Written by Stephanie Briggs
This December, 27 DePaul students had the opportunity to take Andy Clark’s Behind the Scenes with Chicago Sports Organizations class. Over the course of just 5 days, we visited some of Chicago’s most iconic front offices, agencies, and consumer brands working in the sports industry. We were able to learn from the best of the best and hear from professionals in sports marketing, fan engagement, operations and more — and now I’m lucky enough to share a recap of our week!
Day 1 began with a discussion and lecture from Kevin Willer, Founder and CEO of Chicago Ventures and board member on the Chicago Fire Foundation. Kevin shared some of the parallels between sports and tech investments: high stakes and intensity. We also spent time talking about the importance of community engagement and listening to your supporters as you grow your organization.
That afternoon we hopped on a bus to the Chicago Bears’ Halas Hall in Lake Forest. There, we were treated to three incredible sessions, focusing on Sponsorship Marketing, the Bears Associate Program, and Corporate Communications.
The Sponsorship Marketing panel featured professionals from all over the corporate partnerships world and highlighted DePaul’s own partnership with the Bears. Our speakers discussed the intricacy of the sponsorship process and the need for authentic relationships.
The Bears Associate Program panel was made up of 6 associates currently in the year-long entry-level program. They came from all corners of the organization and spoke on their experience with the culture at the Bears organization. The associates were all recent graduates, which made for great advice and a look at where we can aim as graduation approaches.
Following the panels, we were treated to a spotlight on corporate communications featuring Micaeh Johnson and Miguel Lemus. Their key message was that integrity is the most important trait you can have.
On Day 2 our class visited the Chicago Cubs front office to hear from professionals (including 3 DePaul alumni!) and tour the office.
We heard from Megh Babikian (MBA ‘20), Manager of Ticket Sales and Emma Bortnick (BUS ‘25), a Ticket Sales Representative. Tickets are the revenue driver for any sports business, and the Cubs are committed to excellence: they explained how sales and service teams work together to deliver an above-and-beyond experience.
Our panelists also included Ethan Brock (FIN ‘26), who walked us through what it’s like to manage multi-million dollar budgets, and Ben Kullavanijaya, who dug into baseball operations. Ben reiterated what we’d heard in our introduction — values are key to this organization, from associates to executives to the players on the field.
My highlight of the day was hearing from Robert Montgomery, Manager of Special Events (my former manager!) and Peyton Johnson, Sales Coordinator for Wrigley Field Events. We discussed the logistics of planning and executing concerts, baseball (and football) games, and hundreds of private events throughout the year.
That afternoon we headed to Gatorade’s offices, where we heard from Jeff Kearney, Head of Sports Marketing, and a few of his incredible colleagues.
They explained the science behind Gatorade and how innovation and athlete needs continue to drive product research and development before walking us through athlete adoption and Gatorade’s Player of the Year Program. Tommy Adams runs point on this, and his advice to us was to always ask: “How do I wake up tomorrow better than I was today?”
Both organizations prioritize collaboration and trust. Though their products are very different, in each environment, there’s no such thing as a solo project or idea. It takes a lot of people to create excellent work!
Day 3 was action-packed, with visits to McDonalds’ corporate headquarters, the Bulls and Blackhawks front offices, and a group outing to the Bulls game that night!
At McDonalds, we learned about the history of the brand and how they manage the franchise business model before sitting down with a panel of women who work on their various sports marketing projects. They talked us through the Angel Reese meal campaign and collaboration process, the McDonalds All American Game, and some of their plans for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
After grabbing lunch at McDonalds (when in Rome!), we headed over to the United Center. Our class met with the Bulls first and were treated to another alumni-packed visit. We heard from a panel of professionals in various departments including ticket sales, partnerships, marketing, and communications. They emphasized the need for collaboration and trust, always.
We stayed at the UC to hear from professionals in the Blackhawks front office. This group emphasized the importance of authentic connections and gave us advice on how to break through in a competitive job market. Our speakers included long-time DePaul collaborator Kevin LeClair, who mentors students in our programs’ Sports Sales class, and DePaul alum Emily Casati (MKT ’24).
That night we were able to attend the Bulls/Nets game after taking a tour of the arena. Despite a close loss, our class had a lot of fun and got to catch up with two course alumni who now work for the Bulls — Lauren Stribley (MKT ‘25) and Farren Lesko (MKT ‘25)!
Day 4 marked our first venture into agency life! We spent the morning with Matt Weitz, Michael Miller, and Paul Harvey at Paragon Marketing Group and Playfly Sports. They explained how agencies work with and manage relationships between brand clients, teams, and occasionally other agencies. Again, we were told that no matter where you or what you’re doing, you always get out what you put in.
We spent the rest of our day at the Chicago Stars FC front office. This team welcomed us with an in-depth brand introduction from their Chief of Staff and Director of Community, who each dove into the team’s recent rebrand, their new stadium, and what that means for the club.
The Stars are committed to investing in their team — on the field, in the office, and in the community. Everyone we got the chance to hear from was excited about the upcoming season, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here! Before we left, our class was joined by Chicago Stars president, Karen Leetzow, who took questions from our group and shared her career journey with us.
Our last day didn’t slow down a bit! We kicked it off with a visit to rEvolution, where our panelists broke down the agency’s internal structure, values, and how they manage all the services they’re able to offer. Everything there starts and ends with brand objectives.
Their team split us up and led us through a brainstorming activity that allowed us to act as account executives for a half hour. We came up with some great ideas for new partnerships (Amtrak x CFB Playoffs was my personal favorite) and got to understand how ideas and strategies are evaluated.
We wrapped everything up back at DePaul’s loop campus. Mike Gordon, former president of the Chicago Wolves and current Manager with Learfield Sports Properties, engaged our class in a thoughtful discussion about connection, drive, and how to find and seek out what you want. We were able to apply his advice immediately at our last-day celebration, where we were joined by DePaul alums, several of our speakers from the week, and professionals from DePaul Athletics.
This course is an incredible opportunity, but, as I emphasized throughout this recap, you’re only able to get out what you put in. This point was reiterated by almost every speaker in one way or another, including from Professor Clark. Getting to go behind the scenes of the sports industry is an incredible privilege, especially here in Chicago, but this class teaches you more than how these organizations run or what different jobs look like. It teaches you the importance of being authentically yourself and taking that extra step(s) to get yourself further.
I’m so grateful to Professor Clark and to all the organizations who welcomed us. This week was an incredible opportunity, and I’m walking away with new friends, ideas, and connections that will last for a very long time.