Next time there’s an election, if someone’s on the ballot who had lifted a curse on your town, you’d vote for them, right?

Theo Epstein has done nothing less than deliver a city from perpetual torment. Twice.

At the beautiful and historic Fenway Park in Boston this past weekend, the Red Sox, who in 2004 won their first World Series for 86 years, hosted the current champions, the Chicago Cubs, who broke a 108-year losing streak last fall.

Two strong teams who are expected to contend for this year’s title. But also two teams whose fans – until Epstein’s intervention – believed to varying degrees were “cursed”.

And both those groundbreaking championships were testimony to Epstein’s prowess – at 28, he was the youngest General Manager in baseball history when he took the Sox job in 2002. (If you’ve seen the excellent movie Moneyball, the GM is basically a team’s CEO who makes the decisions on player acquisitions and overall strategy).

Fortune magazine recently named Epstein number one in a list of the World’s Greatest Leaders. The Pope came in third.

In Chicago, where he’s been in charge since 2012, his official title is President of Baseball Operations, but down the road maybe a shorter version of that is in the stars.

Epstein has dabbled in Democratic party politics, stumping for John Kerry in 2004, while President Obama joked that he had talked to Epstein about running the DNC since he “takes over the reins of an organization that’s wandering in the wilderness and delivers them to the promised land.”

As for working across the aisle, his current employer, Cubs owner Tom Ricketts’ family mostly held no brief for President Obama and were big Trump donors (Ricketts’ brother Todd almost became Trump’s deputy commerce secretary).

Not everyone’s a fan, of course. Epstein had a falling out with senior people at the Red Sox before he left, but he’s still held in high regard by the public.

And in an age where that line parents feed their kids that ‘anyone can become President’ seems more true than ever, someone like Epstein could be the perfect political candidate for an age of non-politicians.

Hometown sports heroes have made successful political transitions in the past – baseball’s Jim Bunning and the NFL’s Jack Kemp for example (although Bill Bradley’s glittering dual career as a basketball star and then Senator from New Jersey wasn’t enough to win him the Democratic nomination in 2000) but those were players, not executives.

In the current political environment, celebrity culture and name recognition seems to be increasingly in the ascendant. Kanye West, for example, may or may not have already announced his candidacy for 2020.

In California, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood have held elected office while Sonny Bono went into politics after a successful singing career (the other Bono, meanwhile, has found a way to be politically effective while singing).

Saturday Night Live alum and Minnesota Senator Al Franken is one of the most effective critics of the Trump administration.

But sometimes the voice of celebrity and the exposure it brings can be more about the message than the messenger. This week, late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel made what was probably the defining speech in the ongoing political battle over health care.

In the UK, parliament’s most high-profile non-politician has probably been Glenda Jackson. But don’t forget we’ve also had Gyles Brandreth.

As for Epstein, the degree to which he is beloved in both Boston and Chicago – and coveted in every other major league city – can hardly be understated. Theo..retically (sorry) he would have a better-than-average chance of winning any elected office he chose.

Boston is currently celebrating the centenary of JFK‘s birth and Epstein told the Boston Globe that he considers the city his home. His charity work along with his twin brother Paul has established him as a leading humanitarian and philanthropist.

What offices might be open? Massachusets Senator Elizabeth Warren appears adamant that she won’t run for President in 2020, so there would seem to be no Senate opportunity there. But speculation, inevitably, continues. The national picture should become clearer after next year’s midterms.

Both Kennedy and Epstein grew up in the Boston suburb of Brookline, and at just 43 – the age Kennedy was when he won the highest office – Epstein has time on his side. He is far from finished with a remarkable career that has made him the most sought-after executive in sports.

Why would he give that up?

David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, told Politico recently that as a potential candidate, Epstein has “a positive image [in Chicago] and he’s a very bright, elegant thinker. Very public spirited. His ego is in check. He’s got a lot of the requisite qualities except one: the desire to hold public office.”

And if the election of 2016 taught us anything, it’s that being a career politician isn’t a guarantee of popular support anymore – in fact it’s more likely to be a strike against you.