Halfway done with spring quarter of my junior year, I took my seat in SASM 301. Without warning, a classmate of mine asked me if I would like to be the stadium announcer for the Southern Ohio Copperheads. After a split second of hesitation, I answered “absolutely.” Although I had no idea what the job entailed, other than reading each batters name before at-bats. Originally I had signed up to be a part of the general staff for the Copperheads, which is a summer collegiate all-star wooden bat team that plays at Ohio University’s Bob Wren Stadium. Within seconds I went from potential game usher and mascot, to the voice of Bob Wren Stadium.

Being a part of the general staff would have been fun and educational, but being the stadium announcer brought upon much more responsibility, and a lot more behind the scenes experience. Although I assisted in assembly and take down of the stadium, I was also required to run through the promotional scripts that took place during each half-inning of every game. For a die-hard baseball fan, this was the perfect way for me to spend my summer. Being able to sit in the press box with 5-10 other baseball fanatics, talking strategy, sharing experiences, was more fun than I could have imagined.

By doing this summer internship I learned a lot about the sports industry that I never would have considered had I worked in an office all summer. The minor-league atmosphere worked perfectly for this college-town crowd, and was exponentially more laid back and exciting than I could have hoped for.

This summer brought experiences that I will never forget. Working with other sport management students allowed me to network constantly with professors, coaches, team owners, and fans a like. For all of those that have a love of baseball, and are looking for real world experience, look no further than the Southern Ohio Copperheads.

Summer 2010 was one which was uncertain for me until April 29th when I got a call from Jenee Humphrey, Vivid Marketing’s recruiter, who informed me that I had been selected as one of Vivid’s interns. I was excited about the prospect of a new adventure to a new place (sorta). It turns out that my best friend and roommate, Paul O’Connor, lived 25 minutes from my office. Thus I had the perfect summer on deck.

From the moment I walked into Velocity’s office (Vivid, Velocity Sports & Entertainment, Isobar, and SRi merged to form one lifestyle agency and house people from each of the four agencies in each company’s HQ) on June 22nd I knew I had landed something awesome for the summer. My boss, and now friend, Erica meet me at the front door with a friendly “Hi Taylor, it’s nice to meet you. Now take off your tie, relax, and have some fun. You’re overdressed.”

The past seven weeks have been a blur. I can’t believe I only have three left. I have learned so much about experiential marketing and have found how important it is. I have met so many great people. From the highest people in the company to the trainees and interns, I have really been privilaged to work with such awesome people. I don’t want this blog to turn into one where I tell specific stories. I am going to save that for the conclusion when I can add more detail. However, I think this picture below explains everything about how much fun we have working for Vivid Marketing. The picture below was from a Pepsi Team building day where we were kayaking around Sprite Island (see the marketing opportunity here???) in the Long Island Sound. If not for anything else, I definitely made my intern impression this day.

Enjoy the remaining days of your summer everyone! We can’t wait for the Student Involvement Fair on Monday, September 6th and our first meeting on Wednesday, September 8th (my birthday incase anyone wants to get me a present) at 6 PM in Bentley 140. See you all then!

By Taylor Evans, President

Hey everybody, I hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying the job/internship that you may have. I just got back from the legendary campus of Duke University after being at the University of Florida’s basketball camp the week before. Florida was an amazing experience to say the least. I had the opportunity to meet a lot of coaches from all around the country. The main reason why people like myself work basketball camps is to network, and that is exactly what I did. I had the chance to meet Billy Donovan, as well as the entire assistant coaching staff. Working camps like this gets your name out there in the coaching world, so that in a year when I am looking for a job I know that many more people, and that many more coaches know who I am. I had the chance to see Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, although in my opinion it doesn’t match up to Peden. Florida’s facilities are extremely impressive, which is in direct correlation to the success of their programs. So, after a great week of camp at Florida, networking with as many coaches as I could, while coaching my team to a perfect 8-0 to win a championship (cough, cough) it was off to Duke.

For me being a die hard Duke fan this was an experience of a lifetime, and to my surprise Coach K is a real person, not just a person I see on TV more than most NBA teams. This also was a huge networking opportunity for me, as I got to meet Coach Collins and Wojo, as well as numerous different coaches from all over the country. Duke and Florida were two of the best basketball camps that I have ever worked, but Duke simply does everything differently. Everything is a little bit more serious at Duke, and the overall atmosphere just feels different as soon as you walk onto their campus.

Overall, this was a great 10 days for me, as I had the chance to meet some very important people and network with coaches, managers, and players from all over the country. I hope all you guys are enjoying your summer, and I look forward to seeing you in the fall!

By Paul O’Connor, Vice President, Alumni Affairs

Over Winter Break 2008 I had the pleasure of attending an event at Madison Square Garden in which MSG Sports President Scott O’Neil. Mr. O’Neil is a highly respected figure in the sports industry and someone who had invaluable input which I still consider everytime the notecard which lists his “Ten Steps to Success” flashes before my face on my mirror each day. Hopefully those ten steps mean the same to you and you each can benefit from them. They are basic bullet points, but I will elaborate as much as possible based on what Mr. O’Neil told the packed house on that night.

1. Find Your Passion
   - This one is pretty self explanatory. Find what it is that motivates you. You will never be truly successful without being truly happy and motivated.
2. Outwork Everyone
   - This is another one of those points that explains itself. Do not be afraid to go above and beyond. There will always be outside influences which you must look past while you are pursuing growth and climbing toward success.
3. Know Your Business
   - How can one expect to succeed without knowing the area in which they are working? Take the time to know your industry inside and out. Without the expertise there you may never see the growth you desire.
4. Be Curious
   - Do not be afraid to ask questions. Although there are certain questions that should be asked carefully, most people in a company are willing to help one another and answer any good questions.
5. Seek Out Feedback
   - It is hard to improve without input. If you take the time to ask not only your superiors, but also your peers as to what you can do to improve you will be opened to a lot of great input. Feedback is important to help you know what you are doing right or wrong, even if we never want to hear our shortcomings.
6. Find A Mentor
   - Finding a mentor is a great when you need someone to open up to about what you are dealing with at that time. Mentors will often take you under their wing and guide you simply because they have been in your shoes before. Those people are willing and able to help you along in the pursuit of success.
7. Fail Trying
   - No one ever wants to fail, but if you are going to fail make sure it was after a whole hearted effort. Failure is something which people do not want to experience. However, if a worthwhile effort has been exerted then it is much easier to accept knowing you had tried your absolute best.
8. Don’t Settle For Good
   - Settling for anything but perfection is one of the easiest ways of making sure you settle into your current job for a while. The people who see the most growth and upward movement in a career are those who decide to present as perfect of a product as they possibly can. Those who present a good product will distinguish themselves as just good.
9. Manage Your Boss
   - Know what your boss expects of you and what your boss prefers to see out of their employees. Work to their strengths as that is the person with the most knowledge of your work when it comes time for a promotion or recommendation. Your boss is also your biggest ally when all is said and done.
10. CARPE DIEM!
    - The Latin phrase for “seize the day” is the perfect way to describe how one should approach their career. Seize the opportunity which is presented to you each day by your boss and industry. Each and every person has the potential to succeed, it is simply a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities we are presented.

Hopefully this information is able to help you while pursuing your goals and aspirations of a successful career, regardless as to which industry you plan to enter. Each of these steps are great to reflect upon when considering how to continue making forward movement in your lives. Always make sure to enjoy what you are doing and you will be well off because of it.

By Taylor Evans, Ohio University Sport Management Senior

During Memorial Day Weekend the Sports Business Association took a road trip to North Carolina.  We were invited down by Charlotte Motor Speedway to work for them that weekend.  We drove down on Friday night and got settled down into the hotel.  We showed up at the track on Saturday around 9:30 am to find out our events for the day.

On Saturday we worked the Nationwide event.  During the race CMS had us working the general admission seats patrolling for alcohol and smokers.  Just for that race CMS had that area blocked off for families and boy scouts.  So we spent the entire race walking the stands looking for open containers and people smoking for which we politely asked them to leave.  We left the track at 6:30 pm.

On Sunday we showed up around 11:30 am for the Coca Cola 600. We were in charge of getting people on and off the track for Driver Introductions.  When we first arrived CMS had us driving around golf carts and hanging up signs for Driver Introductions.  After we took care of the signs we placed ourselves in position walking the track and answering any questions spectators had.  We walked spectators down to the track for the Driver Introductions and made sure they stayed within the restricted area.  As soon as the Driver Introductions were over we moved everyone off the track and took down the movable fence. During the race the SBA had the pleasure of watching the race from the VIP suite.

~ Written by Andrew Wade, Ohio University Sport Management Senior ~