Theodore Roosevelt as Manager of the Atlanta Braves

Abstract: If you had to choose a past U.S. president to manage the Atlanta Braves, who would you select? You could probably think of a number of worthy individuals. However, few of them would be more qualified to manage the Braves than Theodore Roosevelt.

Mt. Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt closeup (1)

If you had to choose a past U.S. president to manage the Atlanta Braves, who would you select? You could probably think of a number of worthy individuals.

However, few of them would be more qualified to manage the Braves than President Theodore Roosevelt.
Roosevelt served as U.S. president from 1901-1908. He may be best remembered for his role in building the Panama Canal. However, he accomplished a number of other important objectives while in the Oval Office, including the creation of national parks, the regulation of industry, and the successful mediation of international disputes. The traits that enabled Roosevelt to succeed as president would have also allowed him to excel as the manager of the Braves.

Here are five reasons why Roosevelt would have performed admirably as the Braves' skipper:

Leader: Like any other MLB team, the Braves need a manager who can command the respect of his players. During his lifetime Roosevelt proved to be an excellent leader. Before becoming president, he successfully commanded a regiment in the Spanish American War. More important, he excelled in the most esteemed leadership position of all -- U.S. president. When Siena College asked historians to rank the American presidents from best to worst, they placed Roosevelt in second place.

Hard Worker: MLB managers need to be willing to work extremely hard during the season. Roosevelt would have no problem putting in 12-hour days at the office. He was renowned for his work ethic. During his lifetime, Roosevelt raised a family, founded charitable ventures, ran a ranch, fought in a war, served in public office, authored over 35 books, and composed more than 150,000 letters to friends and acquaintances.

Popular Guy: A manager for the Braves has to win more games than he loses if he wants to keep his job. However, it does not hurt if he is also able to endear himself to the fan base. Roosevelt would have excelled in this category. Though Roosevelt had a lot of enemies, he also found a way to win over large swaths of the American populace. Braves fans would love him.

People Person: A successful Braves manager needs to be able to work with a wide variety of stakeholders. He not only has to lead his players, he also has to successfully interact with his other managers, the Braves front office, the media, Braves fans and advertisers. Roosevelt would excel in this area. He was able to succeed as a president in part because he could forge relationships with people from a variety of backgrounds and professions.

Courageous Individual: A MLB manager has to have the courage to punish his players (especially the superstars) when they do something wrong and to critique their poor play. He also needs to be willing to stand up to management from time to time. Roosevelt would be up to the task. The former president did not lack for courage as demonstrated by his participation in the Spanish American War, by his African safaris and by his decision to continue with a public speech even after being shot.

Sources

Michael McHugh. A Day in the Life of a General Manager-Tim Pupura. MLB.com.
The Ohio State University. Multimedia Histories Section.
The University of Virginia's Miller Center.
Theodore Roosevelt Association.

1. Photographer: Scott Catron (Zaui)
    Date: May 30, 2004
    Title/Description: Mt. Rushmore, Theodore Roosevelt closeup
    Location/Permission: Wikimedia Commons - GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2
    (click on the title or the caption to see the photo, credits, and permissions).


-- Anthony Hopper

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