Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. X X V N OV E M B E R 2 , 2 0 2 6 30 B Y R E N E E C O R D E S B Y R E N E E C O R D E S O N T H E R E C O R D ainebiz: How did you come into this role as a newcomer to sports team management? Burke Cherrie: I have worked with tons of clubs and organizations across sports. My background is in sports media, so I've seen different models all the way up from NFL teams to global soccer teams down to working with lower divisions and minor league sports, college athletes, academies. I've seen dif- ferent business models, and I think minor league sports is in a transi- tional period. MB: What evolution have you observed? BC: ere was a '90s/2000s model, and then social media came, and brand came in a very different way, and I'm uniquely positioned to look at that through a different lens. I'm not a typical CEO that would take this role, but I believe great clubs and sports teams are civic institutions and just a col- lection of amazing stories. at story influences how you develop partnerships and marketplaces and M Burke Cherrie, a sports branding expert who helped launch the Portland Hearts of Pine men's soccer squad in 2023, now leads the Maine Mariners as CEO. Just ahead of the hockey season that started in October, Mainebiz sat down with the Reading, Pa., native at the team's new downtown Portland office, where boxes were still waiting to be unpacked. The Mariners play in the ECHL and are affiliated with the Boston Bruins of the NHL and the AHL's Providence (R.I.) Bruins. Burke Cherrie, who started as CEO of the Maine Mariners in August, says the team is exploring new pricing models to boost attendance at Wednesday games. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R

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