I still remember the day like it was yesterday. It was December 8, 2017 and after a long night of preparing for my Fall semester finals at USC, I was waking up early for a phone call with Bailey and Lorne to “further discuss my MSBA application.” Little did I know, that call would be the beginning of the most incredible summer of my short life, and the fact that we have completed our seventh of eight weeks is hard to comprehend. On the first day of MSBA, I was fully aware that I only had a short period of time to make the most of the opportunity to be a member of this once-in-a-lifetime program. Despite knowing how fast the summer would go by, I never expected the final week to get here so quickly, even with my roommate John’s best efforts to constantly remind me each week that we were getting closer to the end.
Like many of my fellow MSBAers, I showed up on the first day knowing that I want to have a career in the sports business industry and that MSBA was going to steer me in the right direction to give me the best chance to make that happen in this insanely competitive field. However, other than knowing that being in MSBA had the chance to be a career-changing investment, I definitely didn’t know the extent of what it could actually be. This past Thursday, I was blown away yet again when we had the privilege to visit the National Football League’s headquarters. For most college students our age, that trip would’ve been the highlight of their year, but for us it was simply another stop along the amazing journey that is MSBA. Being born and raised in San Diego, I have mixed feelings towards the NFL for obvious reasons but even with those thoughts in my head, it was impossible not to be blown away when we first stepped foot into their office and saw the Lombardi Trophy proudly displayed in front of every Super Bowl champion’s ring. Having that access was another reminder of how fortunate I am to get to be a part of MSBA, especially with the understanding of how many people would kill to be in the position that I’m in.
“I’m more excited to watch all of our careers get up and running and truly can’t wait for the day where we are all leaders in the sports business industry and mentoring the next crop of 25 aspiring sports business professionals lucky enough to be selected into the Manhattan Sports Business Academy.”
MSBA has taken us to some the most prestigious sports businesses in the world, given us career direction and advice, and helped us secure internships at top companies throughout New York City, but in my opinion the best part of the program has been the Mentorship Collective. Almost every person we’ve met at the various companies has told us that networking is the most important part about this industry, and getting set up with three top professionals in the field has been invaluable. My Mentorship Collective is made up of Kelsey Philpott of GMR Marketing, Katie Cross of BSE Global, and Justin Davies of Wasserman, and I could not be happier with having those three as a resource for not just the summer but for the rest of my career. This past Wednesday, I met with all three of Mentors for happy hour for the third time this summer, and for over two hours I received career and life advice, contact information for other people in the industry I should reach out to and connect with, and most importantly just a good time continuing to get to know each other and telling stories that will most definitely not be leaving that table. I have yet to talk to a single member of MSBA 2018 that has anything but positive things to say about their Mentors and a lot of credit goes to Bailey and Lorne for pairing us not only with professionals working in a field that we’re interested in, but also with people with similar personalities and backgrounds as us who can relate to us not only as an aspiring sports business professional but also as a person. I plan for my relationship with Kelsey, Katie, and Justin to continue far after the conclusion of this summer.
It is hard to believe the summer is winding down and we are entering the homestretch that is the final week of MSBA, but while outsiders may look at it like it’s the end, I see it as just the beginning. I strongly expect to cross paths with multiple of my fellow MSBAers in our careers as well as keeping up the friendships I’ve made. While I’m going to be sad to leave this great city and all of the amazing people I’ve met this summer, I’m more excited to watch all of our careers get up and running and truly can’t wait for the day where we are all leaders in the sports business industry and mentoring the next crop of 25 aspiring sports business professionals lucky enough to be selected into the Manhattan Sports Business Academy.