Baseball and the CIA: My 10 Favorite Life Lessons

By Marc Polymeropoulos

Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the CIA before retiring from the Senior Intelligence Service in June 2019.  His positions included field and headquarters operational assignments covering the Middle East, Europe, Eurasia and CounterTerrorism.  He is the recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Commendation Medal, and the Intelligence Medal of Merit. 

Baseball in the Polymeropoulos family is our life. We spend the majority of our year engrossed in my 17-year-old son’s fledgling career, playing across the country in travel tournaments, and helping his high school baseball team with volunteer work. The travel is relentless, and sometimes it rains.

I also have a real job or had one, until my recent retirement. I worked for 26 years in national security and have spent some time in CIA. This professional journey spurred my thinking about the parallels between our baseball life and work at the Agency.

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