What advice would you give a young person considering a career in baseball?

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MIKE BIRLING, GM - Durham Bulls - Durham, No. Carolina

You must be a passionate, determined, and competitive person to succeed in this business. Also, you must get practical experience as early as you can. Nothing helps more than being a part of it on some level and continuing to learn. People skills and selling skills will be what takes you to high levels or what keeps you from breaking into sports.

PAUL BARBEAU, GM - Great Lakes Loons - Midland, Michigan

For any young man or woman considering a career in baseball, I would recommend they accept an internship or seasonal position first to learn about the opportunities available and to determine if they really enjoy working in the sport. I would also suggest working in sales to deliver a measurable impact to the team.
Finally, try to work for an organization with a history of developing their employees for future growth.

ANDY SHEA, GM - Lexington Legends - Lexington, Kentucky

Whether or not it is job in MLB or MiLB, I would say any or all experience one gets in sales is beneficial. That is the name of almost everything we do and almost every position we have on our staff.

As an intern or any other position, get a feel for what it feels like to work and be on your feet for seventy plus hours per week. Many people think since they love baseball, they will be good at working in baseball. What they do not realize is the tremendous hours we work and that most of that time is on our feet waling around the ballpark.


TODD RAHR: GM - Boise Hawks - Boise, Idaho

If you want to be rich in terms of dollars, this isn't the industry for you. If you want to be rich in terms of life experience, you can't beat a life in sports. Especially on the minor league level where you are heavily involved in the day-to-day operations and aren't just a "cog in the wheel".

DAVE ECHOLS GM - Charleston RiverDogs - Charleston, South Carolina

Get as much experience volunteering, interning if possible and get exposed to all facets of the game to see if this is truly what you want to do for a career; make sure you learn how to sell, do not lose sight of having fun.

MIKE MELEGA, GM - Tulsa Drillers - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Get as much experience as you can in any job that allows you to work with customer service and or sales. The ability to work with different kinds of people is essential in the business as is the ability to sell tickets and sponsorships.

If I had to do it over again, I would have probably taken a spring semester off in college to do an internship with a club prior to graduation and lined myself up for a December graduation so I could start with a team full time in January.

JIM HOLLAND, GM - Princeton Rays - Princeton, New Jersey

Use any college electives they may have toward classes that are communications based. I would push diversity in college course content and one thing that people often overlook that would help a minor league team, would be someone that could help build sales while at the same time being an accomplished computer graphics artist of which there is a short supply


MIKE NUTTER, President and GM Fort Wayne TinCaps - Fort Wayne, Indiana

You can succeed in the industry with a great work ethic and passion for your job and career. I would say to embrace sales as sales are a part of almost everyone’s responsibility that we have on staff. Get going in your career early. There is a lot of demand to work in sports so make sure that you are working for a team if you have the opportunity. There are over 180 minor league teams in the US and certainly hundreds of other opportunities out there. Gain as much experience as you can prior to graduation through internships, volunteering, etc

KURT LANDES, GM - Lehigh Valley IronPigs - Allentown, Pennsylvania

Male or female, I would encourage them to do a number of internships to make sure they want to be involved in the game. It is a lot of hard work and hours away from family and friends; this is not a job for everyone. But, the relationships with fans, sponsors, staff and colleagues are what makes it so enjoyable

CAL BURLESON, GM - Indianapolis Indians - Indianapolis, Indiana

My advice would be to attend a university that has a sports administration program and take advantage of the opportunity to get a good education combined with as much practical experience as you can.

BILL PAPIERNIAK, GM - Richmond Squirrels - Richmond, W. Virginia

I would tell them to get an internship with a team while in college (if possible) and make sure that the internship allows real learning opportunities and not just “busy work”. Call or email as many teams as it takes (go to the Winter Meetings as well) to get your foot in the door with an internship. Once you have an internship – work hard and demonstrate that you will do whatever it takes to be a successful team player.

RANDY WHITAKER, GM - Harrisburg Senators - Harrisburg, PA

Make sure you know what you are getting into before you commit to it. I’ve never worked so hard at something in my life. It’s worth it, but it is a very difficult job. Or as Todd "Parney" Parnell (ex GM, Richmond Squirrels) says: “It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle.”