Area students take first step toward a life working in sports at Worcester Sports Management Summit
WORCESTER — As hundreds of high school and college students participated in the third annual Worcester Sports Management Summit Friday at Worcester State University, the song “You Make My Dreams” by Hall & Oates subtly played over the sound system.
The event featured a career fair, panel discussion and a keynote address about emerging topics within the sports industry.
Executives from the Boston Red Sox, Boston Bruins, Worcester Red Sox, Worcester Railers, Worcester Bravehearts, Massachusetts Pirates and New York Mets, along with other sports-related companies, were on hand to help students navigate a career path.
More:Want a career in sports? Worcester Bravehearts hosting Worcester Sports Management Summit
Holy Cross director of athletics Kit Hughes was the opening keynote speaker, and every person in the room listened intently to his every word. Students asked questions, and after, there was a long line of kids waiting to speak with Hughes and hand him a résumé.
Persistence key
His message was simple: Be persistent. Show up. Create a network. Hustle.
Persistence was a common theme Friday. In fact, there’s a legendary quote from the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, which is consistently used in sports.
He said: "Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination along are omnipotent."
“Persistence is everything,” said Hughes, who used to have that Coolidge quote hanging in his office. “Persistence is not getting discouraged. Persistence is consistent with vigor. It’s the ability to do something over and over again with enthusiasm and not get detoured by not getting the results you want right away.”
Hughes also mentioned in his speech the importance of building a network and creating relationships.
“You have to be persistent, and you have to be able to deal with the failure that comes inevitably from trying to put yourself out there,” Hughes said. “If you can’t do that, you can’t move forward. You can get disappointed, but don’t get discouraged, and persistence speaks to that.”
Students offered chance to network
Andrew DiGiovanni, 19, of Mansfield, is a sophomore at Nichols College, and said he did not want to miss the summit. He was dressed in a sharp blue suit and took advantage of the opportunity to speak with professionals in the industry. He was one who waited in line to speak with Hughes, and several other experts on hand.
“I believe when you network, that’s how you get work,” DiGiovanni said. “I've wanted to be a college football coach ever since I was a kid. I saw there were a lot of great people here, a lot of good opportunities, and I hope to get an internship.”
He also took the persistence message to heart.
“In order to get a job in a field like this where there’s so much competition, I feel like you really need to stand out,” DiGiovanni said. “So being persistent is very important because you don’t want to be the guy in second place. You’re not going to win anything in second place.”
Bravehearts general manager Dave Peterson, who organized the event, stood off to the side and was pleased with the turnout.
“It’s really incredible,” Peterson said. “For people to try to get into the sports industry, it’s been a rough couple of years.”
Sports vendors are hiring
The Bravehearts’ GM explained that not only did COVID impact the sports world, it also forced organizations to cut back, or implement a hiring freeze.
“There were no jobs in the industry, which is why we couldn’t do this in 2021 and 2022,” he said.
It was a completely different story Friday afternoon at Worcester State. Nearly 1,000 people attended the summit, including 32 vendors that are currently hiring.
“Sports are back. Entertainment is back, people are getting back together, and there are jobs in the industry,” Peterson said. “If the Worcester Bravehearts are going to succeed, we have to be the thought leaders when it comes to sports, particularly the business of sports because we do it from the ground up.”
Peterson isn’t shy when it comes to telling students that many of their first jobs in sports will include directing traffic, cleaning bathrooms, picking up trash, pulling a tarp, or even dressing as the mascot.
Again, the message returns to persistence.
“It makes you stand out,” Peterson said. “You have to be able to get a rejection nine, or 10 times before someone says, ‘I’ll give it a try.’ In sports, you’re going to get rejected, and rejected a lot. You have to be able to deal with loss in sports, and that’s why sports are so genuine, because it teaches you life lessons. It teaches you to pick yourself up and move on.”
Peterson also believes of the 350 college students in attendance seeking jobs, it’s his hope that 225 of them left the summit with a solid lead on an internship, or part-time position for the summer.
“If that happens, then we’ve really done our job,” he said. “It’s about introducing people to people who can get them further in their career.”
—Contact Joe McDonald at JMcDonald2@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeyMacHockey.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Area students learn about, seek careers in sports at Worcester Sports Management Summit
