The remaking of the Mets under owner Steve Cohen has taken yet another big step as the MLB club has hired former U.S. Tennis Association CEO and executive director Lew Sherr as its new president of business operations.
Sherr, who led the USTA for nearly three years and had been there since 2010, will take over for Scott Havens, who departed the Mets this week after an active, but ultimately somewhat tumultuous, 18 months with the club. In announcing the departure of Havens, Cohen cited “differing perspectives on long-term strategy,” and Front Office Sports sources said the owner preferred someone with more sports experience in the key role.
The background of Sherr, also including a prior executive role at Madison Square Garden, certainly meets that standard. While at the USTA, he recently oversaw an $800 million upgrade to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and led the organization as the US Open surpassed 1 million in attendance for the first time last year, with plans to do so again in 2025. He will start with the Mets in July.
FOS sources said Cohen was particularly impressed by Sherr’s work to build the tennis major into a massive event across the entire business of sports, and one that taps heavily into New York culture and appeals to many different demographics.
“Lew shares my vision for creating an exceptional fan experience at Citi Field and making the Mets an even greater part of New York’s cultural fabric,” Cohen said in a statement. “I am confident that Lew’s extensive experience and track record of success in driving growth and innovation at organizations across sports, entertainment and media will make him a great addition to our leadership team.”
By shifting his focus just across the train tracks in Flushing, N.Y., from the Billie Jean King Tennis Center to Citi Field, Sherr is also set to be part of an ongoing, $8 billion bid to reshape the area with a large-scale casino entertainment complex spearheaded by Cohen and partner Hard Rock International. That effort just cleared a key legislative hurdle to reclassify 50 acres of parking lots around the ballpark, and the parties are now seeking to obtain one of three coveted downstate New York gaming licenses to build the casino and provide critical revenue for the project.
“I’m hugely excited about what’s happening over there,” Sherr told the Associated Press while at the French Open. “Steve and Alex Cohen have made a commitment to that team that is unrivaled in sports. You see it on the field, off the field. The energy around the team. The energy around what they’re trying to do for the community with their foundation. The plans for the casino and the hotel and entertainment district.”
The Mets, meanwhile, are in the midst of a boom of their own, holding the National League’s third-best record while posting the largest attendance increase of any MLB club.
