My story starts about three months back. I’m sitting in Anatomy and Physiology class hearing about every fifth word of a lecture on the immune system. Meanwhile, my computer screen is filled with the results of my latest Google search: “How do you get into the sports industry?” Luckily, the second hit brought me to the application page of MSBA 2016. Three thoughts ran through my head at that point: (1) no chance my Biomedical Science major would qualify for this program, (2) I should probably be paying more attention to this lecture, and (3) this program/website is the greatest thing I’ve seen in weeks. I decided to dabble with the third thought, and looking back I’m so glad I did.
“I’ve found myself in rooms I’m not supposed to be in. Rooms that have given me the best advice, rooms full of intriguing questions, rooms flooded with laughs and smiles, rooms shared with friends I never thought I’d have.”
Flash forward to today, Saturday, June 25th – the weekend before the fourth week of MSBA and the close to another amazing week in NYC. We decided to take an adventure throughout the city with one of our fearless leaders, Ben Sturner. We started the day off at Long Island City Park with a quick game of pick-up football. It was a heated match that came to a close after Sanj pulled a juke on every member of my team. The kid is a complete weapon at the sport he claimed he “wasn’t much a fan of” the day before. Unreal. After the game, we hopped on the ferry and headed over to Brooklyn for the rest of the day. It was a great trip with even better company.
This experience is unmatchable. These last few weeks have been some of the best days of my life. The opportunities I have been given so far by being apart of MSBA are incredible. Personally, my favorite pillar to the MSBA curriculum is the Speaker Series, which has become our own personal sports business crash course. We’ve had some amazing speakers; the variety allows us to have exposure to all the moving parts of the sports industry.
One speaker from this past week, Mark Zablow of Cogent Entertainment Marketing, said something to us that really resonated with me: “Get yourself in rooms you aren’t supposed to be in.” This quote really sums up my whole journey through MSBA. Since I am a Biomedical Science major, I never believed I would actually get accepted into a sports business program until the day I got the call. The call where Lorne and Bailey pretend to let you down easy for five minutes, only to finally tell you you’ve actually been accepted. That call totally rocks. Ever since then, I’ve found myself in rooms I’m not supposed to be in. Rooms that have given me the best advice, rooms full of intriguing questions, rooms flooded with laughs and smiles, rooms shared with friends I never thought I’d have. I wasn’t supposed to be in these remarkable rooms, but day in and day out I keep finding myself here. From now on, I’m getting in as many of these rooms as I can. Go ahead and try to steal my seat, I dare you.