Last Tuesday I was fortunate enough to head overseas to London and help the NFL UK with the second annual International Series which was played at Wembley Stadium. For this week’s blog, I am going to share some of my insights and experiences from the trip.
The entire situation was unique and not like anything I’ve been exposed to before. Think about it – you’re working a sporting event for a league that doesn’t have a team in the entire continent. As a result, I feel that the enthusiasm and anticipation for the game inspired all those involved with the event to work harder and ensure their jobs were done to exceed normal standards.
Working with the Brits and other Europeans was a real blast and probably my favourite part of the whole week. After the Saints first media day (located at Arsenal FC’s Training Facility), I followed a co-worker back to the NFL UK office where he asked me to write an article for www.nfluk.com and this is the result : http://www.nfluk.com/news/culturalmix_231008.html
What’s really interesting of the whole experience was working in the organizations headquarters. Essentially, it is all one large open room where one can hear the noises and conversations of those around them. In an epiphinous moment, I suddenly found myself on the set of BBC’s “The Office” (before the American one)! I was working beside all of these Brits with lovely accents and was entirely lost for a moment before I remembered where I was and what I was doing.
During my brief tenure working for the NFL UK, I enjoyed a plethora of unique jobs and responsibilities. Without doubt, my favourite moment was interviewing some of the Saints players for NFL UK TV. Here is the interview:
http://www.nfluk.com/video/1?id=48
It was a bit challenging because I had no idea who I was interviewing before I spoke to the guys and, working for the Raiders, know little about players from the Saints! The inspiration for the questions regarding the terms, “pear shaped” and “bangers n mash” came from a jolly British cameraman who I conversed with for about 20 minutes and did not understand one word! I asked him to clarify what they meant and had a real laugh when he explained it (once again, barely comprehending his words) figuring the NFL players might enjoy it too.
The game itself was absolute ‘quality’ as the Brits would say. It was an entertaining game set in the perfect backdrop of Wembley Stadium and the British masses who were eager to feast on any regular season action they could get their hands on. An experience not soon to be forgotten!
As always, if anyone has any questions about the USF Sport Management Master’s Program, feel free to email me at cssterling@usfca.edu. Thanks for reading!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
A Night To Remember
Hello Sport Management world! My name is Cory Sterling and I will be contributing a personal blog for the University of San Francisco Sport Management Masters Program website. I joined Cohort 27 in July of 2007, making my tenure in the program just over a year long. It’s scary to think about, but time has breezed by so quickly.
I feel it would be fitting to start my first blog by recalling my first experience with the program, our orientation dinner. It was a special evening that remains vivid in my mind and secured in my memories.
How exciting it all was, entering a room full of people I would be spending the next two years with and not knowing a soul. There is something so unique about the innocence of initial introductions!
At the time, it seemed like we were a group of 30 strangers dressed “business casual”, making small talk over tender chicken breast. It didn’t take long for the ice to be broken and avenues for new friendships and professional connections to open up. I’ve been very lucky to meet and work with some fantastic people who I never would have known otherwise.
In hindsight, what amazes me most about my reflections of orientation dinner is the progression each individual in our cohort has made since that foggy July evening. If there was a map of the professional sporting industry (as massive and diverse it would be), our cohort has placed a flag on every corner of it.
Each individual has found a way to contribute to their niche in the sport management world, wherever that may be. The opportunities to get involved in the Bay Area are infinite and the results are promising.
Through all of our collective accomplishments, one theme unites us all: the USF Sport Management Program. All that we’ve done in the past 13 months and all that we will do in the future derive from our original starting point; the friendly small talk and that tender chicken breast.
Life as a Sport Management student is curious, challenging, intriguing and fun. It takes one through new experiences and scenarios never dreamed possible. It questions character and justly rewards effort and dedication. Most importantly, it is the only thing I would ever want to do.
Feel free to email me at cssterling@usfca.edu with any questions and concerns.
I feel it would be fitting to start my first blog by recalling my first experience with the program, our orientation dinner. It was a special evening that remains vivid in my mind and secured in my memories.
How exciting it all was, entering a room full of people I would be spending the next two years with and not knowing a soul. There is something so unique about the innocence of initial introductions!
At the time, it seemed like we were a group of 30 strangers dressed “business casual”, making small talk over tender chicken breast. It didn’t take long for the ice to be broken and avenues for new friendships and professional connections to open up. I’ve been very lucky to meet and work with some fantastic people who I never would have known otherwise.
In hindsight, what amazes me most about my reflections of orientation dinner is the progression each individual in our cohort has made since that foggy July evening. If there was a map of the professional sporting industry (as massive and diverse it would be), our cohort has placed a flag on every corner of it.
Each individual has found a way to contribute to their niche in the sport management world, wherever that may be. The opportunities to get involved in the Bay Area are infinite and the results are promising.
Through all of our collective accomplishments, one theme unites us all: the USF Sport Management Program. All that we’ve done in the past 13 months and all that we will do in the future derive from our original starting point; the friendly small talk and that tender chicken breast.
Life as a Sport Management student is curious, challenging, intriguing and fun. It takes one through new experiences and scenarios never dreamed possible. It questions character and justly rewards effort and dedication. Most importantly, it is the only thing I would ever want to do.
Feel free to email me at cssterling@usfca.edu with any questions and concerns.
Vivindo La Vida Con Passion
Ever since it’s creation in 1787, the personal alarm clock has controlled the lives of those who program it. Although its style, form and tones have adapted to modern society, its primary purpose – omitting audio wavelengths loud enough to awake a human from sleep - still remain the same.
Through a societal lens, the alarm clock finds itself in the unfortunate category of a despised necessity. As much as it is needed for the school and workforce to function, it is loathed because of its cognitive association with the end of sleep and start of a day filled with duties. In a recent survey, 81 percent of people polled answered that their favourite thing about their alarm clock was, “The Off Button.”
And then there are Sport Management Students.
Without question, one of the greatest benefits of being a Sport Management Graduate student and working in the professional sports industry is that it is so easy to love your job or studies. The root behind this simple equation lays in one critical factor: passion.
Most people who want to work in ‘sports’ do so because they’ve made the wise decision that they want to enjoy their career. In the American workforce, so much time (typically over 50+ hours) is spent at work that it is only logical to amalgamate one’s personal passions with occupation.
Close your eyes and keep them closed. Now, imagine…if WORK could be…fun?! That didn’t hurt too much did it?
The good news is that a personal career and work can be very enjoyable if it revolves around something an individual is passionate about. For those of us who really love sports, it is both logical and possible to enjoy work every single day.
To prove this point, I’ve put together a collection of quotes heard outside the capable and beautiful young professional students of Cohort 27’s classroom….
“Hey, I’ve got to work this weekend. The MLS Championship Game is in Washington, so I have to head out there tomorrow.”
“Girls, have you booked the hotel in Phoenix yet? I am sooo excited to work the Super Bowl on Sunday…”
“Dude, I won’t be able to meet up with you in the city tonight. The Dodgers are in town, and I have to work the game from behind home plate.”
“Come over this weekend for a going away celebration. I just found out I got the internship for the NFLPA and I’ll be moving to D.C for three months.”
“I was working the NCAA tournament in Southern California last weekend and got to watch the teams practice and sit courtside for the game.”
Holding nothing against used-car salesman, I am not confident we would hear the same sound bytes coming from outside their office.
The purpose of this exercise was simply to disprove the feared societal perception that “work” has to be mundane, draining and uninteresting. Conversely, studying a stimulating subject or working in a field that one is passionate about can easily lead to a career that is enjoyable and fun.
As Sport Management Master’s students, we’ve successfully shattered the contemporary myth that school and a career have to be a painful, drudging experience. Each time we step onto the field, into they gym or sit in the press box, we get that fortunate feeling of being passionate about our work and enjoying it too.
Consequently, those who study and work in professional sports represent that unique 19 percent of society who agreed that, “starting the work day” was their favourite thing about their alarm clock.
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