[1] He is the son of Ronald M. Shapiro, an attorney and sports agent in Baltimore, and the brother-in-law of former Cleveland Browns coach Eric Mangini.

[7] Shapiro has stated the novel that made the largest impact on him growing up was Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead,[8] and that Howard Roark (the novel’s protagonist) is his favourite character in fiction.

[10] Shapiro was named Executive of the Year by the Sporting News in 2005 and 2007,[11] following 90+ wins seasons by the Indians, including an American League Central Division Championship in 2007.

[citation needed] At the end of the 2010 season, he became the Cleveland Indians team president, with Chris Antonetti succeeding Shapiro as general manager.

[12][13] On August 31, 2015, The Toronto Blue Jays announced that Shapiro would become their new president and chief executive officer (CEO) at the end of the 2015 season, succeeding Paul Beeston.