From Rejection to Triumph: How a 33-Year-Old Transformed Her Baseball Internship Rejection into a General Manager Role!
Brooke Cooper once believed her baseball dreams had ended at just 12 years old. After aging out of her local Little League, the opportunities for girls in the sport dwindled. “I tried playing softball next, but I didn’t have the same passion,” Cooper recounted in an interview with CNBC Make It. Now at 33, she has not only returned to her roots but has also made history as the first female general manager of the Worcester Red Sox, a Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
Cooper’s journey in baseball was not straightforward. After being rejected the first time she applied for an internship with the Pawtucket Red Sox, Cooper spent her summer waiting tables and volunteering at a sports marketing firm. “I was 20 years old and had no idea what I was doing,” she noted about her first attempt. Undeterred, she applied again two years later, this time as an MBA student at Providence College, and successfully secured the merchandising internship. “The second time, I made it clear how much I wanted it and that I would work hard,” she recalled.
During her internship, Cooper juggled business school with responsibilities in the team store, where she managed merchandise inventory and engaged with customers. Despite only earning minimum wage, she found the experience invaluable. Over time, she advanced through various roles, eventually becoming the director of marketing and merchandising. In 2018, she played a key role in temporarily rebranding the Pawtucket Red Sox as the Hot Wieners and later rose to the position of vice president of marketing. By 2022, she became the assistant general manager.
When she first joined the Worcester Red Sox in 2015, Cooper felt uncertain about her place in a male-dominated sport. “There was only one other woman in the front office,” she said. Initially, her aspirations leaned toward creating a community center, not a career in professional baseball. While she describes moments of imposter syndrome, she views them as a driving force that encouraged her to voice her thoughts fearlessly in meetings. “It allowed me to speak up without fear of losing my job,” she explained.
Cooper emphasized that her gender never hindered her career progress within the Red Sox organization. “My promotions have always felt like a matter of fact,” she stated. She believes her appointment as the franchise’s first female general manager was only a ‘big deal’ after the official announcement was made.
The 2025 Minor League Baseball season saw 14 out of 120 teams led by female general managers, reflecting a slowly changing landscape. Kim Ng made history as the first female general manager in Major League Baseball when she took the helm of the Miami Marlins in 2020, a role she left in 2023.
“I’m really, really happy to be part of an organization where this can be normalized,” Cooper said about her role with the Worcester Red Sox. She finds the challenges of working in Minor League Baseball professionally invigorating and personally rewarding, expressing, “I am kind of living out my dream.”
The landscape of women in baseball is gradually shifting, with figures like Cooper leading the charge for future generations. For those aspiring to carve their own paths, CNBC offers resources through its online course, “How To Start A Business: For First-Time Founders,” coupled with a newsletter filled with success tips.
Original Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/12/33-year-old-was-rejected-from-a-baseball-internship-now-shes-the-teams-general-manager.html
Category :
Tags:
Publish Date: 2025-10-12 19:15:00
