By Rachel Bradshaw and Erin Henze

When we signed up to be part of DePaul’s ninth annual Behind the Scenes with Chicago Sports Organizations Class (BTSWCSO) led by Andy Clark, director of the Sports Business program, we knew it would be an exciting course that introduced us to the world of Chicago sports. We were right. This week-long intersession course was all of that and so much more. In just six days, we networked with 64 contacts in the sports industry, visited 15 different organizations, stepped foot inside 10 venues/offices and attended an NHL game.

Monday

On Monday morning, we found ourselves at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. There, we were introduced to the course and each other before hearing from Publisher Chris Hartweg from Team Marketing Report.

Chris set the stage for what our week was going to look like and gave us excellent advice for our professional lives. His main piece of advice was to “get as much writing experience as you can” because it’s likely that any job will require you to write in some form. We also learned about the Fan Cost Index (FCI) that Team Marketing Report uses to help teams understand the average ticket prices of four adults going to a game.

From there, we traveled to Guaranteed Rate Field and met with a panel of directors who talked about their careers within the Chicago White Sox organization including, Director of Ticket Sales and Retention Rich Kuchar, Senior Director of Corporate Partnership Sales Development George McDoniel, Vice President of Community Relations/Executive Director of Chicago White Sox Charities Christine O’Reilly-Riordan, Senior Director of Broadcasting Cris Quintana, Vice President of Finance Bill Waters, and Vice President of Sales and Service Jim Willits.

Most of the panelists have been a part of the White Sox for at least more than 10 years, which shows the culture and relationships that exist within the franchise. Following the panel, Client Services Manager Maryssa Cladis took us onto the field for pictures and a taste of the gameday experience.

Tuesday

On Tuesday morning, we arrived at rEvolution, an integrated sports marketing agency, to learn about the inner workings of the company and what makes them unique. We met with Partner Larry Mann, Senior Director of Marketing Communications Mike Hormuth and Director of Hospitality Jennifer Andrus. We also heard from Client Services Associate Theodore Gwyn, Client Services Manager and DePaul alum Celine Soto, Supervisor of Client Services Michael Begel, and Senior Supervisor of Client Services Celsea Herzog. They are involved with a variety of brands and come up with creative ways to promote their clients’ goals. Jennifer talked about how her team helps create “bucket list experiences” as a way of making everyone’s time with rEvolution memorable. It was intriguing to learn about everything that goes into not only creating and planning events, but also producing content to make products look good from a different standpoint.

In the afternoon, we traveled to Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs offices. We started off the afternoon speaking to the Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Colin Faulkner, who talked to us about his career journey. One piece of advice he shared was “do a good job at the job that you have because you never know where you will go from there.”

From there, Colin took us down to the 30,000 square foot Clubhouse where we were able to take pictures and check out where the players go before and after games. Then, we headed to the American Airlines 1914 Club and the Maker’s Mark Barrel Room where Colin talked about the background of the design concepts for those two specific premier spaces. The last stop on the tour was the field, which was set up for the Winter Wonderland.

After the tour, the class got a one-on-one opportunity to sit down and speak with a range of Cubs managers about work/life balance and their careers including DePaul alumni and Account Executive of Premier Sales Diego Chahda, Talent Acquisition and HR Operations Coordinator Claribel Diaz, Ticket Sales Representative Megh Babikian, Executive Assistant Mary Rossi, Director of Hospitality and Retail Brad Johnson and Manager of Ticket Sales Aaron Klein.

Wednesday

Wednesday was a loaded day filled with a ton of insights from three different organizations, starting with Wilson Sporting Goods. When we first arrived, the class received a detailed tour of the beautiful office space. Following the tour, we sat down for some lunch with Global Supply Planning Manager Oliva Vargas, Social Media Strategy Manager Jonathan Lau, Global Marketing and Partnerships Senior Director of Team Sports Amanda Lamb, Digital Marketing Director Aviva Jorstad and Global Commercial Senior Director of Baseball/Softball Michael Markovich. They all spoke about their lives and how they ended up at Wilson. Jonathan Lau discussed the importance of developing trust and a good relationship with consumers, saying “It’s not what we say our brand is – it’s what our community says our brand is.”

It was also interesting to see firsthand how Wilson conducts business. In an adjacent conference room, there were executives from Dick’s Sporting Goods meeting about buying Wilson products.

Following this, we ventured off to the Bulls’ corporate offices to start the afternoon speaking to a wide range of Chicago Bulls managers including Community Relations Senior Coordinator Josh Clark, Community Relations Coordinator Kola Adebola, Integrated Marketing Coordinator Haley Zahn, Digital Partnership Coordinator Ivan Hudson, Manager of Corporate Communications Denae Wilkins, HR Coordinator Mary Clare Crue, Senior Manager of Season Ticket Sales Zayna Ibrahim, Business Analyst David Hu, and Manager of Digital Content Nikko Tan.

Everyone gave great advice, but one in particular was Denae, who told us, “Don’t let not knowing about the sport stop you from applying or interviewing.” Denae’s insight highlights the idea that when applying for a job, your expertise in a certain discipline is more important than a deep knowledge of the sport.

Nikko shared his journey from just overseeing social media to now being one of the team’s photographers. He talked about how during the pandemic, he wanted to try something new, so he tried photographing his high school’s football team as practice. With a ton of practice, he kept improving and told us, “you can gain experience in different areas.”

Next up, we went down to the Blackhawks’ corporate offices to speak with Manager of Development Marisela Rodriguez, Manager of Analytics Elena Kelsh, Corporate Partnership Account Specialist Shilpa Rupani, Marketing Coordinator Sarah Ortman, and DePaul Alum and Account Executive of New Business Erik Lagunas. There, they each separately took time to speak with us about what they do before, during and after gamedays. Erik gave great advice about what it is like when working in sports saying, “sports is a lot of time, but if you’re passionate about it, then it’ll be okay. It’s rewarding.” It just goes to show that sports can be an exhausting industry to work in, but the payout makes it all worth it.

Following, we met with Manager of Premium Membership, Kevin LeClair, who gave us a tour of the United Center’s new features. This included checking out the ice, the CIBC seats lounge, and the new FanDuel Sportsbook (which was newly opened back in October).

After the tour, we were treated to a pizza dinner and got a surprise visit from the Blackhawks In-Game Content Host Genna Rose, who talked about her journey from broadcasting to being a part of the organization. As a recent college graduate, it was intriguing to hear what she has accomplished and her journey to the position that she has now.

To conclude this eventful day, we were able to attend the Chicago Blackhawks vs Edmonton Oilers game as guests of the Blackhawks in great seats. There, we got closer as a class while enjoying the game after absorbing all the information we had gotten throughout the day.

Thursday

Thursday morning featured a trip to the Chicago Bears’ loop offices for a panel discussion with a variety of the team’s managers, including Manager of Employee Experience Kristin Rogers, DePaul Alum and Partnership Activation Specialist Rachel Chessky, Partnership Activation Assistant Victoria O’Connor, Corporate Communications Assistant Miguel Lemus, Manager of Brand Creative Matt Dunlap and Marketing Project Manager Joann Kowalski. There, we all received important pieces of advice that will serve us well as we transition into our professional lives over the next couple of years.

Rachel, who was in this same class, told us that “no job is too small” when trying to break into the sports industry. Rachel completed an internship with the Bears after graduating, which eventually helped her secure a full-time job with the football team. Victoria also urged the class to believe in themselves, saying “don’t tell yourself ‘no’ before anyone else does.” We also learned a great deal about leadership and what it means to manage people within a business. Joann highlighted the importance of finding what works for different projects as well as what leadership and working styles work for different people.

After our visit with the Bears, the class headed over to Paragon Marketing Group’s new offices in the West Loop. We met with Senior Vice President Matt Waitz, Senior Account Supervisor Michael Miller, Senior Account Coordinator Talia Petrosino, and Account Supervisors Jim Perry and Michael Socks. They gave the class a presentation highlighting Paragon’s history, what the company is currently working on, and some of the projects they’re looking forward to in the future.

Paragon’s slogan is, “We ignite remarkable journeys,” a concept that is evident in the way they conduct business and collaborate with brands.

One of the most interesting aspects of Paragon’s history as a marketing agency is their involvement with LeBron James and the televised broadcast of his high school basketball game against Oak Hill. Now, Paragon is fully immersed in the world of highlighting high school talent in a wide variety of sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball.

After the presentation, students received tips on building a solid resume and were encouraged to apply for Paragon’s “Road Warrior” summer student internship position. We concluded our time at Paragon with a tour of their brand-new offices, located right across from Union Station.

Friday

Friday was a day packed full of school pride! We started the day at Wintrust Arena, where we received a tour of the facilities from arena manager David Kennedy, as well as some additional insight into what goes on behind-the-scenes for games and concerts.

After that, we visited the DePaul Athletics facilities located at Wintrust, including the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms, the film room, several conference rooms, and a state-of-the-art weight room. We talked with Executive Associate Athletic Director Taylor Stapleton about DePaul’s role at Wintrust, and everything that has to happen before and after a game there to make it a success.

We concluded our time at Wintrust with a Q&A discussion with DePaul Alum and Chicago Sky VP of Sponsorship Alex Teodosi, who is also a former student of this class. Alex talked to us about the importance of prioritizing women’s athletics and how the WNBA is evolving, as well as his role within the organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Later, the class headed back to the Coleman Center in the Loop campus, where we met with DePaul alum Mike Gordon, who is the General Manager of Northwestern Sports Properties. The whole class really enjoyed Mike’s engaging presentation about succeeding in the sports world, setting yourself apart from your competition when applying for jobs, and building a strong resume that compliments your skills and experiences. One of our favorite insights from Mike was his explanation of why the sports industry is different and how it brings people together. He told us, “for three hours, we are uniting people under one common cause,” which allows people to set aside their differences and come together to cheer for their team.

To conclude the day, the class was able to sit down with a team of DePaul alums led by Mike, Alex Teodosi, Partnership Strategy Coordinator for the Chicago Fire Olivia Solimene (who took this class just last year), Marketing Manager at Life Fitness Jen Enright, and DePaul Athletics, Account Executive, Tamas Zador.

One of the coolest things about the class was getting to hear about the career paths of former DePaul students and the mark they’ve made on the sports industry thus far. Professor Andy Clark reiterated this idea, saying, “A cool part of doing this class for several years now is that we are meeting with DePaul alums who were in this same course and now work at these organizations, including the Bears, Cubs, Blackhawks, Fire, Sky and Wilson.”

From our roundtable discussions, we learned how to use our connections with our classmates and professors at DePaul and how to leverage our experiences and knowledge when trying to break into the sports industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To wrap up this incredible week of networking and learning, the class met for one final session and gave group presentations. The presentations highlighted what we all learned from the week, what impacted us the most, and what lessons we will take from the class.

Each presentation was unique and creative, and every student showcased their passion for sports and gratitude for everything they gained from this class in the way they spoke.

At the end of the day, this course brought all of us together and allowed us to create memorable connections and experiences that won’t soon be forgotten.

From classmates to executives, we met so many amazing people this week. Their knowledge is something we will carry with us wherever we go in our careers, and we hope to one day share our own experiences as well as the incredible advice and knowledge we got from everyone here with students just like us.

To view more photos from the experience, check out this DePaul Newsline feature.

Rachel Bradshaw is a Junior studying Sports Business at DePaul.

Erin Henze is a Junior studying Journalism & Sports Communication at DePaul.

By Erin Henze

It’s not often that students have the opportunity to step inside the corporate offices of their favorite NBA team- much less give a presentation to the organization’s executives.

But, on November 2nd, Andy Clark’s Introduction to Sports Management class was able to do just that.

Several weeks previously, students in the class were put into teams and tasked with creating an innovative presentation to give a the Bulls Offices.

The focus of the presentations? Brainstorming and fleshing out creative ways for the Chicago Bulls to increase interest and boost community engagement in the Bulls vs. Pistons game taking place in Paris on Jan. 19 of next year.

Because the game is taking place on a different continent and in the middle of the afternoon due to time zones, the Bulls organization is looking for ways to get the Chicago community excited about watching the game and supporting the team. The franchise is also looking to take advantage of the Bulls’ international popularity and notoriety to expand its brand and fan base globally.

Over the course of three weeks, each group met outside of class to come up with ideas and design methods intended to meet these goals. Two Bulls executives, the VP of Community Engagement, Adrienne Scherenzel-Curry, and the Director of Community Relations, Erica Bauer, were available resources for students from the beginning of the process. They visited our class in-person and via zoom several times to answer questions and give feedback on potential ideas.

Erica and Adrienne were very receptive of the ideas presented and appreciative of the creative work that went into the projects.

“Some of these things I never even thought about doing,” Bauer said after the presentations were given inside a Bulls conference room. “You guys did a great job of brainstorming new and realistic ideas.”

Some of the most popular concepts among the group included hosting a United Center Watch Party during the live airing of the game overseas, complete with a French food buffet, games and giveaways, alumni interaction, and much more. Another group suggested that the Bulls host a G-League game at the United Center on the morning of the Paris game, to both give the G-league Bulls team exposure and get the community excited about coming to the United Center.

There were also various intriguing ideas shared in terms of activating the Bulls brand in Paris, including a Parisian street art showcase, a day with former Bulls player Joakim Noah, and frequent social media updates with behind-the-scenes insight into player activities while in Paris.

Additionally, a lot of emphasis on promoting the Paris game was put on the fashion side of things. Parisian culture has a rich history of unique fashion, and the week the Bulls will be in Paris is also Men’s Fashion Week. So, students were eager to brainstorm ideas that could combine popular Paris fashion with American sports. Some ideas thrown around included collaborating with Off-White to design a jacket for the players to wear to the arena, creating a custom designer jersey for Bulls players to wear during the game, and utilizing Bulls’ Creative Strategy and Design Advisor Don C to bring back vintage designs that highlight Bulls history as well as current fashion trends.

A lot of the ideas included donating proceeds to Bulls’ charity partners, much to the delight of Adrienne and Erica as they work with the Bulls Charities organizations frequently. “I love how you guys are thinking about and trying to incorporate our charities into your ideas,” Adrienne told the class. “That’s our thing, so we’re always excited about that.”

The Director of Brand & Fan Development, Cesar Vizcarrondo, also stopped by to listen into the presentations and share his thoughts. “This is what we look for,” Vizcarrondo said. “New, fresh, and creative ideas from your generation that we may not come up with ourselves.”

After the presentations, students were invited to eat lunch with the other employees and receive an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the offices.

Later that evening, students were able to attend the Bulls home game against the Charlotte Hornets courtesy of the Bulls organization and witness a Chicago victory.

As a whole, the experience was an amazing one that gave students insight into one of the most popular and successful sports franchises in the entire world. It allowed students to make connections, develop their interests and experiences in the sports world, and improve their confidence, teamwork and presentation skills all at the same time.

Erin Henze is a third-year Sports Communication & Journalism student at DePaul University.

By Erin Henze

Most people watching or attending a football game don’t fully understand one of the most important and complex positions on the field: the referee.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, students in Andy Clark’s Introduction to Sports Management class and Bruce Leech’s Intro to Entrepreneurship course had the opportunity to hear from longtime NFL umpire Tony Michalek about his journey from high school officiating to refereeing the Super Bowl. 

“When you put the stripes on you know you’re gonna be catching grief,” Michalek said when asked by a student how he keeps his composure during games. “It can be really hard but it’s what you have to do.” 

Michalek began the class by giving students some background information on his life- he attended Indiana University after high school where he played football. After graduating, Tony worked as a floor trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange- a position he would hold for over 20 years. During that time, he began to officiate various sporting events on weekends and evenings, including high school football games. Eventually, Michalek entered the world of collegiate refereeing where he was able to make a name for himself and work his way up to the NFL.

“You’d be surprised at how small the sports world is,” Michalek told the class. “Everybody’s connected, so once you’re in it may not be long before you’re making your way to the top.” 

Tony also impressed upon the class the benefits of refereeing, especially once you get to high levels. In 2019, the average NFL referee salary was set at just over $200,000- a job that only requires three to four days of work each week. If we’re looking at this from a business perspective, refereeing is a great use of your time that has a high payout and a high reward, even if you’re just officiating a middle or high school basketball game. The job also has another obvious perk- you get to be on the field for some of the best games in sports history. 

Michalek was the umpire for the 2008 Super Bowl that pitted the New York Giants against the New England Patriots. To this day, the game is considered one of the greatest upsets in the history of professional sports as the Giants took down the undefeated Patriots by a score of 17-14. Not only did Michalek get to be on the field for that historic game, he also got his very own championship ring. 

“You’d think it’s just the players who get one of these, but no, referees get one too,” Michalek told the class as he showed off the shiny ring on his finger. 

In addition to the hearty paycheck and athletic glory comes the lasting relationships a referee can make with players and coaches. Because he officiates such high-pressure games, Michalek tries to keep the atmosphere light and humorous. He told the class a story about how, during a Bears game he officiated, he asked the linemen in between plays to not embarrass him because his mom, wife, and daughters were all in the stands watching him ref. 

“You have to try and have fun with it and use humor to keep your composure,” Michalek explained to the class. “I’ve never had a brawl in one of my games because we never get that buildup of tension.” 

Michalek also explained how referring at any level helps to build character skills such as conflict resolution, communication, teamwork, and networking. 

“When you get into something like this, the people around you remember you and they want to work with you,” Michalek said. “Once they see that you commit to doing something like officiating they respect you and you become a part of the community.”

Networking also plays a huge role in working your way to the top of the refereeing chain, a fact that we can translate into the everyday world of business. No matter the occupation you choose, getting to know people, making connections, and showcasing yourself as a hardworking and dedicated individual to those around you will pay off in the end. 

Whether you’re officiating a middle school soccer game or an NBA championship, the principle of refereeing remains the same: keep your composure and the personal payout will be worth it. 

“You have to train yourself to keep composure,” Michalek told the class. “Remember that it’s not personal- it’s just because you’re wearing the stripes.”

After nearly 21 years in the NFL, Michalek is just as passionate about what he does as he was when he first started all those years ago. And with the sports world experiencing a massive referee shortage, it needs people like Tony Michalek to instill a passion for the occupation into young people around the world. 

Photo Credits: Kathy Hillegonds

By Alyssa Gillespie

From July 26^th to August 18^th, I was a part of a group of 9 DePaul undergrads and 6 DePaul graduate students who were assigned a consulting project for a special client, The Chicago Cubs. We were tasked with looking at the new Grab & Go concessions at Wrigley Field through both our own observations and data provided to us by the Cubs and making improvement recommendations based on those.

We started off our class at the DePaul Center in the Loop with Professor Clark, meeting on Zoom with three members of the Cubs Organization: Brad Johnson, Director of Hospitality and Retail, Brad Nagel, Director of Talent, and Vanessa Ward, former Project Manager.  They gave us an overview of the Cubs as a business organization as well as a brief introduction as to what they were looking for from us in this project. We learned about how the Cubs are aiming for a “frictionless experience” from before a guest even arrives at the ballpark until the moment they arrive back home. That was going to be the goal moving forward with our projects, helping to make the Grab & Go concessions a frictionless experience.

We also met with Maria Sapienza, Assistant Director of Analysis and Planning Operations, over Zoom. Maria and Brad Johnson were our main points of contact during this project and who we would be presenting to at the end.

The next week we got to actually go to Wrigley Field, and before getting the official tour we learned more in-depth about what the Cubs were looking for from us, as well as a set of goals for the next couple steps in our process. First, we were going to be given data from post-game and in-game surveys completed by guests during this season. Our class had a dedicated three-person team to comb through all the data and pick out what they found was important from it.  Next, we would each be attending a Cubs game over the weekend’s home stand and acting as secret shoppers. This gave us the opportunity to experience the Grab & Go concessions firsthand, along with all other aspects of the fan experience. Finally, we would be attending one more game as a class where we would be surveying the various Grab & Go stands in the park to collect more data.

After that, we were into the home stretch with only a week left until presentations. Each of the three groups met with Brad and Maria to explain some of their initial ideas to see if they were both on the right track and within the realm of possibility for the organization to commit to.

Before we knew it, it was Thursday the 18^th which meant it was presentation day. The class met at the Cubs’ Offices for the final time ready with our ideas and slideshows. The three groups got up and presented recommendations ranging from reconfiguring the set-up of the line and actual concession stand, to different types of signage, and lights similar to those you see at grocery store self-checkouts that indicate a machine is open for the next guest. We made these recommendations based on what we were able to glean from the data and our own observations we had being at the park.

Overall, this was an invaluable experience for myself and my classmates getting an inside look into the business operations of a professional team, as well as being challenged to give a consultation and recommendation on an area none of us were experts in and in a relatively short period of time. Not only that, but we got to connect and network with members of the Cubs organization, as well as our classmates who will end up in a wide variety of organizations and industries in the future.

Photo Credits: Kathy Hillegonds