Sports management: Networking in the Twin Cities
Carthage College graduate students traveled to the Twin Cities in early January to expand their knowledge of sports management.
During the trip, the students met with sports business professionals from the Minnesota Wild (National Hockey League), Minnesota Twins (Major League Baseball), Minnesota United FC (Major League Soccer), and St. Paul Saints (Class AAA minor league affiliate of the Twins). They also visited the City of Baseball Museum.
Thank you to the hosts who inspired our graduate students, including Craig Leipold. Mr. Leipold serves on Carthage’s Sports Management Advisory Council and brings valuable insight as the owner of the Minnesota Wild.
Read below what the graduate students had to say about the professional connections they developed and the hands-on experience they gained during the trip.
Graduate Student Experience
Adrian Ortega
While on this J-Term trip, students like Adrian Ortega had the opportunity to see behind the scenes in sports management including how social media teams worked.
“This trip confirmed my passion for marketing and gave me clear next steps that would have been harder to discover without being in the sports management program.”
Titus Atwater
Other students, like Titus Atwater, have always known what they wanted to do. This trip confirmed just that for Titus.
“I’ve always wanted to work in the sports industry, but I never knew a feasible path to pursue my dream. Carthage faculty Carter Rockhill and Jim Padilla provided that for me and I’ll forever be thankful. Now the real work begins!”
Adele Senzig
Sports management graduate students are provided with the tools and experience to prepare them for sports management. Adele Senzig, a current graduate student, explained how this trip helped her with just that.
“The trip to Minnesota provided our sports management master’s program an exclusive experience to meet with various professional sports organizations, learn from top executives, and get hands-on experience that includes in-game shadowing—allowing us to explore careers within different departments.”
Jaxon Hafenbreadl
During this J-Term trip, graduate students attended Q&A sessions, learned about others’ journeys in sports management, and participated in in-game shadowing opportunities to learn directly about how sports management works.
Jaxon Hafenbreadl had the opportunity to shadow the Minnesota Wild’s Ticket Sales department during the trip. “I learned tactics related to the renewal of season ticket holders, witnessed a fast-paced, exciting environment, and participated in the sales team pregame huddle.”