his life to it.”

Her mom also had great passion for the community of Rochester and wanted to carry out her husband’s legacy. At the time, Mrs. Silver was one of the first women in a leadership position in baseball.

“She was a tough cookie. She was a pioneer because at that point not only was there few women in baseball but there were few women in business and men did not love that. People who were friends with my father accepted her but there were many who didn’t get it and didn’t think she should be there,” Naomi said.

Although Naomi grew up going to many baseball games, she never thought that she would make a career of it.

“I married a ballplayer when I was 23 and moved away and it wasn’t until after he retired, and we came back to Rochester that I started working in the front office.”

She didn’t get paid; she just came in to do some work. She started by working in accounting which led to her to taking over the team store, which eventually led into taking over the food and beverage department. The food and beverage acts as its own separate business for the team. This decision to make concessions an in-house operation has been a successful move ever since. She saw how her mother and father ran the team, so she knew the ins and outs of the business.

Naomi officially became the President for the Red Wings in 1989 and was the country’s first female running a Minor League baseball franchise.

“There was a certain respect that I got because my last name was Silver. I probably got more respect coming in. As I think about it, I think I got more respect coming in than I deserved because of my name, but that made me want to make sure not to prove anybody wrong.”

She has run a successful Rochester Red Wings organization ever since.

Kate Melton Photography

The business behind operating a minor league baseball team entails more than just selling tickets and Cracker Jacks.

“We are in charge of the stadium in its totality and the field and bringing fans in so we handle all of the marketing, retail, food and beverage. There is a lot of businesses all in one. A sports organization is PR, marketing, media relations, grounds keeping, stadium maintenance, ticketing. One thing is not necessarily related to another directly so each of those departments have to be experts in their division and knowledgeable.

“We are expected to draw fans and have a good environment, fun atmosphere. The players have to be proud to be there. They want to see fans in the stands because their next move tomorrow is in the big leagues.”

As far as the day to day for the CEO, Naomi’s days are heavy on meetings.  

“I have meetings throughout the day all day long whether it is December or July those meetings take place. During the offseason what comes up more is legal matters, its insurance, its human resources.”

One of Naomi’s favorite things about her job is that it allows her to interact with the community.

“Personally, what I love about it is I love being around people, I like people, I am happy to talk to anyone and the ballpark gives me the ability to meet people, talk to people, get to know them, and those people become your friends and I love it.”

Together as an organization, she loves their ability to touch so many lives.

“Friends, families we bring them together; it is an opportunity to spend time with people you want to spend time with and unlike some sports where if you miss that action you might not have another chance. Baseball is not like that it is a take your time and enjoy the atmosphere kind of sport. I love that and I think that’s what people probably appreciate about it.”

I can relate to this quote so much. Baseball is one of the reasons my dad and I have such a great bond. I grew up with him taking to me to as many Red Wings games as possible each year. He grew up near old the Silver Stadium and his dad took him to Red Wings games as well. It was through this tradition that I really started to learn about and fall in love with the game of baseball.

It was evident from my conversation with Naomi how much she truly values not only the team, but the entire Rochester community.

“I am completely bullish on the city of Rochester, the county, the outlying area, I think it’s one of the best places I have ever been. And there are cities that have nicer weather, and have interesting things to do, but Rochester is where you are one degree of separation from other people.”

Naomi also spends her time giving back to the community and gets a lot of enjoyment out of it. She sits on the board of many non-profits and helps host walks and marathons for local charities in effort to raise money for their organizations.

This is just one of the many reasons to look up to Naomi as a role model as a woman in sports and in business. It is inspiring.

“It is rewarding to have broken through in a career that is traditionally men. What could make it more obvious that women are just as capable as men than to make it in the sports industry.”

Her leadership, work ethic, and passion for the game and community are valuable traits to follow. I admire her hard work and the dedication that she and her family have put into this ballclub, making it a vital part of our city for so many years.