HIO: NBC Ready for English Premier League

On Saturday, the English Premier League kicks off a new season. Aside from the usual managerial changes and player moves in the offseason, soccer fans in the U.S. should be excited for another reason. NBC will be broadcasting every match of the season, either on air or online.

HIO: Don't Peak too Soon

On this blog, you'll find perhaps the most driven students around. Our contributors take time away from studies and their social lives to discuss the industry and latest happenings.

HIO: Marketing is Storytelling

In an interview for an internship with a small marketing agency, the owner provided his view on marketing. He compared marketing to a magic trick, an illusion, with the goal to fabricate a desired emotional response and action. With that end goal in mind, the difficult task is getting the target audience to the end.

HIO: Promoting Team Loyalty Through Social Media

On social media, whether a team is promoting the score of a game or a community charity event, groups of audiences will view the content differently. Social media is a broad swipe, sending bits of content to any and all followers or fans. It is impossible to distribute content that will hit only one target audience. The hope is that messages will appeal to a large base.

HIO: Twitter & Athletes - Tips for Athlete Marketers/Agents to Manage the Risks

Professional athletes, and celebrities in general, understand the power of Twitter: it is a revolutionary way of connecting with an interested audience, allows marketers to quantify the fan base, and it gives a complete view into the athlete's life. While these are fantastic, there are countless examples of athletes using the micro blogging platform recklessly. 

HIO: WWC 2011 Players to Watch

Yesterday morning, U.S. time, the 2011 Women's World Cup kicked off in Germany. The powerhouse host nation are looking to win their third WWC in a row, after winning the trophy in 2003 and 2007. However, the United States and others are looking to derail Germany's road to the final.

The 16-team tournament is comprised of 4 groups, containing 4 teams. Yesterday, Group A kicked off their first set of matches. In the first game, France topped a rather surprisingly sluggish Nigerian side, 1-0. The second and final match of the day proved to be more of an exciting one. The host and tournament favorite, Germany, fought to a 2-1 victory over Canada. Germany jumped out to an early lead in the 1st half as Christine Sinclair struck a beautiful free kick from about 20 yards out late in the second half for Canada. The Germans held on the for lead in front of a sold out 73,000 in Berlin.

Every match of the 3-week tournament is being carried by ESPN. The United States open up their group play on Tuesday at 12:15 p.m. ET against North Korea. For a complete schedule of tournament play, click here.

  Top 5 Players to Watch

While Germany are the favorites in this tournament and perhaps they comprise the best team, there are several players to watch throughout the Women's World Cup. In no particular order, here are my top 5: 

Marta, FW, Brazil
The FIFA Women's Player of the Year for the past five years in a row, Marta is the total package. Crafty with the ball, quick, and deadly inside the box, she is the heart of the Brazilian team. The Pele of the women's game, if she can find her form early and the traditionally Brazilian defense can stay strong, Brazil will make it far in this tournament. 

Hope Solo, GK, United States
While she has never been the most popular player to those familiar with women's soccer, Hope Solo is easily the top goalkeeper in the world. With quick hands and cat-like reflexes, Solo was kicked off the team at the World Cup in 2007 after being benched. If she can keep her outbursts in check, which all signs point to that she will, she should have an excellent tournament. 

Kerstin Garefrekes, MF, Germany 
Standing at close to 6 feet tall, Garefrekes is the embodiment of the physical German midfielder. She is surprisingly quick with the ball at her feet given her height and finds herself in excellent goal-scoring opportunities even as a midfielder. She is just one of the many quality players Germany has and will rely on in this tournament. 

Kelly Smith, MF, England
While not traditionally a power in the women's game, England are driven by the physical and well-passer that is Kelly Smith. A solid figure in the middle of the park with a keen eye for making the killer pass, Smith is most likely playing in her last World Cup at the age of 33. 

Lisa DeVanna, FW, Australia
I, for one, would love to see DeVanna and Marta in a foot-race. DeVanna is a pacy dribbler at-heart and are the Aussie's best attacking threat. If they can spring her in-behind the opposition's back-line, count on her burying the ball in the back of the net. 

For more information on the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany, visit FIFA.com.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a 2nd year Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: Soft and Boring

Soft and boring. Two words society has brandished upon women's sports. These stereotypes have plagued the aspiration of many to close the gap between men's and women's sports.

Take for example the one sport I know best, soccer. The US Men's National Team (USMNT) is prepping for the Gold Cup, the premier tournament between North American and Caribbean nations. Meanwhile, the US Women's National Team (USWNT) is prepping for this month's World Cup in Germany, the premier tournament in the world in women's soccer.

Both the USMNT and the USWNT played friendlies this past weekend as tune-ups for their respective tournaments. On Saturday, the men faced and lost to the top team in the world and reigning world champions, Spain. On Sunday, the women took on and beat a Mexican side that beat them mere months ago to force the USWNT to play more games to qualify for the World Cup.

Saturday's fixture between the USMNT and Spain drew 64,121 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. The game attracted the largest crowd in U.S. Soccer history in the New England Area. Meanwhile, Sunday's fixture between the USWNT and Mexico drew just 5,852 at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ.

While the upcoming Gold Cup tournament for the men is big for the team and U.S. Soccer, it is nothing compared to this month's Women's World Cup for the women. That begs the question, why the disparage between the games this past weekend?

Okay, the men took on Spain, the number one team in the world. Fernando Torres, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Ramos were all on the pitch on Saturday afternoon in sunny Foxborough. Though, the women are on the precipice of a World Cup! Remember the hype from the men's World Cup in South Africa last summer? Did you even know the the Women's World Cup is this summer? My point exactly.

Regardless, the good news is that World Cup in Germany is expected to draw attendance numbers close to the 1999 tournament in the United States. Already, the opening match between Germany and Canada on June 26 is already sold out. The match will be held in Berlin's Olympiastadion, of 70,000 capacity.

Clearly, the disparage exists between men's and women's soccer at the national team level in the United States. To close the gap, let's hope the USWNT can brush off their poor form as of late and win the World Cup. In a perfect world, the win would trigger the same (if not more) national support that the 1999 World Cup win and also boost awareness and attendance of Women's Professional Soccer.

Time will tell. Let's hope that can lessen the disparage between men's and women's soccer, and sports in general. I just wish for a day when soft and boring are labels of the past.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: It's the Big 5

The idea of the "Big 4" in professional sports is one talked about frequently. The NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL are the most lucrative leagues in the United States, and possibly the world. However, slowly the "Big 4" is transforming into the "Big 5" with the emergence of a newer professional sports league: Major League Soccer (MLS).

Having held its inaugural season in 1996, it is league that has grown exponentially in an age where professional leagues have faltered and failed to live up to expectations. Perhaps due to its young age, it is also one of the most progressive leagues in the country, always looking to adopt innovative techniques in attempt to further reach its consumer base. 

Recently the MLS became the first professional league to launch its own ticket sales education institute, the MLS National Sales Center, located in Minnesota. Specifically, its goal is to properly train prospective ticket sales representatives over the course of a 45 day hands-on curriculum.

MLS franchises are also using innovative sales and marketing strategies to cater to all types of fans. The Columbus Crew recently announced plans to hold the inaugural Pride Cup presented by Innovative Financial on July 23. It is billed as "a one-day GLBT and allied soccer tournament."

Those are just two quick examples of the progressive approach the MLS has taken to increase dollar amounts, widen its consumer base, and ultimately make the Big 4 a thing of the past. The MLS deserves to be in the conversation of top sports leagues in the country. Expect its growth pattern to continue as the league will expand to 19 teams during the 2012 season, with the addition of Montreal.

The American professional sporting landscape is changing. Take note. It's the Big 5.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: Props to Rick Welts

Props to Rick Welts. The man of praise is the President and CEO of the NBA's Phoenix Suns. Instrumental in the creation of the NBA's All-Star Weekend and annual dunk contest, Welts also served instrumental in the launching of the WNBA in 1997. In 1998, he was named "Marketer of the Year" by Brandweek Magazine after the WNBA's first season. As one of the league's most accomplished and influential senior front office executives, Rick Welts made this news this weekend for another, more personal reason.

Just the day prior to Kobe Bryant's anti-gay, on-camera slur, Welts met with NBA commissioner David Stern. In that meeting, Welts told Stern he was gay. Just this Sunday, Welts came public with his sexuality via Dan Barry's piece in The New York Times.

As one that personally hits home for me, Welts is an accomplished pioneer in professional basketball and is now poised to become a role model for members of the LGBT community, particularly the youth afraid of pursuing a career in sports. While other aspects of society may be slowly adopting a more accepting atmosphere, the competitive nature of sports makes it one of the most homophobic areas of American culture. Just ask Kobe.

Props to Rick Welts for his courage. Times are changing. Now, we just need a gay individual who is able to be open about it from the get go, to go on and have the professional success Welts has had. It will happen, I can personally asure you that fact.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: A Sports Industry Puzzler

The sports industry is all around us and we often do not realize how much we touch and depend on it. For instance, what does attending a high school lacrosse game, buying a pair of Puma running shoes, and working out at the gym all have in common? You got it, they are all associated with the sports industry.

We all know sports, namely at the professional level, are big business. League revenue-sharing, player salaries, and media rights deals are quickly shifting from being lucrative to outlandish. Just look at the PAC-12's recent 12-year, $3 billion tv deal between with ESPN and and FOX, as an example. This is only the most recent deal, BCS and NCAA March Madness television deals have blown this deal out of the water in recent years.

While we often associate professional sports as main contributors to the lucrative size of the sports industry, it is actually dwarfed by sporting goods manufacturers. According to Plunkett Research done on the industry, "Big 4" professional sports leagues only account for about $21 billion of the $414 total size of the sports industry in the U.S. alone. Sporting goods and equipment accounts for about $39 billion of revenue per year.

This leads to the ultimate question, why do sporting goods manufacturers bring in more revenue than the top professional sports leagues? The answer lies in fundamental marketing principles.

It comes down to product consumption and perception. More individuals touch sporting goods clothing, than professional sports. Look in your closet and your drawers, those disheveled gym shorts and old sneakers are all considered sporting goods. Now, lets take a step back for a moment and take into account others besides ourselves. There is naturally a large group of people in this country who just do not have an interest in professional sports and do not "touch" the product. However, lets make the assumption that they do have at least a pair of gym shorts and sneakers.

Another possible reason could lie in the influence of media on self-image. Today, the media portrays the ideal male and female body type. That message has been engrained into our minds from a very early age. To make ourselves that ideal, many of us have decided to begin a workout plan and engage in increased physical recreation and activity - one of the most overlooked areas of the sports industry. Due to this desire to workout, companies like Nike and Adidas salivate as their sales increase. More people are purchasing workout clothes and equipment. More people are touching the products offered by sporting goods manufacturers.

While there may be other reasons the top professional sports leagues are less lucrative than sporting goods, the long and short of it is that more people weigh their own self-image and exercise over watching professional sports.

Feel free to agree or disagree in the comments section below. I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: My Penn Relays Experience

The largest track and field meet in the United States, the Penn Relays were much more of a spectacle and intense well-oiled machine than I had imagined.

In my current position as a Marketing Assistant with Nelligan Sports Marketing at the University of Pennsylvania, I assist two others in selling and fulfilling sponsorship agreements with businesses for both Penn Athletics and the Penn Relays. When I began in January, most of my responsibilities revolved around prospecting new business for the Relays. Up until then, I also attended weekly planning meetins about the event. From the meetings, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect during the event. However, I ended up being very wrong.

With over 115,000 people who attend the Penn Relays over the course of the three-day meet, the crowds were immense. In addition, there were 498 events over the three days. At any given moment, a race was occuring on the track, pole vaulting, long jump, and high jump were happening on the infield, AND there was an awards ceremony with a sponsor happening on the podium. There were simply so many moving parts occuring all at once.

Our primary responsibilities were ensuring all of our sponsors, particularly those with vendor boths in the Vendor Village, were happy. Among businesses with larger displays in the Village were Nike, Grace Foods, Powerade, AAE, Clear Connections, and BMW. Also, Thursday and Friday Milk Marketing gave away bottles of chocolcate milk. In addition, we were responsibile for executing race sponsorships. With many races during the Relays, the more prestigious championship races were used as sponsorship inventory and were sold to sponsors.

My main responsibilities during the Relays varied per day. On Thursday, our General Manager and I primarily assisted Milk Marketing in their chocolate milk giveaway. Specifically, we took trips every two hours or so to provide them with more milk, ice, and coolers. On Friday, I assisted in oversight of the Vendor Village and in race sponsorships. On Saturday, most of the day was devoted to escorting sponsor representatives to the awards podium on the infield for races they sponsored. For those races, the sponsor had the opportunity to have someone on hand to present the awards to winners and be present with them during awards pictures.

Over the course of the meet, I also oversaw our excellent staff of student volunteers - all from the Drexel Sport Management Program. The nine volunteers assisted us in Village set-up and in staffing the Philadelphia Inquirer booth and the Penn Athletics Marketing booth.

All-in-all, the Penn Relays were far more complex than I expected. Sure, I had known the facts of the meet well-enough to sell our sponsorship inventory, but I did not know to expect the sheer size and importance of it.

In the past, I've assisted in game operations and execution in both men's and women's soccer, but the Penn Relays blow both of those out of the water. During the Penn Relays, I worked with and met a great group of sponsors and representatives, shared in the excitement of the events, and I created memories and experiences I will never forget, with the latter being the most important.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: Many Questions about Thursday's NFL Draft

In all of the talk about the NFL's labor scuffle, it is possible the NFL Draft fell under your radar. If not, then you are probably looking forward to Thursday when the draft will be held in primetime for only the second year.

Due to the labor impasse, franchises will be allowed to trade this year's and future draft picks but they will not be allowed to involve any players in trades. This could cause a minor hit to the excitement of the draft.

The main draw of the draft is the possibility of what could happen. Could my team possibly trade up and take one of the top-rated prospects? Who is my team going to take? Both of those questions harp on the possibility and uncertainty surrounding the draft, which makes watching it fun for die-hard football fans.

While that sentiment has held true in prior drafts, will this one be the same? Analysts and those close to the negotiations have said there will be football this year, but no one knows when a deal will be reached and how close to the start of the season that will be. With the current lockout, will avid football fans choose not to watch the draft due to the labor issue?


Roger Goodell, NFL Commish
(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Lots of questions, which hopefully will be answered when the draft's final ratings are released. One thing is for sure, Roger Goodell better be prepared to hear the boos when he walks accross the stage in New York City to welcome fans and announce that the Carolina Panthers are on the clock. Be prepared Roger, the boo-boys will be there in force and they are not going to be happy.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: OSA World Juggle-A-Thon

Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from a Malaria, a preventable disease carried by mosquitoes. For this reason, I will be participating in the Online Soccer Academy's "OSA World Juggle-A-Thon" to support the Nothing But Nets campaign.

On April 25, World Malaria Day, at 6pm I will be juggling to help raise money for life-saving nets to prevent Malaria. I am currently collecting donations, either per juggle, or flat donations, with the personal goal of raising $100 dollars and saving 10 lives from Malaria.

Interested in donating? Email me here and I will pass along more information!

To learn more about the OSA World Juggle-A-Thon, participating yourself, the professional men's and women's soccer players participating, and the Nothing But Nets campaign, watch the video below and visit OnlineSoccerAcademy.com.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
In addition to serving as President of the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU), Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.


HIO: The Importance of Audience in Social Media

The recent emergence of social media has revolutionized the way we communicate with others. Sites like Facebook and Twitter allow individuals the opportunity to present themselves to the general population in their own unique way.

Furthermore, social media sites optimize user customization. The content, appearance (for the most part), and overall feel of individual profiles are chosen by the individual. While this allows for freedom and one's personality to shine through the computer screen, knowing your audience is key.

Audience can be broken apart into two primary elements: personal and professional. The biggest mistake with social media is not selecting an audience to hit. If you post about that awesome party last night (personal) and then reach out to a former colleague about an internship opportunity (professional), you have not established a formal audience.

With a Facebook profile and a Twitter account, I utilize both to reach different audiences. To me, Facebook is a highly personal network of friends and constituents. It is not an optimal professional medium. Sure, I am connected with former colleagues who I know personally, but it's primary purpose is for personal use.

Twitter on the other hand is very much a professional networking tool. It is an excellent platform to build a base of general constituents on a professional level. That said, you can still be personable when using a social media site for professional reasons. Do not simply post content of interesting articles, you have to also interact with others. Be personable, ask others about their thoughts in a news story. However, do not be personal, and share the picture of your drunk self crawled up in a ball.

Point being, choose an audience and stick with it. The biggest mistake in social media is combining all of your audiences into one. That is both unprofessional and a little clumsy.

Take some time to reflect upon your target audience and constituency. Have you selected an audience? How can you improve your social media accounts to achieve your personal and professional goals?

At the end of the day, knowing your audience will allow you to better achieve your social media goals and objectives.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major at Drexel University, with industry experience working in men's and women's professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, you can follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano) or connect with him here on LinkedIn.

HIO: The High School Coaching Imbalance

Friends,

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), there are 7.6 million high school sport participants in the United States. More than half, 55.1%, of high school students participate in high school sports, per NFHS 2009-2010 data.

These high school sport participation statistics are even more staggering when compared to participation numbers within collegiate athletics. According to a February 2010 NCAA Student-Athlete Ethnicity Report, there is an estimated 420,000 NCAA student-athletes accross all three divisions. That means there about 18 times more high school athletes than there are college athletes in this country.

While this discrepancy is understandable, as there are more high schools than colleges in the United States, the numbers are still quote shocking.  This means coaches at the high school level have more of am impact on American youth in society, compared to their college counterparts.

It is also worth noting high school coaches are less trained compared to college coaches. High school coaches are typically educators who happen to either have played the given sport they coach or have some form of athletic experience.

Remember those high school days? There was a time when a handful of educators, typically physical education teachers, dueled as coaches of high school sports teams. More often than not, the fall soccer coach also coached the volleyball team in the winter and the lacrosse team in the spring. I think you get the point.

Taking all of this information into account, it is clear high school coaches have a much larger impact on our youth than college coaches, but are also highly less qualified.

Being this piece is one entirely focused on social commentary, I neither have a solution to this imbalance, nor am I convinced a change is needed. The point of this week's edition of HIO, is that as a society, we allow less-qualified individuals to coach the largest population of individuals. Heck, if coaches at the professional level, like Vince Lombardi or Pat Riley, really enjoyed coaching the lessons and skills of their given sport, why didn't they focus on coaching at the youth hand high school levels? They would have had an impact on more individuals.

Now, please do not think I am attempting to knock high school coaches or coaches in general. Truthfully, the coaches I had throughout my high school soccer career were U.S. Soccer and United States Soccer Federation (USSF) certified. Our head coach had the necessary certification required to coach the U.S. National Team. In addition, one of my brothers is a high school social studies teacher and a high school assistant girls soccer coach. In fact, I still consider coaching as a possible career path and have a small amount of experience in it.

Ironically, my bit of coaching experience has been in the youth and high school level. An inexperienced coach, that is where I stared coaching. Perhaps it is just the way things are. Maybe the imbalance will never change. 

What do you think? Share your thoughts below.

Yours in Sport,
Kevin F. Giordano

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major, with experience working in women’s and men’s professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano).

HIO: State of the (Student) Union

The Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) at Drexel University has been in existence for 73 days, or almost 11 weeks, or almost one complete academic term.

Over the course of a term, the organization has successfully established a stable foundation for future growth. Specifically, this term we held bi-weekly meetings, staged a large event, and launched a blog.

The goal of meetings is to hit at least one element of our four-pronged approach (sports industry education, networking, and professional and personal development).

Our large event of the term brought my love for working in sports full-circle.  Having spend three seasons with Sky Blue Women's Soccer, holding an evening involving Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was an excellent venture. Mike Milich, Senior Director of Sales at Sky Blue FC, educated attendees on the pros of working in a smaller organization and offered his advice for working in the industry. 

This blog has also been an excellent initiative for us. Run by our Communications Department, consisting of a Director of Communicaions and a Manager of Communications, we have surpassed 2,000+ hits in the month-and-a-half "The Sports Complex" has been in existence. Thanks to you, the readers, for making this happen. We have bolder ambitions for the blog in the future, so please continue to read and suggest it to your friends!   

As an organization, we can only go up from here. As membership grows and word spreads, we will attempt to perfect and introduce new initiatives. For next term, expect bigger and better meetings, events, and ventures.

Organizational leadership will also grow next term with the introduction of the Director of Marketing officer position. This will task an officer with managing, implementing, and controling our organizational message and brand. 

During the Spring we also anticipate launching the Sports Industry Ambassadors Program, where we will go into local Philadelphia high schools to educate students about working in sports as a possible career choice. This will hopefully provide benefit to all students, especially those not on-track to graduate. We hope the benefits and "sexiness" of working in sports serves as a motivational tool for students to perform well in their classes. We have been in contact with a few schools in the area and expect to launch this new program shortly, with the goal of increasing it in size and scope come the Fall. 

With a base established from this past term, expect bigger and better from us moving forward.

Thank you again for your continued support!

Yours in Sport,
Kevin F. Giordano

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kevin Giordano is a sophomore Sport Management major, with experience working in women’s and men’s professional soccer and collegiate athletics. To contact or connect with Kevin, follow him on Twitter (@KevinGiordano).

"Here-I'm Open!" - The Power of Sport (Nate's Story)

“Here—I’m Open!” is a weekly column written every Monday aimed at offering readers inspiration, a unique take on sporting news, and general sports know-how.”   

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 



After last week's novel, brevity is the key to this week's post. A quick shout again to Mike Milich of Sky Blue FC for his time this past Thursday. Those present learned a great deal about how sales and marketing differ when working in smaller-scale professional sport. That noted, it is time to jump into this week's post.

Sport is powerful. It makes us jump out of our seat in jubilation one moment and look away in nervousness the next. It invokes both positive and negative emotions.

Though, at the end of the day, sport is merely a game. Sure, no one likes to lose. There is an element of competitiveness at play. As a former athlete, I understand this notion. Still, sport is fundamentally about recreating and having fun through physical activity, whether we watch it on the tube or participate ourselves.

With that in mind, I’d like to pass along a powerful ESPN video. It’s Monday, the first day back at school or at work. After a nice weekend, feel free to take a few moments away from your Monday commitments and give this a watch.  Kick back, put your feet up, and enjoy. Warning: you may want to have some tissues handy.

Watch it here.

“Here—I’m Open!” is authored by Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) President, Kevin Giordano. A sophomore sport management major and native of Hillsborough, New Jersey, Kevin has experience working in women’s and men’s professional soccer and collegiate athletics.  For questions, comments, and story suggestions, he can be reached at kgiordano25@yahoo.com.

"Here-I'm Open!" - A Love Story

“Here—I’m Open!” is a weekly column written every Monday aimed at offering readers inspiration, a unique take on sporting news, and general sports know-how.”   

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welcome to the second edition of this weekly column.  I hope you were all able to take and meet last week's challenge.  Differentiating yourself in this industry is essential to professional success.  It's time to shift gears a little for this week.

For those of you unaware, the Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) here at Drexel University will be hosting “An Evening with Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS)” this Thursday, in Matheson 308, from 5pm-6:30pm.  Our speakers include Louise Waxler, General Manager of the Philadelphia Independence and a representative (a player or Head Coach Jim Gabarra) from Sky Blue FC.

Being that women’s soccer is the theme of this week here at SMTSU and “The Sports Complex”, I would like to share my sports industry love story.  Don’t worry, I will spare you the chocolate hearts, roses, and cheesy fixed-price dinner-dates for this love story – Valentine’s Day was last week.

This romantic account is not about courting and falling in love with a significant other.  Rather, it is about how I fell in love with the sports industry.  While you will certainly find the following tale rather verbose, I hope it offers you assistance in your own personal journey.  Enjoy…

Take a trip with me almost exactly three years ago.  It was 2008, my junior year at Hillsborough High School in Hillsborough, NJ.  Like most kids my age, I struggled with choosing a career.  Education crossed my mind, but my middle brother was already plying his trade as a history teacher and assistant girls varsity soccer coach in the same high school.  The sciences, specifically anatomy and the human body, were of interest to me, but the thought of being a doctor freaked me out.  I was stuck. 

One of my main interests at the time was playing sports video games: Madden, FIFA, etc.  Though, playing the actual football or soccer game when playing those titles, bored me a bit.  The fun part to me was doing all of the mundane, back-room tasks like building the team.   I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes aspect of the games.

Finally, my already business-savvy dad pointed out a new career prospect.  He brought up the idea of translating my love for playing sports and for building simulated sports teams, into a career.  Sports Business, which I later discovered was Sport Management, became my new interest. 

I thought about it for a short time.  It made sense.  I had grown up in a soccer family and I played the sport from as far back as I could remember to my senior year of high school.  My playing career had no chance of jumping to the Division I collegiate level.  I had heart and an above-average soccer IQ, but I was not any more talented than the next guy on the pitch.

I then put my research skills to the test, trolling the internet for information on undergraduate programs in Sport Management, or names similar to it.  One program in New Jersey, which I will keep nameless, held a seminar for high school students with a possible interest in sport.  In hearing motivational and educational speeches from former sports legends who transitioned on-field success into the business side of sport, the general message was simply, “Hey, get an internship to see if you like this line of work, it is not for everybody.”  Point noted.

I quickly found myself back on the internet looking for a possible internship or volunteer position.  Very few even local sports organizations advertised they were looking for help.  My search and hopes of finding a little industry experience looked dashed, until I came across a potential fit.

I discovered, the Jersey Sky Blue, a Women’s League (W-League) team operating in the United Soccer Leagues (USL), owned and operated by Sky Blue Soccer.  At that time, the W-League of the USL was the highest form of women’s soccer in the United States.  This opportunity was a perfect fit, given my interest in soccer.  The team had a blurb on their website about always looking for volunteers and with their season starting in around June, I was not too late.

However, phrasing the email and actually hitting the send button proved difficult.  For those of you who know me personally, the stubborn-Italian stereotype and I get along quite well.  Sending the email would leave me vulnerable, right?  What if they said no?

My mom made me wise-up.  While I did not like being told “It’s time to grow up”, she was right.  I ended up sending the email and after a quick search of my email, I have found it.  For your viewing pleasure, here it is in all of its glory:

A couple of days later, I received a response from Sky Blue Soccer’s Natalie Smith.  “I’d like to have you on board! As someone who started interning late in my high school career, I hope this will be a wonderful introduction into the sports world.” She noted. 

And so it began.  During the summer of 2008, I was a game-day volunteer with the Jersey Sky Blue.  My main duties were serving in the team’s merchandise tent, selling team gear and apparel.  I also greeted fans as they arrived at the stadium and encouraged the younger ones to sign-up for half-time activities.

After the first game, I was taken and ready to propose on the spot.  Hearing those screaming fans and knowing I had some small part to do with the creation of that exciting sporting environment, served as the catalyst for my draw to the industry.  From that point on, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.

During about half-way through the summer, one of the interns asked me if I was coming back the following season when Sky Blue Soccer launched its professional team.  I thought to myself, “Professional team?”

Ever since the Women’s United Soccer Association of America (WUSA) folded in 2003, there had been no professional women’s soccer league in place in this country.  In 2009, the following summer, Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) was to begin play.  I learned from this intern that Sky Blue Soccer, the parent company of the Jersey Sky Blue, had purchased the rights to the New Jersey franchise of the WPS.

The thrilling news continued as that W-League season ended and Sky Blue FC was born as a team in the WPS.  The summer of 2009, my transition year between high school and college, I served as a game-day volunteer with Sky Blue FC of the WPS. 

Working in professional women’s soccer became an entirely new beast in itself.  We transitioned to a larger stadium and had larger crowds, naturally.  My primary responsibilities were on the field as the Assistant Field Manager and Ball Person Coordinator.  I performed many tasks including stadium set-up/break-down, oversight of the Stretcher Crew along with the 4th Official, and facilitation of pre-game, half-time, and post-game activities/autograph sessions. 

At the age of 18, I was having the time of my life.  Arriving at the stadium on a game-day never felt like work or a job, rather it was fun and enjoyable.  Of course, the initial wow-factor wore off after the first few games.  What do I mean by wow-factor?  Well, I noted soccer is my main sport and I naturally knew about the women’s game.  Being 5 feet from players like Brandi Chastain, Christie Rampone, Heather O’Reilly (HAO), and Marta – the current and 5-time consecutive FIFA Women’s Player of the Year, was pretty cool initially.

That season on the field, the first of WPS, Sky Blue FC barely skated into the playoffs and endured numerous coaching changes.  They made it all the way to the WPS Championship game in L.A. against the L.A. Sol.  In the end, the underdog Sky Blue FC upset the Sol to capture the inaugural WPS title.  After the match, Christie Rampone, team captain who also assumed the role of head coach after the resignation of the previous coach near the end of the season, announced to her teammates that she was 11 weeks pregnant.  There’s a little Sky Blue FC trivia for you.

Anyway, Sky Blue FC won the 2009 WPS title.  Of course, after that summer I came here to Drexel for my first year in the Sport Management program and loved every second of it.  With that summer, which was this past summer, the only free summer of the Drexel curriculum and the last summer vacation of my life, I still wanted to return to Sky Blue FC in a larger capacity

With numerous staffing changes in the front office and in Operations specifically, one of the top interns had assumed the position of Operations Manager.  Her and I always had a great relationship and when I expressed interest in coming back, she offered me her old position as a full-time Operations Intern. 

That brings us to this past summer, where I served as an Operations Intern with Sky Blue FC.  This proved to be my most valuable and educational experience in sports.  Having been with the organization for years prior, I knew a majority of the front office staff and had great relationships with them.  Aside from the work of the Director of Operations, as an Operations Intern my main responsibilities revolved around home matches.  On off-weeks when the team was away, I transformed into more of the general front office intern.  I found myself assisting the Director of Marketing in creating promotional material, cold calling potential ticket buyers, and facilitating practice sessions. 

The team also signed Patrizia Panico, the captain and star forward for the Italian Women’s National side, about mid-way through the season.  It became obvious that there was a communication barrier between her and the rest of the players.  Her English was not the best.  Word got around the front office of my Italian language skills.  The next day, I was translating for Patrizia at team training and team meetings.  It was fun and a little interesting being in closed-door team meetings open to only the coaching staff and players. 

How did Sky Blue FC do this past summer on the field, in their second season?  Not as well as the first.  The team narrowly missed the playoffs but with many new faces and the addition of Head Coach Jim Gabarra, the team looks set for this season.  Last year’s coach is still on staff.  Rick Stainton is now Jim’s assistant and I can tell you Rick is by far the classiest, nicest, and most upbeat person you will ever meet.

In my total of three years with Sky Blue Soccer I fell in love with the sports industry.  Heck, after my first Jersey Sky Blue game, at the age of 17, I fell in love with the sports industry.  My experience in women’s soccer, has proven to be invaluable in my professional career. 

To those of you who know me personally, yes, I did also work on game-days this past season with the Philadelphia Union of the MLS.  While that was an awesome experience as well, it does not compare to my experience and the skills I learned at Sky Blue Soccer.

I will be forever grateful to the organization for introducing me to the industry.  Sky Blue Soccer is kind of like that friend that set you up with someone.  In this case, it happened to work out perfectly.

Have your own sports industry love story you would like to share?  Whether you are an SMTSU member or a complete outsider, we welcome your story.  Submit it via email to drexelSMTSU@gmail.com, we will review it, and baring any major issue, we will put it up on the blog.

I warned you this would be a wordy story.  I hope it provided you some insight in your personal journey through the sports industry, whether you are in college or nearing the end of your career.  Planning and reflection is key in your professional life.  Take some time to do it. 

Love is love and if anyone asks, I’m taken by the sports industry.  Are you?    

“Here—I’m Open!” is authored by Sport Management Student Union (SMTSU) President, Kevin Giordano.  A sophomore sport management major and native of Hillsborough, New Jersey, Kevin has experience working in women’s and men’s professional soccer and collegiate athletics.  For questions, comments, and story suggestions, he can be reached at kgiordano25@yahoo.com.