As one of our last trips together, we visited the MLB offices (an MSBA first!) to hear from a panel of MLB staff members. It was a special trip for us because the panel featured Senior Director of Sponsorship Sales, Uzma Rawn, a big MSBA supporter who also happens to be Sydney’s mentor. We also met Sponsorship Sales Account Executive John Coppo and Baseball Communications Specialist David Hochman. As a bonus, we got to hear from MSBA 2014 alum Kahlil Keys, who is currently a Sponsorship Sales Coordinator at MLB. One of the coolest aspects of the MSBA program is being able to connect with alumni; it is really exciting to hear about what they are doing post-MSBA and, in this case, speak with them at their office and see them in their work environment.
“Each MSBA Speaker Series, Office Field Trip, Career Workshop and event has been completely eye-opening in its own way. It’s the combination of all these unique experiences that makes MSBA one of a kind.”
It’s been a treat visiting league offices and getting an idea of how each company operates with all of its moving parts. After visiting two MLB teams earlier in the summer, it is really interesting to see a different side of the sport by going to the league office that has the responsibility of overseeing each of its teams. The MLB speakers spoke a lot about “One Baseball” and their efforts to be involved with each level of baseball from youth leagues to the Majors. An interesting initiative they discussed was refurbishing youth baseball fields. I loved hearing about this because it is something that shows the amount of reach that a major organization like the MLB has. They are able to do something that seems like it would be out of their jurisdiction just for the good of the game of baseball. Given my interest in Corporate Social Responsibility, I found this extremely valuable.
One of the ways MSBA has been so helpful is giving us opportunities like this – where we are able to further explore topics we are interested in, but also learn which topics may not be as engaging to us in a professional sense. In this case, it’s awesome to see how easily perceptions can change. Thanks to MSBA, we are able to talk directly to people who currently have careers in fields that we may or may not be interested in pursuing. That said, getting to hear from speakers and having them make comparisons of their journey to our own, paints a broader and more enlightened picture of the sports industry.
When I look back on this summer, it is impossible to pick a favorite moment or experience because they have all been different and they have all been meaningful. Each MSBA Speaker Series, Office Field Trip, Career Workshop and event has been completely eye-opening in its own way. It’s the combination of all these unique experiences that makes MSBA one of a kind.
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