INTERVIEW

Interview with Liz Coates from Katie Maron

What got you interested in marketing for a sports team? “I was always interested in sports growing up and after taking marketing classes; I decided that this was a great way to mix both of my passions into one job."

What did you do to get your current job? “I got a paid internship my senior year of college with the Rockies and worked my way up. I went through the interview process and received an assistant position in the department and was later promoted in 2004 to my current job.”

What do the hours look like for your position? “ The hours include nights, weekends, and holidays. My department usually sees late hours. If there is a night game we can be here until midnight and if there is a day game the next day we will be here at seven or eight in the morning. Many people in my department work about 70-75 hours a week.”

What do you suggest someone wanting to be in your profession do? “In high school I suggest taking marketing classes and being involved in DECA. Then in your later years of college I highly suggest you get an internship. They are a great way to test the waters to see if this is what you truly want to dedicate your life to. It also gets your foot in the door for a full time position within the company you intern for.”

What do you feel is the most stressful part of the job? 

“The most stressful part is the time crunch, because there are so many games and it is a longer season then most sports, there is little planning time. Another part of the job that is stressful is that there are thousands of fans watching you and if you mess up it makes the newspapers because the sports industry is high profile.”

Would you say it is difficult in your profession as a young woman? “There are small things that limit me because of my gender. I don’t have access to the club house and can’t usually work directly with the boys. This is a mans game but in my department I can do all the jobs that the men can do just as well. I learned to drive the fork lift, I can lift boxes, and do all those type of jobs.”

Interview with Jeannie Krueger on January 16th:

1. What got you interested in marketing for a sports team? ·  “I took a class in college where they offered us an opportunity to apply for an internship with the San Antonio Spurs. I love sports and wanted to see what it was about. I went through an interview process and filled out an application. I got the internship and got $250 a month.”

2. What was your specific job? ·  As an intern, I worked on the Spurs reward program. It was basically the fan appreciation program for the team. ·  After I got hired full time, I became a member of the marketing department. My job title was an accountant executive."

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">3. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Was it hard being a woman in your profession? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Not really. There were many females in my department. Although most sports staffs are mainly male dominated, a lot of the staff are females. It is highly competitive though and you have to be interested in sports to work in this profession.”

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">4. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Were there any disadvantages to working for a professional team? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">. "The hours would be the biggest disadvantage. You work 9-5 on regular work days, but on game days, you work from 9-12."

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">5. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What didn’t you know about your job before you started? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I didn’t know that the best way to get involved in a program is to get an internship."

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">6. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What were the stressful parts of your job? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> " <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">During games was the most stressful. Fans, mainly season ticket holders, would complain and I had to learn how to handle them. I eventually learned that you cannot always please everybody."

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How big of an impact would you say marketing and advertising have on the sports team? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Marketing and advertising with the sports teams are a two way street. If the team is doing well, it helps the marketing team increase awareness of the team. If the marketing team is doing well, it helps people know who the team is. “ <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The biggest challenge with the Spurs is that everyone in San Antonio knows who the team is and are big fans. The marketing in San Antonio is easy, but beyond San Antonio, it is difficult to market to other cities and other states. We don’t just want fans in San Antonio, we also want them around the county and that is a big challenge."

<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">If I would strive to be in this profession, what would you suggest I can do now? <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">· <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #0070cd; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I would suggest volunteering for games. For most teams, they use about 50 volunteers for game nights. This is a great way to meet people and to get your face and name known.”