Sport Management student Will Sauser ’19 got the opportunity to shadow a couple of top executives from major organizations located in Chicago over this past winter break.
While Sauser was back home in Northern Chicago, he was able to meet with Colin Faulkner,
Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Chicago Cubs, and Allan Spear, Assistant Vice President of Sports Operations at STATS.
The two companies may have a big difference in years but both are well defined in their industry. The Chicago Cubs are one of baseball’s oldest franchises- mostly known for Wrigley Field and not winning a World Series for over a century. STATS, however, was created in 1981 and is known to be one of the top sports tech, data, and content companies.
“I took away a lot,” Sauser said, “It takes a lot of work and effort on the job to reach the top. I really want an internship to get my foot in the door to a major organization, and to jumpstart my exposure to the business world.”
This ideology falls in line with what the Department of Sport Management teaches. Two internships are required for every Sport Management major before graduation. It is advised to use breaks and Summer to fulfill these requirements and seek opportunities.
“Companies in the sport industry are looking to hire employees who have shown that they took advantage of opportunities as a student and worked multiple internships or jobs,” said Dr. Clark
Haptonstall, Chair of the Department of Sport Management. “For that reason, we require each major to complete two internships, but many of our students will work several internships during their time at Rice.”
A big Cubs fan and season ticket holder, Sauser used that opportunity to gain insight on what it was like behind the scenes- in the front office.
However, despite having a high interest with the Chicago ball club, a direct entry into the organization may not be the only option.
“STATS is a mile and a half from my house. It’s prestigious, and it’s also a great launching pad into another sports organization in the future i.e. the Cubs’ front office,” explained Sauser, “I wanted to see if I could learn the basics of what teams use quantitatively for scouting and more.”
With the work ethic shown by Sauser, who is only a freshman, it sure seems like he is well on his way to making that kind of paycheck a reality.
Kevin Reilly, a junior from Oviedo, Florida, is majoring in Sport Management.