By Jess Lazo

All college students hear from their teachers and peers nowadays is to network. Well, they are not wrong! On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to attend DePaul University’s Careers in Sports networking event held at Wintrust Arena. Although I went into the event not knowing what to expect, I left feeling satisfied and glad that I attended. Not only did I gain an abundance of knowledge through the different sports organizations and people that were present, but I also gained contacts that will be helpful for me for my future career endeavors within the sports industry.

Because it was my first networking event, I was feeling a little anxious. Even though I was prepared with questions to ask the different representatives, I was worried that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to show them my true self and why I would be a perfect candidate to represent their organization. Clearly, I was overthinking. Every single person I had the chance to interact with made me feel comfortable and free to ask a variety of questions regarding their specific position. By the end of the event, I had a better understanding of the different career routes that interested me.

I began my night speaking to Chicago Bulls Ticket Sales Senior Manager, Anthony Horton. After going into depth about the different responsibilities that are required in the ticket sales industry, I developed a better appreciation of the position. I also got a different outlook on sales from Nick Fetchik, the Manager of Inside Sales at the Chicago White Sox Organization. Through the competitive drive required to succeed in this type of field, to the overall fast paced environment that they are engaged in every day, I was very intrigued by the sales positions that both Mr. Horton and Mr. Fetchik described.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to take a look at what it is like to be a part of the sponsorship/marketing side of sports. Alex Teodosi (BUS ’16), Senior Director of Sponsorships for the Chicago Sky was very helpful in explaining what he does and how he got to where he is today. It was very interesting to hear his take on sponsorship activation at the WNBA team along with the marketing efforts they do to represent their partners and the Chicago Sky to the best of their abilities. I also explored the marketing side of sports through the agency, 4FRONT. Graeme Jones (MBA ’19), Manager of Corporate Partnerships provided me with great insight on the different routes you can take within the 4FRONT organization and how they all work together to succeed with the different projects that are thrown at them. Overall, it was very interesting to get perspectives on both the in-house and agency side of sports marketing.

When I reflect on my experience at the Careers in Sports networking event, the one thing that resonated with me the most is that these people were in our shoes at one point in their lives and are willing to come out and help us reach our career goals as well. And the fact that a lot of the representatives that attended were DePaul Alumni made it even more significant. I am overjoyed with the amount of support we have from the DePaul Sports Business Program, the Career Center, and the DePaul community as a whole.

Originally published on the Go Lazooo blog.

By Robin Florzak

It was an unconventional summer for the Chicago Cubs and for a popular DePaul University business course that explores global branding and the professional baseball team’s marketing strategies.

The Cubs pandemic-shortened season began July 24 with fans watching from home. The course, Chicago Cubs Brand Insights, began the week before with students studying remotely via Zoom. But neither change in format stopped students from getting an insiders’ look at marketing strategies directly from Cubs marketing and sales managers.

Students in the five-week class met virtually with managers in the team’s marketing, fan insights, human resources and partnerships units to learn how the team’s brand has evolved. They also studied what makes global brands – both sports and non-sports – compelling and distinctive through online meetings with brand executives from Geometry Global and 4Front. Then, students formed mock consulting teams and applied what they learned to analyze various global brands. The students presented their insights via Zoom to the Cubs marketing managers, who provided their professional feedback.

Andy Clark, director of sports business programs at the Driehaus College of Business, who teaches the class, says the course provides practical experience that any business graduate can use, whether they work in sports business or not. “The final project is designed to give students a tangible, ‘real world’ business project that will stand out on a résumé and in an interview setting.”

The Cubs marketing team also gained insights from their interactions with the students, says Daniel Green, assistant director of creative & content in the Cubs marketing department. “As we continually strive to enhance our marketing and branding efforts, it’s important that we find opportunities to validate our direction,” he says. “The students, whom themselves represent an important subset of our target audience, were able to do just that. While developing critical research and presentation skills, they provided us with an invaluable set of findings that will allow us to continue down our path with confidence.”

Senior marketing student Jillian Hampston took the course because she’s interested in pursuing a sports marketing career. “This class not only offered the chance to learn from knowledgeable people in the industry, but we got to see how their insights apply first-hand through our consulting project.” she says. “Working directly with the Cubs was extremely valuable to me because it was a great way to get my foot in the door, as many teams cannot offer a hands-on experience like an internship right now. I was also able to gain an understanding of what a career in professional sports would look like, not just from a marketing perspective, but across all departments.

“I think the biggest thing I took away from this project was confidence,” she adds. “My team and I successfully led conversations and pitched our ideas to the Cubs, which is something not every student can say.”

Her classmate, MBA student Jeremy Abramson, says the course provided him with a unique perspective. “Professor Clark does an amazing job of taking his classes and putting you in real business situations,” he says.

“I gained a lot from this experience. I gained knowledge about a first-class sports organization and how they try to stay ahead of the curve. I learned how organizations like the Cubs are trying to get out ahead of just being good on the field and how they try to maintain and grow their fan base for years to come. It was a very rare opportunity to get the chance to work with and present to an organization of the Cubs magnitude, and that will help me build confidence the next time I am in a business pitch or presenting to upper management.”

Hampston and Abramson said they are both big fans of the Cubs, which made the class even more appealing. “For me,” Abramson says, “it was so cool getting the chance to present my brand insights to my childhood favorite team, the Cubs.”

By Geena Fennell

For the Love of Hockey

I was fortunate enough to grow up playing hockey, a sport that I love. I loved it so much that I went on to play in college, where I won a NCAA National Championship in 2011. I was also fortunate enough to play with USA Hockey; I was in their active player pool after college and participated in various camps over my playing career. Because of my love for the sport, I decided I wanted to examine the business side of hockey – from both the players’ and administrations’ perspectives – when I came to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business to pursue my MBA.

Women’s USA Hockey: Then and Now

The women’s USA hockey team took home the gold medal in 2018, the first team to do so since the inaugural Olympics for women’s hockey in 1998. Yet, this win received limited exposure in the media, a fact that unfortunately aligns with the way the team is treated in the sports field as a whole.

The USA Women’s hockey team is not given the same rights as their male counterparts, like financial support during the season and health care benefits to name a few, and a push for progress wasn’t made until a group of players partnered with Ballard Spahr Law Firm in 2015.

I played with the 2018 Captain of USA Hockey, Meghan Duggan, as well as Illinois native and two-time Olympian Kendall Coyne-Schofield. They are not only ambassadors for the game, but are advocates for equal rights for players in USA Hockey. Prior to the partnership with Ballard Spahr Law Firm, Duggan says, “Us as players were never able to stand together as a united front, so it is difficult to make change when not everyone is on the same page.”

But when negotiations to advance women players’ rights began with USA Hockey, they didn’t make any progress. So when the 2017 World Championships were being planned in Plymouth, Michigan, the team used the opportunity to ensure their demands were met by announcing a boycott. They missed the entire pre-camp until their needs were met by USA Hockey.

The move worked. Finally, the two parties negotiated a four-year contract, which included full funding during Olympic and non-Olympic years.

Before the contract, all active players for the national team were being paid the same amount with a monthly stipend in order to train and prepare in between Olympic Games. The contract ensured this included benefits through the US Olympic Committee, better injury and maternity coverage through USA Hockey, and the creation of a women’s advisory committee that meets monthly to discuss improvements consisting of players, representatives from the NHL and USA Hockey. What an accomplishment!

The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association

Another major change in women’s hockey came in 2019 when the USA hockey players, along with a legal team from Ballard Spahr, and various advisors, created the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.

Historically, between Olympic years, national team players participated in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League without compensation. However, in 2015, the formation of the National Women’s Hockey League ensured the athletes were paid to play for the first time.

The league’s long-term structure, however, was not sustainable enough with sponsors or support from the NHL, so the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association formed with their own board, advisor team and support from big names in women’s sports, such as Billie Jean King.

The best players always compete in different tournaments throughout Canada and the US. The goals of the association are to not only grow the game, but to have a professional league ultimately backed by the NHL. As Kendall Coyne Schofield stated during our conversation, “The infrastructure of a successful league has been in place by the NHL for 100 years, they just need to make room for women to be a part of that, and we can’t do it without the league and player’s support.”

Women in Hockey: Behind the Scenes

Women are playing a major role on the administrative side of hockey, too, and some of that is happening right in our backyard within the Chicago Blackhawks organization. Meghan Hunter is one woman making a difference by running senior vice president/general manager’s Stan Bowman’s schedule, and handling so much behind the scenes to make day-to-day operations run smoothly. Her colleague Annie Camins, meanwhile, has put in 11 years building the BlackHawks Fan Development program to grow the game in our community. You may not recognize these names, but these women are growing the game in Illinois.

Both Hunter and Camins believe that now, more than ever, is a great time for women in sports. Hunter explains: “There has been a push in our organization as well as the NHL to expand upon diversity and inclusion, and women are starting to take on more roles than ever before.”

After speaking to these amazing women, I learned how change is happening for women athletes in the fight for equal rights. More women are taking on administrative roles and opening doors for other women to enter. However, there is still a lot of work to be done. The more we can support our fellow women in hockey—by following the team on social media, going to their tournaments and events and getting young girls and women involved in the sport to grow the game—the more we can continue to build on their foundation and improve the opportunities for women hockey players and professionals in the future.

Geena Fennell graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in history. She works full-time as an account manager for a large staffing and recruiting company and is completing her MBA at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, with concentrations in leadership and change management, as well as sports management.

Originally posted on Inside Kellstadt.