The Role and Impact of Sports in American Society, a conversation with Ned Colletti Jr., Former General Manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers

Free and open to the public.  Reception and book signing to follow.  Book sales and signing hosted by Bookbound.

Sports remains a fascination to millions of Americans but also presents a great range of challenging public policy issues at both the professional and collegiate levels.  Please join us for a candid conversation about "Sports in America" with former Los Angeles Dodger General Manager Ned Colletti.  The author of THE BIG CHAIR, his acclaimed 2018 book on professional sports from the vantage point of a general manager, Colletti draws upon decades of experience with multiple franchises at the highest level of baseball as well as his earlier experience as a sports journalist.  The conversation will touch on topics such as the business of college sports, the economic impact of sports on local communities, the health and well-being of athletes, the role of athletes in politics and society, and more.

From the speaker’s bio
Ned Colletti, the former General Manager of the Dodgers, is in his fourth season as an analyst on SportsNetLA’s pre- and post-game telecasts.

Colletti became the 10th general manager in Los Angeles Dodgers history when he was hired on November 16, 2005.

The Dodgers made the playoffs in five of his nine seasons from 2006–14. After a 71-91 record in 2005, the Dodgers went to the NL Division Series in Colletti's first season in 2006 and reached the National League Championship Series in 2008, 2009, and 2013. The back-to-back appearances in 2008–09 marked the first time the Dodgers had reached the NLCS in consecutive years since 1977–78.

In his last 22 seasons as an executive, Colletti built or helped to build teams that qualified for the postseason 13 times (with five other teams eliminated in the final game or two of the season), with a combined record of 1935-1585 (383 games over .500). Prior to coming to Los Angeles, Colletti was the Assistant General Manager of the San Francisco Giants for 11 seasons and spent 13 years with his hometown team, the Chicago Cubs.

Colletti received a regional Emmy Award in 2016 and again in 2018.  He has been inducted into the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame, the Triton College Sports Hall of Fame and the East Leyden High School Hall of Fame.  Besides his duties at SportsNet LA, he is a Professor of Sports Management at Pepperdine University in Malibu.  He is also the author of the best-selling book, The Big Chair (Penguin Random House).

Sponsored by: Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

Co-Sponsors:  University of Michigan School of Kinesiology Sport Management Program, and UM Baseball 

For more information contact [email protected] or call 734-647-4091. 

• sports and society
• Ned Colletti