Rob Neyer
Keynote Speaker: Baseball Commissioner, Longtime ESPN Journalist & Award-Winning Author
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Rob Neyer Biography
A native Midwesterner, Commissioner Rob Neyer's passion for baseball was inspired by the great Kansas City Royals of the late 1970s and early 1980s; he grew up idolizing the likes of George Brett, Hal McRae, Frank White, Amos Otis, Dan Quisenberry, and Bret Saberhagen.
In 1984, with the Royals on their way to another first-place finish, Neyer discovered the work of groundbreaking author and sabermetrician Bill James, and four years later Neyer was hired on as James's research assistant. After four years with Bill and a spell of freelance writing, Neyer headed to Chicago for a job with STATS, Inc., where he ultimately served as Assistant Director of Publications, editing and co-writing books about baseball, football, and basketball; during this period, he also self-published a guide to picking the winners in March Madness.
In 1996, Neyer relocated to the Pacific Northwest for a job with ESPN's new website … and within a year or two, realized he belonged there. During his 15 years with ESPN.com, Neyer wrote many more words for the site than anyone else, while also authoring (or co-authoring) six books, including "The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers" (with Bill James) and three entries in the Rob Neyer's "Big Book of Baseball" series.
From 2011-15, Neyer served as a national baseball editor, columnist, and blogger with SB Nation and then Fox Sports, before returning to freelance writing. As a freelancer, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Vice Sports, Complex Sports, Yahoo, and others. In October 2018, HarperCollins published Neyer's seventh book, "Power Ball: Anatomy of a Modern Baseball Game," which ultimately won the CASEY Award for best baseball book of the year. In 2019, the Society for American Baseball Research honored Neyer with its Henry Chadwick Award for lifetime contributions to baseball research, and from 2019 to 2024 he hosted SABRcast, SABR's weekly podcast. In 2022, Neyer co-authored "The Umpire Is Out: Calling the Game and Living My True Self" with longtime MLB umpire Dale Scott, the first openly gay umpire in a major men's professional sport; the book was praised by the New York Times as "a rollicking new memoir."
Since 2018, Neyer has served as Commissioner of the West Coast League, a summer collegiate league with 16 teams throughout the Northwest — trading the press box for the front office and bringing decades of studying how baseball works to bear on actually running it.
Neyer has lived in Portland since 2002. Today he resides in the historic St. Johns neighborhood with his wife and daughter, and between baseball games enjoys mountaineering, birdwatching, and local coffee houses.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Rob Neyer and other top speakers and celebrities.
Rob Neyer Speaking Topics
A look at why baseball, despite decades of premature obituaries, remains woven into American identity — and how it keeps reinventing itself to stay there. Drawing on three decades of writing about the sport for outlets from ESPN to The New York Times, Neyer traces the game's cultural throughlines: what's changed, what's stubbornly endured, and why a sport invented in the 19th century still shapes how Americans think about community, memory, and summer itself.
Rob Neyer isn't just a chronicler of baseball's analytics revolution — he lived it from the beginning, hired in 1989 as a research assistant to Bill James, the man widely credited with starting it. In this talk, Neyer traces sabermetrics from its fringe, photocopied-newsletter origins through its takeover of front offices and broadcast booths, sharing firsthand stories from the movement's earliest days, the creation of Michael Lewis's "Moneyball," and offering a clear-eyed read on where the numbers revolution goes next.
For most of his career, Rob Neyer analyzed the game from the press box and his laptop. For the last eight years, as Commissioner of the West Coast League, he's run it: navigating team ownership crises, vendor negotiations, governance disputes, and the day-to-day judgment calls that never make the highlight reel. This talk pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to lead in a sports organization: how to make hard calls with imperfect information, manage stakeholders who don't report to you, and hold a league together when the easy answers run out.
Rob Neyer Videos
How do I book Rob Neyer to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Rob Neyer for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Rob Neyer, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Rob Neyer or any other speaker of your choice.
How much does it cost to book Rob Neyer for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Rob Neyer, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Rob Neyer are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Rob Neyer, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent.
What topics does Rob Neyer speak about?
Rob Neyer is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Baseball, Athlete, Sports Motivation, Author, Journalist and Sports.
Where does Rob Neyer travel from?
Rob Neyer generally travels from Portland, OR, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances.
Who is the agent for Rob Neyer?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Rob Neyer for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805, and one of our agents will assist you to book Rob Neyer for your next private or corporate function.
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Rob Neyer or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us.
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Rob Neyer is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics including Baseball, Athlete and Sports Motivation. The estimated speaking fee range to book Rob Neyer for live events is Below $10,000, and for virtual events Below $10,000. Rob Neyer generally travels from Portland, OR, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Kevin Kisner, Bob Costas and Joanne P. McCallie. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Rob Neyer for an upcoming event.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Rob Neyer Speaking Topics
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Baseball as America's (Continuing) National Pastime
A look at why baseball, despite decades of premature obituaries, remains woven into American identity — and how it keeps reinventing itself to stay there. Drawing on three decades of writing about the sport for outlets from ESPN to The New York Times, Neyer traces the game's cultural throughlines: what's changed, what's stubbornly endured, and why a sport invented in the 19th century still shapes how Americans think about community, memory, and summer itself.
-
The History of Baseball Analytics — From the Inside
Rob Neyer isn't just a chronicler of baseball's analytics revolution — he lived it from the beginning, hired in 1989 as a research assistant to Bill James, the man widely credited with starting it. In this talk, Neyer traces sabermetrics from its fringe, photocopied-newsletter origins through its takeover of front offices and broadcast booths, sharing firsthand stories from the movement's earliest days, the creation of Michael Lewis's "Moneyball," and offering a clear-eyed read on where the numbers revolution goes next.
-
Leadership Lessons from Running a Baseball League
For most of his career, Rob Neyer analyzed the game from the press box and his laptop. For the last eight years, as Commissioner of the West Coast League, he's run it: navigating team ownership crises, vendor negotiations, governance disputes, and the day-to-day judgment calls that never make the highlight reel. This talk pulls back the curtain on what it actually takes to lead in a sports organization: how to make hard calls with imperfect information, manage stakeholders who don't report to you, and hold a league together when the easy answers run out.
VIDEO
Rob Neyer Videos
BOOKS
FAQS
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How do I book Rob Neyer to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Rob Neyer for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Rob Neyer, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Rob Neyer or any other speaker of your choice. -
How much does it cost to book Rob Neyer for a speaking engagement?
Speaking fees for Rob Neyer, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Rob Neyer are Below $10,000 for live events and Below $10,000 for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Rob Neyer, click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Rob Neyer speak about?
Rob Neyer is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as Baseball, Athlete, Sports Motivation, Author, Journalist and Sports. -
Where does Rob Neyer travel from?
Rob Neyer generally travels from Portland, OR, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. -
Who is the agent for Rob Neyer?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully secured keynote speakers like Rob Neyer for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Schedule button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.855.383.8805, and one of our agents will assist you to book Rob Neyer for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Rob Neyer or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
BOOK ROB NEYER
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