Rich Kleiman is an American entrepreneur who is best known for being Kevin Durant’s longtime agent and business partner.
In the latest episode of the "6-1-1 Podcast" co-hosted by Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins, Kleiman talked with the Phillies greats about some of the hot-topic items in baseball. One of those discussions centered around MLB’s rule changes that helped shorten games and create a more engaging product that could tell better stories.
“Shortening the game clearly had a benefit. Being able to tell the story around the fact that the game was shortened and that you should tune in [has worked],” Kleiman said. “I think it reminded people that the more baseball was talked about in the zeitgeist, that it is America's pastime and it does consist of people from all over the world. The biggest star [Shohei Ohtani] is not from America. [Shortening games] allowed stories to be told and put the focus back on the players.”
Kleiman is not necessarily known for being a big baseball fan, but he’s undeniably someone with expertise in sports media, and knows a thing or two about entertaining products. In 2013, Kleiman helped launch Roc Nation Sports, where he’s worked with athletes such as CC Sabathia, Robinson Canó and Victor Cruz.
Additionally, Kleiman and Durant launched Boardroom in 2019, a media network that covers the business of sports and entertainment.
The 6-1-1 Podcast is available on MLB.com, MLB.TV, all podcast platforms and YouTube.