Final Blog

 When figuring out my senior project, I had many issues coming up with ideas and getting mentors. I knew I wanted to do something related to sports, but most teams do not have shorter internships for senior projects. My mom brought up the idea of the Akron Rubberducks, and I was fortunate enough that Ken Babby, the owner of the team, welcomed the idea. I really enjoyed my project because Mr. Babby and Jim Pfander, the general manager, allowed me to decide which parts of the organization I was interested in and wanted to shadow. Everyone I talked to was very generous, taking time out of their busy days to meet with me. The only negative during my time was that my project was curated a little last minute, so my schedule was not always busy. I was glad I was able to help the organization by giving ideas for new promotions and improvements and working during a game and an event. This project was very beneficial to me because it allowed me to shadow in an industry where I hope to work in the future: sports business. I now understand the many unique opportunities there are within it. I knew nothing about minor league baseball before my project. I came to understand that minor league baseball is more of an entertainment industry, and they happen to work at a baseball field. They do not take care of any of the play on field. The team is on lease to them from the Guardians. This difference is something I will consider in the future because there are a lot of pros and cons, in my opinion. A pro that I observed is you get to work in a ballpark and be around the sport, but the game results don’t affect you and the staff. A negative, in my opinion, is that you are not as closely associated with the game as with a pro team, and there is no player management which is something that interests me. I think the biggest takeaway I had was the dedication it takes to work in sports. It is really important to love your job because you work much longer than 40 hours a week with games and events during the weekend. This difference was not something I considered, but I need to when I look to get a job in the future. I don’t think there is a service opportunity for Hawken, but I did enjoy my project for anyone looking to work with the Rubberducks in the future. My advice to rising juniors and seniors is to do a project you enjoy but will also be beneficial. I learned a lot in a very short period, but I also had a lot of fun while doing it. That is because the project was something I am passionate about but still new to me. I really appreciate Ken Babby, Jim Pfander, and everyone at the Rubberducks for allowing me to have this great experience and for taking the time to help me.

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