Windy City Sports Extravaganza: A Weeklong Adventure with Chicago’s Finest Teams

Written By: Carly Alvers

Exploring Chicago’s bustling sports culture for a week was more than just a class assignment. It was an excursion that left an unforgettable impression on my academic career. This class didn’t just allow me to visit a wide range of sports teams in Chicago; it also provided essential insights into the sophisticated business strategies that move the sports industry ahead. Over the course of the week, my class and I networked with 70 contacts, visited 11 offices and attended a Chicago Blackhawks game. It is hard to put into words what I experienced because I am still taking it all in. What I do know is that not only did my sports business career just start- it took off flying!

Monday

Our class headed over to the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center to meet with Mike Gordon, the general manager for Northwestern Sports Properties. Mike set the stage for the week and provided us with valuable guidance for our professional life. His main piece of advice that stood out was, “don’t just send me invitation on LinkedIn; send me a message with it.” At the end of the week, I made sure to send everyone we met with a LinkedIn message so I can always stay connected with them.

 

That afternoon, we headed to Guaranteed Rate Field to meet with a panel of directors who discussed their experiences with the Chicago White Sox organization. 

 

Tuesday 

This was the day that I was most excited for. We had the opportunity to meet with Wilson Sporting Goods. We started with a tour of their glamorous office space. Following the tour, we sat down and met with numerous people who work for Wilson. We got to hear their journeys and how they now found Wilson their home.  

 

Shanoli Kumar, a recent college graduate and an engineer at Wilson emphasize “Passion and resiliency.” When Shanoli explained what passion means to her, it made me think about the passion you must have in your job, day in and day out.  

Following Wilson, we had the opportunity to visit the Chicago Bears’ Loop office with a discussion panel. When I walked through those office doors, I felt like I was at home.   

We all received valuable guidance there that will help us as we transition into our professional lives over the following few years. Corporate Partnerships Account Executive Chris Simms said, “I get to go to work.” You can tell that he loves what he does.  

 

Wednesday  

On Wednesday we got to tour and visit one of the coolest offices in Chicago: the offices of Gatorade, with Global Head of Sports Marketing, Jeff Kearney. We were welcomed with open arms; we even got to try some of Gatorade’s new hydrating drink 

As an athlete, I consume a Gatorade product almost every day. I wanted to know who is behind one of the most successful companies in the world and how their business strategies influence people to buy their products.  

Molly Matson, the director of Gatorade partner services said, “There’s not one path for everyone.” This was really reassuring hearing it come from someone who seems like her path to get to Gatorade had no bumps in the road.  

Ultimately, everyone we met had to start somewhere. You may be doing the opposite of what you think you wanted to do. It helped me feel like it’s okay if you do not know what to do.; over time, your day-to-day efforts will set you on a path where you will be successful.

 

Just when I thought this day couldn’t get any better, we headed off tour next destination: Wrigley Field. We were greeted by Vice President of Business Development and Partnership Andy Blackburn, who took us on a tour of the entire stadium. We even walked through the club house where All-American baseball players walk in, day in and day out. We were able to take pictures and see the players’ lockers as well as all the prestigious club levels for these premier spaces including American Airlines 1914 club and Makers Mark Barrel Room. Andy discussed the history of the architectural concepts for those two distinct premier areas.

Following the tour, the class had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with a variety of Cubs managers about their specific areas of work and what they do on a day-to-day basis. Speakers included DePaul alumni across a wide range of fields: Claribel Diaz,  a human resources generalist;  Megh Babikan, an account executive for group sales; Rachael Landgraf, assistant director of communications; and Elizabeth Endy, a senior accountant.  

 

Thursday 

We began the day by visiting Chicago’s leading marketing agency, Paragon Marketing Group, in the West Loop. We got to tour their new offices and learn about their client programs and career journeys of key staff members. The leaders of Paragon gave our class a detailed presentation about Paragon’s history and what they are working on right now, finishing with a Q&A.

One of their clients is UC Health, which is based out of Denver Co. I thought this was interesting; why is UC Health one of their main clients when Paragon is based out of Chicago? The answer to that is connections. Senior Vice President Matt Waitz explained how someone who worked at another company before UC Health recommended Paragon to the company. Making connections with people can lead to bigger and better opportunities. To cap off our visit, students got tips on how to build your resume and cover letter, while also getting encouraged to apply for their road warrior internship position.

Following Paragon Marketing Group, we headed over to the United Center where we met with the Chicago Bulls and their offices. Our class had a great discussion panel with current employees from the Bulls. 

We had a special guest pop by our class on Thursday. The President and CEO if the Chicago Bulls. Michael Reinsdorf, said, “Work for the people, not the logo.” I really liked how he said this because you want to make good connections with the people who you work with. I learned that many of the things that they do with their jobs involved working closely with other departments. For example, marketing could be working with accounting. They all want to have good connections so they can work well with each other.  

 

After getting to experience what it is like to work for the Bulls, we headed downstairs to meet with the Chicago Blackhawks.

After our discussions with Blackhawks staff, we had the opportunity to take a full–on tour and visit premier lounge spaces as well as attend a Blackhawks game vs the Anaheim Ducks that night. We got to explore the new features the United Center has to offer like the brand–new Fan Duel Lounge that allows customers to get their hands on sports betting and full–on bar/food service menu.

 

Getting a surprise visit from the CEO of the Blackhawks was the cherry on top of the night. Hearing his story and how his family has built such a legacy with the Blackhawks was truly inspiring. 

Friday  

Friday was the big finale where we started off the day meeting with the Chicago Sky and DePaul Athletics at Wintrust Arena home of Blue Demon basketball. We first received a tour of the arena from the arena manager David Kennedy. It was fascinating learning about the management side of what goes behind the scenes of putting on basketball games as well as other events like concerts.

Later, we toured the DePaul Athletics facilities at Wintrust, encompassing visits to the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms, the film room and their brand-new weight room and training facilities. We met with Associate Athletics Director for Merchandise and Licensing Lindsay Martin, who talked about the DePaul brand and how the new logo is changing the face of DePaul. She said, “We want DePaul gear to be in every Target across the Chicagoland area.”  

Our time at Wintrust came to an end with a Q&A session with Alex Teodosi, a DePaul alumnus and Vice President of Sponsorship for the Chicago Sky and Vice President of Ticket Sales Anthony Whaley. Alex discussed the importance of spotlighting women’s athletics, the WNBA’s transformational journey, and his crucial role within the organization.

 

Our last stop was rEvolution, an integrated sports marketing agency where we learned how the company is so successful and what makes them different from other sports agencies. rEvolution has partnerships with many worldwide companies such as Chipotle, American Family Insurance, and the Chicago White Sox – and the list goes on. It was interesting to learn all the planning and hard work that goes on to make their clients’ products stand out from other companies’. 

Some great advice partner Larry Mann offered: “The first five years after college, try everything so you know what you don’t want to do.” This was inspiring to hear because I know many people including myself who don’t know what they want to do after college. But by trying everything you will find out what you have a passion for and what you don’t have a passion for. 

We ended the night with a DePaul Sports Business and Alumni Roundtable. We got to experience career perspectives and network with recent DePaul graduates working in the sports business industry including UIC Athletics, DePaul Athletics, the Chicago Wolves, the New York Islanders, the Chicago Bears, and NBC.

 

Finale 

To wrap up this class, we came back Monday and presented our key takeaways from this class as our final group project. It was clear that everyone who took this class took something away from every single organization and company we visited along the way. There were many creative and unique ideas to show what we took away from the class and how it impacted our academic and professional careers. 

The behind-the-scenes tours and discussions provided access to a realm rarely seen by the typical spectator. Walking around renowned stadiums, meeting experienced sports executives, and witnessing the planning that goes into each game day made an incredible impact on me.  

It wasn’t only about the athletes playing the sports: it was also about the difficult planning, sponsorships, and marketing efforts that boost the sports industry to unparalleled heights. What I gained from this experience will last a lifetime. 

 

Carly Alvers is a junior softball student-athlete majoring in Sports Business