Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame

One could use the phrase “fits like a glove” to describe Mike Thompson’s 40-year career at Rawlings, the number one baseball brand worldwide and glove choice of more MLB® pros than all other brands combined. Thompson’s rise from sales representative in Southern California, to the Global Vice President of Sales, and now his current position of Chief Marketing Officer at Rawlings, has also fueled the brand’s growth with Major League Baseball® and many other organizations in the sport. 

Thompson’s honesty, approachability and friendships in the industry have earned him a tremendous level of respect. He has held a variety of sales and marketing-related roles at Rawlings, and in recent years, he spearheaded the creation and management of both the sports and digital marketing departments at the company.

He devotes the same energy to working with professional advisory endorsers such as MLB stars Aaron Judge, Nolan Arenado and Francisco Lindor as he does with Minor League Baseball®, the NCAA® and youth organizations like Perfect Game USA®, Little League®, Babe Ruth®, Cal Ripken® and PONY Baseball. 

The Rawlings Gold Glove Award®, established in 1957 to recognize defensive excellence in Major League Baseball, has evolved to the Minor Leagues and the collegiate and high school levels of baseball and softball because of Thompson’s unwavering commitment to maintaining the prestigious award’s relevance. Additionally, Thompson co-created the Platinum Glove Award™ in 2011, enabling fans to vote for their favorite Gold Glover in each league for the first time in the award’s history, as well as the Team Award in ‘21 and the Utility Player Award in ‘22. All award recipients are recognized annually at the Rawlings Gold Glove Award ceremony in New York City, a five-star event Thompson established that’s attended by baseball’s biggest names, including current MLB superstars, Hall of Famers and industry leaders. 

Thompson has received numerous industry awards and earned several honors in the sports business community. He was named one of the “Twenty-One Top Leaders for the 21^st Century in Sports” by Sports Trend Magazine, received the ABCA’s “Meritorious Service Award,” the “Fan For Life Award” for supporting prostate cancer awareness, the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from Men’s Senior League Baseball and the “President’s Award” for his work with Youth Basketball of America. Thompson has also served on the Board of Directors for the St. Louis Sports Commission since 2017. 

Some of Thompson’s most notable career achievements include leading contract negotiations to extend Rawlings’ presence at all levels of the game, “from Little League to the Big Leagues.” During his tenure, Thompson’s strong industry relationships and deep-rooted baseball knowledge successfully enabled Rawlings to be named as the glove and base of MLB, in addition to continuing as the official baseball and helmet. Thompson has also been instrumental in growing the Rawlings’ brand at the amateur and youth levels of both baseball and softball. 

Please note: This biography was produced from the nominating materials in the candidate’s nominating year, so the information is not current.