President, New York Yankees
Senior Counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Randy Levine begins his 13th season as President of the New York Yankees in 2012. He was named to his position in January 2000, becoming the first person to hold the post with the club since 1986.
Under his supervision and guidance, the franchise constructed the state-of-the art Yankee Stadium, completing the facility on time for the beginning of the 2009 season, which culminated in the franchise’s 27th World Championship. Mr. Levine was a principal founder of the YES Network, which was recently named the most-watched regional sports network in the United States for the ninth consecutive year (2003-11). In 2008, he was instrumental in creating Legends Hospitality, LLC, a new concession and merchandising company with the Dallas Cowboys which currently operates at the Yankees’ and Cowboys’ new stadiums. In 2004, he helped organize Yankees-Steiner, a leading sports memorabilia company.
Mr. Levine has also played a prominent role in the Yankees’ international brand expansion, including the 2007 establishment of a first-of-its-kind working relationship with the Chinese Baseball Association. More recently, he led a 2010 Yankees delegation that visited Tokyo, Beijing and Hong Kong with the 2009 World Series Trophy, marking the first-ever time that the Yankees have brought one of their World Series trophies to Asia. In addition, Mr. Levine helped develop the joint venture agreement in Japan between the Yankees and Yomiuri Shimbun, which is the parent company of the Yomiuri Giants.
In 2007, the Yankees became the first Major League organization to sign players from the Israel Baseball League and also embarked on their first-ever large-scale outreach into Taiwan by holding a clinic for high school players and coaches in Taipei, Taiwan. Mr. Levine is also the Yankees’ principal liaison to Major League Baseball and contributes to player negotiations and contract issues.
Mr. Levine has been at the forefront of bringing a diverse array of entertainment and special events to Yankee Stadium, transforming the venue into a year-round destination for a variety of college football, music, boxing and corporate events. Highlights have included concerts by Paul McCartney, two double-bills of JAY-Z and Eminem, as well as renewing the tradition of college football at the home of the Yankees with games featuring iconic institutions such as Notre Dame, Army, Syracuse and ascendant powers such as Rutgers, Iowa State and Kansas State.
The Yankees president has also been the driving force behind the creation, organization and implementation of college football’s newest bowl game—the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. The nationally broadcast contest provides the schools, their alumni and traveling supporters the unparalleled and thoroughly unique opportunity to enjoy a full week of bowl festivities in New York during Christmas week.
Mr. Levine’s baseball and business vision has also led to record numbers at Yankee Stadium turnstiles. In 2011, the Yankees topped the American League in home attendance for the ninth consecutive season (2003-11), leading Baseball in home attendance seven times over that same stretch (2003-08, ‘10). Additionally, the organization also led the Majors in road attendance last season. The Yankees combined draw of 6,345,166 fans topped the AL for the 13th consecutive season. In 2008, his direction helped the club establish the all-time AL single-season attendance record of 4,298,543 to become the only Major League franchise to exceed the 4 million mark at home in four consecutive seasons (2005-08).
Before joining the Yankees, Mr. Levine served as New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, Planning and Administration. He also served as New York City’s Labor Commissioner.
From 1995 through 1997, Mr. Levine was Chief Negotiator for Major League Baseball. In 1996, he negotiated the labor agreement that for the first time included revenue sharing, luxury taxes and Interleague play. Prior to that, Mr. Levine served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General and Principal Deputy Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. He has also served as a special delegate to the United States Department of Labor and was a board member for Hudson River Park. Mr. Levine presently serves on the boards of George Washington University, the ASCPA and the Yogi Berra Museum.
Mr. Levine has served on the Board of Directors of the New Jersey Nets and New Jersey Devils and is a member of the Board of Directors of the YES Network and Legends Hospitality, LLC. He is also an officer of Yankee Global Enterprises, LLC. Mr. Levine serves on the International, Diversity and Labor Policy Committees of Major League Baseball.
Mr. Levine has been a partner in the New York law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelson and is presently Senior Counsel at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Born on February 22, 1955, in Brooklyn, N.Y., Mr. Levine received a Bachelor of Arts degree from George Washington University in 1977, and in 2011 was named as Chair of the school’s athletic committee. He received his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1980. Mr. Levine and his wife, Mindy, reside in Manhattan.
