Cubs President Theo Epstein Tops ‘Great Leaders’ List

Theo Epstein answers questions during the 2016 League Championship Series. Image by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

By Daniel J. Solomon March 24, 2017

We Americans do not much trust our politicians, but we still like our sportsmen. And we even love, apparently, the men who lead our sports franchises, like Theo Epstein, the Jewish president of the Chicago Cubs. This year, Epstein is at the head of Fortune’s list of “Great Leaders,” winning praise for his role in the Cubs winning their first World Series ever.

According to Fortune, Epstein was able to develop “a deeper understanding of important human qualities among his players — the character, discipline and chemistry that turn skilled athletes into leaders” and that allowed him to “engineer one of the most remarkable turnarounds in sports.” Their success last fall came as the culmination of a five-year effort to turn the team around. Epstein had previously been with the Boston Red Sox as they ended an 86-year World Series drought.

In addition to Epstein, other prominent Jews made the list, including Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen and AirBnB founder Brian Chesky.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at solomon@forward.com or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO