How to Become General Manager of a Major League Baseball Team

by Lewis Howes | August 24th, 2010 | View Comments

I connected with Mark Shapiro two years ago at the Princeton Sports Symposium, and had a great time getting to know more about his professional career in Major League Baseball. He came from humble upbringings, but through his hard work and perseverance, he worked his way up to become the Vice President and General Manager of the Cleveland Indians and was recently promoted to become team president for the club next season. Mark’s journey has been an inspiring one and his zero-to-hero story has something that we can all take away in our own journey to success in the sports world.

In the following video, he explains the steps he took and what got him to where he is today:

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Top 10 Resources for Sports Management Students

by Paul Thompson | May 17th, 2010 | View Comments

You are a Sports Management student. You picked out the best school and you have been studying hard to work toward your graduation day. But when the day comes when you are thrust in the real world, will you have the tools you need to make it in the sports industry? How well do you know the industry? Who do you know in the industry? Who knows you? What type of experience do you have? The following is a list of the top 10 resources that every sports management student should utilize to help answer these important questions and launch a career in sports.

1. Sports Business Journal
Largely considered “the Bible of sports business,” Sports Business Journal is a must read for anyone in the sports industry, and anyone looking to break into the sports industry. The Sports Business Journal covers all areas of sports, from Marketing and Sponsorship to Media, from Labor and Agents to Facilities. Regardless of your area of interest, you’ll have all the latest industry information at your fingertips. While this is not a free resource, Sports Business Journal does offer generous student discounts.

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From the Seat of the Scorekeeper

by Lewis Howes | March 2nd, 2010 | View Comments

sarowen (This is a guest article by Cheryl Robinson)

Shoot, pass it, red zone, see the ball, defense, you have to line your bananas up. After a decade of sports management, aka scorekeeper, I’ve heard practically every phrase in sports terminology used to motivate a team or individual, inspire them to do their best and win. Being anything except number one is grounds for feeling like a loser. I have been honored to have been a part of winning teams with extraordinary seasons; one team even played in the televised Division III NCAA Championship Game for men’s basketball. One of the perks is I am the only girl who gets to travel with a group of guys.

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Baseball’s Diamond in the Rough: The Florida Marlins

by Lewis Howes | January 21st, 2010 | View Comments

(This is a guest article by Stephen Lombardo) SD Dirk

It is unlikely for the Marlins to make news in January. Usually they handle their in-house business around this time of year. Trying to keep guys like Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson are priority number one for this so called small market team. However, this past week, the players union and the Florida Marlins have reached an agreement for this cellar dweller franchise to up their payroll. I guess the one big question can now be asked; did baseball just wake a sleeping giant?

For as far back as we can remember, the Marlins are a draft and trade team built on their pitching and a few scattered all stars in the lineup. Just look at their championship teams. The 1997 team had up and coming stars like Gary Sheffield, Edgar Renteria, Moises Alou and a few others, but they won because of their pitching. With the likes of Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, and Livan Hernandez anchoring their rotation they were obviously good enough to go all the way. The same argument can be made for their 2003 campaign. This team supposedly won by accident. Or did they? Once again they did it with budding stars on the field like Juan Pierre, Derek Lee, Mike Lowell, and Luis Castillo who was there for both titles. Yes they had the leadership of Ivan Rodriguez, but that wasn’t why they won. They won again with a rotation that when healthy went five deep. Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett, Brad Penny, mid-season call up and phenom Dontrelle Willis, and yes Carl Pavano, were the biggest reasons why the 2003 Marlins won the World Series.

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Why Sports Management Students Should Use Social Media

by Lewis Howes | September 16th, 2009 | View Comments

I recently had the pleasure to speak in front of 200 bright sports management students at York College in York, PA. It was almost a little too scary as it brought back some memories from when I was a sports management student in 2005.

It was an honor, to say the least, to have the opportunity to share my experiences within the sports industry. I talked about how companies are seeking out individuals because of their online footprint, and why going about the “traditional” way of finding a job (especially in one of the hardest industries to break into) was just not working that well for people in this economy.

It was inspiring for me to see the enthusiasm most of the students had. Many greeted me before and after my speech to ask detailed questions, and I was able to give some potential step by step blueprints that would give them a better opportunity to landing the sports job of their dreams. It was fun for me to share insights from the things I have personally been through, and I feel honored that Dr. Tim Newman (head of the sports management department at York) invited me to teach his students the “new rules” of marketing and PR in the sports industry.

Take a look at what Dr. Newman has to say about the challenges students face with using social media. I think other institutions should start being less afraid to teach their students social media tactics, and start having more of a forward thinking mindset like Dr. Newman does with his.

What do you think? Should students be diving into social media, or should schools be holding them back out of fear? I am interested in your point of view on this topic. I think the game has changed for students and they should have entire classes on social media marketing… agree or disagree?

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