This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending Sports Industry Day, a three-hour panel hosted by the Claremont Sports Connection, which included a number of industry veterans. There were broadcasters, journalists, PR representatives, sales directors, and even a Major League Baseball general manager. To say that I was excited for this event doesn’t even begin to cover it—let me tell you, it was completely worth it.
Before I go into more detail, I just want to thank the CSC—again—for putting this event together. Although Claremont is close to one of the biggest sports markets in the country, there’s very little fanfare about the sports world on campus, and hopefully this is a start to a much bigger community here.
One of the things I was most excited about was getting to wear my business clothes for the first time. It was hot, so I opted for a pencil skirt and blouse, and left for the conference feeling incredibly professional and confident. I was finally going to look my age!
The first panel was made up of two veteran broadcasters, as well as one graduating senior from Pepperdine University majoring in Sports Broadcasting. Over the years I’ve had wavering interest in broadcasting—I went from thinking it was the dream job to a nightmare, and then back again. Listening to the panel allowed me to come to an ultimate conclusion: I realized I don’t want it, and the only reason I was ever interested in the first place was because of the lack of women in the field. I had always wanted to be the first respected female sportscaster, one that wouldn’t be relegated to sideline reporting, but I didn’t have any actual interest in the field itself. I didn’t have the passion, outgoing nature, or the family connections of any of the panelists. Frankly, my future doesn’t lie in broadcasting.
After this panel, I began to worry—would each successive panel crush my dreams, one by one? Would I leave the conference thinking that I wasn’t qualified for anything? Thankfully, the next panel covered print journalism and PR, much more realistic fields for someone as fond of the written word as I. This panel left me feeling much more optimistic. Despite the decline of newspapers, the media world, they told us, was larger than ever—and blogging is a great way to get your foot in the door. I had the chance to speak with one of the panelists in more detail during the next break, and got more good news: the fact that I didn’t have a journalism major wouldn’t hinder me, should I choose the field.
The third panel covered sales and management, but the fourth panel was the big draw for me—A CMC alumnus and current Assistant General Manager of the Kansas City Royals spoke about his own, incredibly vast experiences in Major League and Minor League Baseball. What really caught my eye were two things: One, that someone in the Royals organization is from my hometown (nobody, not even Abraham Lincoln, is from Springfield, Illinois, so it’s a very big deal), and two, that he went on from CMC to get a degree in Sports Administration. I’d considered this in the past, but quickly decided I’d never qualify with a degree in Foreign Language and zero business background. It turns out, though, that as long as I get some experience under my belt and ace the GMAT, it doesn’t matter what my major is—people with undergraduate degrees in Religious Studies have gone on to get Sports Administration degrees! Instead of feeling unaccomplished, I left the conference with a new sense of direction—either journalism, or administration—and both were within the realm of possibility.
I did learn one thing, however, that’s applicable to everyone. All of the panels gave us the same advice: Create your own experiences. Businesses and colleges want “experienced” applicants, but it’s increasingly difficult to get that experience as a student. Whether it was an internship, recording your own play-by-play commentary in the stands at college events, or starting a blog, making your own opportunities was the most important step to success. I’ve been keeping in contact for a month now with the directors of a professional sporting tournament held in my hometown, and the morning after the conference I picked up the phone and called them with a newfound sense of urgency.