Dreaming of working for the white sox

[hi8is]

Hey gang...

 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about working for the white sox in their front office.

Do any of you have any suggestions as to how I could approch this?

 

Any idea how one gets hired in such a capacity?

 

My background is in marketing communications, Internet development, management, and customer service.

[The Beast]

Hey gang...

 

Lately I've been thinking a lot about working for the white sox in their front office.

Do any of you have any suggestions as to how I could approch this?

 

Any idea how one gets hired in such a capacity?

 

My background is in marketing communications, Internet development, management, and customer service.

 

I also have a desire to work in sports, primarily with the White Sox or Bears. I'm still trying to discover where exactly I fit, but I know that it is nigh impossible to get a job at the Chicago Tribune (newspaper publishers are laying off like crazy) and I really didn't enjoy reporting when I was working for a paper, so it wasn't a good fit. Being in my school's sports information department, I've been able to do some writing on my own schedule to gain some work experience, while getting an education in Business. I've heard that it is actually easier to go to the ICB and try and get an internship with a sports radio station to get experience than go to college for broadcasting, but I could be wrong. That's the route that Abbatacola and McCaffrey took after college at their institutions (Moody Bible and Missouri), and it has worked out for them.

 

If you don't want to get into programming and are going through this without getting further education, I can only tell you other people's backgrounds. Apparently Scott Reifert obtained a journalism degree at Iowa before getting his Master's in sports management at WIU, and waited three years before he got the job with the White Sox. Boyer went to Notre Dame and I believe worked in sales for the Bulls for several years before going through DePaul's MBA (Sports Management) program to work for the Sox.

 

Maybe it all depends on what kind of position you want, but I know that if I want to work for the Sox, I'm going to probably have to get internships under my belt, whether it be with 670 the Score, AM-1000 or a minor league organization, along with getting a Master's degree in sports management from NIU, where you need an internship to graduate. In tough economic times where the large market media isn't hiring and jobs are competitive, it might take a miracle to get hired. Some of the people I've spoken to were there at the right place at the right time and got hired, but with work experience and the right connections, you could get lucky.

[BigSqwert]

I would not suggest going to a game and asking one of the ushers for a job application.

[SnB]

Most sports careers start with selling season tickets....

Edited August 3, 2010 by SnB

[The Beast]

Most sports careers start with selling season tickets....

Which is what Boyer told me when I spoke to him in regards to working for the Sox. It's too bad that I probably wouldn't last long in sales, I like people but I'm not that extroverted of a person.

[Chisoxfn]

I'm pretty sure damn near everyone starts in sales.

[Soxbadger]

Im thinking about filing frivolous lawsuits until they hire me.

 

I mean who doesnt want to hire the guy that sued the Sox for starting Mark Kotsay to much?

 

In fact I think I could make a good case for a temporary restraining order against playing Kotsay.

[BigSqwert]

Im thinking about filing frivolous lawsuits until they hire me.

 

I mean who doesnt want to hire the guy that sued the Sox for starting Mark Kotsay to much?

 

In fact I think I could make a good case for a temporary restraining order against playing Kotsay.

I may have to nominate you as one of the board members for the Impeach Kotsay movement.

[Sox72]

where do you find any of the front offices email addresses???? they gotta be out there somewhere, right? i want to work in their legal department!

[jasonxctf]

I'm pretty sure damn near everyone starts in sales.

 

I had a friend who did this with the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

Try selling season tickets for them, back in 2005-06.

[The Beast]

I had a friend who did this with the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

Try selling season tickets for them, back in 2005-06.

Did he ever advance at all? What does he do now?

[The Critic]

Did he ever advance at all? What does he do now?

He sells ice cubes to eskimos.

[southsider2k5]

He sells ice cubes to eskimos.

 

He now sells pitching advice to Randy Williams

[Felix]

I'm pretty sure damn near everyone starts in sales.

There are plenty of other ways to get into the business, it's just that sales is the easiest way since there's so much turnover on the staffs. I'm trying to get into sports as well, but I'm not going the sales path. You certainly need to have connections and go through the b**** work for a few years, but it's not that uncommon. I did unpaid internships for three teams (essentially 2 years worth) before finally recently getting a full-time paid internship with a team for the upcoming season.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Felix

[KipWellsFan]

Do the opposite.

 

[bigruss]

I would love too, maybe some day after working up the chain at another place they may have a business area need open.

[BearSox]

If Mark Kotsay can get a job with the White Sox... anyone can!

[Heads22]

 

 

Know People

 

Know People

 

Know People

Know People

Know People

Know PeopleKnow PeopleKnow PeopleKnow PeopleKnow PeopleKnow PeopleKnow PeopleKnow People

[DrunkBomber]

Step 1- Get grindy

[maggsmaggs]

Well for a more serious answer, it depends on the role you would like to play.

Marketing (like Brooks): Undergrad in marketing (helps but not necessary), MBA and then be willing to start low and work up

Communications (like Reifert): Undergrad in English, Journalism or communications + working for school in sports + getting very lucky to get one of few media relations positions + be willing to make very little for some time

Baseball Ops (Hahn/KW): Be a former college/minor league player or go to undergrad (doesn't matter where of what b/c you have to go to grad school) + MBA (top ten school) and/or law degree (top ten school) + pay your dues + get lucky.

Community Relations: Be an attractive woman (sorry, it's the truth here)

 

Of course there are other places in the front office but I don't know much about them.

Edited August 5, 2010 by maggsmaggs

[Steve9347]

Starting with an internship always helps...

[The Beast]

There are plenty of other ways to get into the business, it's just that sales is the easiest way since there's so much turnover on the staffs. I'm trying to get into sports as well, but I'm not going the sales path. You certainly need to have connections and go through the b**** work for a few years, but it's not that uncommon. I did unpaid internships for three teams (essentially 2 years worth) before finally recently getting a full-time paid internship with a team for the upcoming season.

What's your path, educational background, internships and what are you trying to do?

 

Communications (like Reifert): Undergrad in English, Journalism or communications + working for school in sports + getting very lucky to get one of few media relations positions + be willing to make very little for some time

It's so tough because I think more people fit in the communications category than any other, there's not a lot of people who are business savvy or law school bound. I'm taking a different path by doing business and sports communications but if I was to do anything it would have to be a communications position. And if I'm not lucky enough to get somewhere in the media relations department, then at least I have business skills to go corporate. (Spare me!)

 

Internships are helpful, although the White Sox don't hire interns until they have a bachelor's degree under their belt.

 

Interestingly enough, I've heard that if you are in video, web or sound editing, you could find yourself as a hot commodity for one of the sports media positions, especially since everyone wants to be on the camera and very few want to work behind the scenes. I think if it was between paying dues for years outside of large markets or working almost directly in a large market behind the scenes, I'd say the large market with a lot of opportunity.

Edited August 5, 2010 by The Beast

[Felix]

What's your path, educational background, internships and what are you trying to do?

I just graduated as a sports management major with a communications minor with the ultimate career goal of Vice President of Communications (obviously some 15-20 years down the line). Two of the three unpaid internships I did were in media relations departments, while the third was in promotions for a team known for their promotions. The full-time position I got for the upcoming season is also in media relations. It's a seasonal internship, but if you want to get a permanent position with a team, they generally require you have at least two to three years of media relations experience, so a seasonal internship is usually necessary.

 

The pay sucks, but if you're looking to get rich quick, starting a career in sports isn't going to do that for you. Not that I have a world of experience as I've just graduated college (and this might be obvious), but I'd advise against being closed-minded in where you're going to work (e.g. wanting to work for the White Sox). There are a finite number of positions with any given team, and the chances of anyone getting them are slim to none, especially if you're just trying to get off the ground and have no experience in the field. Instead, I'm a firm believer that you should be willing to move anywhere to gain experience toward your ultimate goal, regardless of how you feel about the team/area you'd be. If that means working in Idaho or Alaska, so be it, as long as it's working toward your eventual career goal.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Felix

[jasonxctf]

I had a friend who did this with the Tampa Bay Rays.

 

Try selling season tickets for them, back in 2005-06.

 

no idea what he does now. left the rays in 2006 and never went back. he's probably had 5 jobs in 7 years.

[The Beast]

I just graduated as a sports management major with a communications minor with the ultimate career goal of Vice President of Communications (obviously some 15-20 years down the line). Two of the three unpaid internships I did were in media relations departments, while the third was in promotions for a team known for their promotions. The full-time position I got for the upcoming season is also in media relations. It's a seasonal internship, but if you want to get a permanent position with a team, they generally require you have at least two to three years of media relations experience, so a seasonal internship is usually necessary.

 

The pay sucks, but if you're looking to get rich quick, starting a career in sports isn't going to do that for you. Not that I have a world of experience as I've just graduated college (and this might be obvious), but I'd advise against being closed-minded in where you're going to work (e.g. wanting to work for the White Sox). There are a finite number of positions with any given team, and the chances of anyone getting them are slim to none, especially if you're just trying to get off the ground and have no experience in the field. Instead, I'm a firm believer that you should be willing to move anywhere to gain experience toward your ultimate goal, regardless of how you feel about the team/area you'd be. If that means working in Idaho or Alaska, so be it, as long as it's working toward your eventual career goal.

I don't know what my ultimate goal is in terms of my job title. One problem that I believe might hurt me is that I'm not graduating from a top school and instead a small, liberal arts institution that isn't well known. Also, I'm not even sure if I'm cutthroat enough to go work in a competitive field like sports - sports journalism and broadcasting were too competitive and I'm sure the corporate world of sports is also extremely difficult to get into. Part of me really wants to get out of college and start finding what it is that I really like to do, even if that means grad school or working several different jobs. It was really difficult to get a summer internship this summer as I applied to seven different places and only got one interview. Maybe they screened me and figured out that I'm not groomed for the marketing position they were looking for, which is why I'm glad I didn't declare a Marketing major).

 

I'm not too worried about money, but I definitely don't want to have to live with my parents much longer after graduation - I would like to move out by the time I'm 24 or 25, depending upon graduate school and what I'm doing then. The problem with me is that I don't really care about sports other than football or baseball, and I can't stand being out in the middle of nowhere. I'd rather be married to a person that I love instead of marrying my job, too. In the next five years all I'm wanting is my college degree, to see if I can work in sports or not, if I should go to graduate school for education, sports management or doing things behind the scenes in media such as video or audio editing, as well as to continue making friends and maybe get back into a serious relationship again as being single gets really old. My goal right now is to complete school in three semesters and to come back to the Chicagoland area, the place that I love the most in the world.

Edited August 9, 2010 by The Beast