I hope to gain a master’s degree from the Oregon MBA Sports Marketing program so that I may someday become the President of Marketing for Major League Baseball Properties Inc. and help gain popularity for baseball not only nationally, but also internationally.
Baseball has always been an important part of my life. Not a day goes by during spring through fall that I’m not talking to my father about the latest Yankees’ game. And while all of my friends are playing fantasy football in November, I’m reading Buster Olney’s free agency reports to help me get ready for fantasy baseball’s next season. Baseball is America’s pastime and I believe it should be watched by every sports fan.
Unfortunately, I am a minority with my fandom. Baseball’s viewership numbers are dwindling every year while other sports’ numbers are improving. I believe baseball can make a comeback with fans, but there needs to be a new approach for how the sport is marketed.
I have been in marketing as far back as when I was eleven, selling magazine subscriptions for a school fundraiser. More recently, I’ve telemarketed Omaha Steaks products and I’ve knocked on doors selling supplemental insurance. I have experimented with nearly every medium of marketing and I’m comfortable performing them all, but I know that there's still plenty to learn about marketing that could help me develop new mediums to help baseball.
I am in awe of all that I could learn from the University of Oregon. Whether I’m learning about product/property development during my first year of studies or interning at a successful sports franchise like the Seattle Seahawks during the summer, I will be learning important strategies that I could use to rejuvenate baseball’s popularity.
Many MBA graduates that get hired into baseball's’ executive office positions have a general knowledge of business that they hope can be applied to sports. With the Oregon MBA Sports Marketing program, I will have obtained marketing knowledge specifically taught for sports like baseball. Since the idea of a sports marketing program is still relatively new, I doubt many graduates from Oregon have tried to fix the MLB’s problems. I will.
Short term, after earning my MBA, I see my first position in the marketing department of either a MLB franchise like the San Diego Padres or at one of the MLB’s promotional projects like the Urban Youth Academy. Combining an Oregon education, my experience in various forms of marketing, and my passion for baseball I believe I will have the skills to be successful in either endeavor. With success there, I hope to move up to the MLBP Inc. so that I may be responsible for promoting baseball worldwide.
I’ve noticed there was no mention of any baseball affiliate included in Oregon’s “street smart” experiences. I hope that my admission into the MBA program along with my aspirations for a position in the MLB front office will help expand Oregon’s future internship reach to include important sports staples like the MLB.
