Let’s set the record straight: Guys like Rick Abramson are never really out of the game.
But after a battle with now-in-remission cancer, Abramson is back on his feet in a major way – including with a recent promotion to Delaware North’s Office of the Chief Executive, where he serves as an executive vice president and chief operating officer.
His road to recovery was featured this week in a must-read SportsBusiness Journal piece, titled “After scare, Abramson back in the ballgame.”
“In all honestly, he really went through the ringer,” Delaware North co-CEO Jerry Jacobs Jr. said in the story. “The biggest challenge that we as his friends faced was getting him to recognize that he needed to slow down, that he couldn’t keep working.”
Once he was cleared, however, it was back to business for Abramson.
“Rick Abramson visited his clients at the start of baseball season, munching on walleye tenders at Target Field, tuna tacos at Petco Park, fried s’mores at Globe Life Park and a loaded bratwurst at Miller Park in his hometown of Milwaukee,” the story said. “For Abramson, Delaware North’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, it was a big deal to taste some of the best new foods in MLB. Eighteen months after being diagnosed with Stage 4 tongue cancer, Abramson, former president of (Delaware North) Sportservice and a 47-year employee of Delaware North, has made a comeback. His cancer is in remission.”
Former Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig – a longtime friend of Abramson – was among those who were interviewed for the piece.
“This is a remarkable story in every way,” Selig told SportsBusiness Journal writer Don Muret of Abramson. “I guess in the end, I’m not surprised. I’m as proud of him as could be and very grateful that he has successfully battled his health issues.”
Read the full story by clicking here.
Abramson (left) is pictured above with former United States President George Bush.