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Is it hard to find a job with baseball teams?

I want to get on with a minor league or a Major League Baseball team whatever way I can because I love baseball #sports #sports-management #baseball #sports-broadcasting #broadcasting

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Brian’s Answer

I worked for a minor league baseball team, first as an intern and then later as a full-time employee. I would say depending on the team, you could gain significant exposure to the inner workings of the complete business (you have many responsibilities, not just your job title). As example, you may work in ticket sales but would have different game time responsibilities as well. During the season, it is incredibly long hours; not only did you work front office hours during the day, but you would stick around for the full game (and even help with getting the tarp on the field after the game if there was a threat of rain forecast). During homestands, you could work 80-100 hours during a week. Pay was modest to begin with, but factoring in the hours worked, it was well below minimum wage. I think this contributes to high turnover and burnout and very few continue along in the field.

Most people wanting to get into the industry are passionate about sports. I would try to understand what the specific job responsibilities are and whether it has anything to do with the reason you love sports. If you are not working in the area that interests you most, you may be better off doing the same job responsibilities somewhere else, which most likely will result in more pay and more time to sit on the couch and actually watch sports.
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Monty’s Answer

Hi Alexis -
I have worked in baseball for minor league and major league teams for 26+ years. Good career. Challenging and rewarding work. There is an old adage in sports administration that "we work while others play" meaning that while fans and players are enjoying the game we are working behind the scenes to make the fan and game experience an fun and memorable one. For baseball, that often means working on holidays (i.e. July 4th, Memorial Day are typically work days if the team is playing a home game while the rest of the world enjoys the holidays). Also be prepared that much of the time you will not be watching the game as you would if you were a fan.


As far as locating an job in baseball I can offer a couple suggestions:
1. If you live near a team (at whatever level), get your foot in the door as game-day employee as an usher, ticket taker, ticket seller, etc. That always looks good on a resume when trying to find a entry-level baseball office position. It also helps you network with the full time employees on the staff.
2. Each December baseball has what is called the Baseball Winter Meetings. Those are meetings where baseball executives of all level convene to discuss baseball topics, league rules, share promotional ideas, etc. The winter meetings are in different cities each year (in 2016 the meetings are near Washington DC). One of the features at the annual meetings is what is called the Job Seekers seminar and is hosted by an organization called Professional Baseball Employment Opportunities (PBEO). It is at the job seekers seminar that baseball teams post job openings that they are trying to fill for the upcoming season. Most of those job openings are entry-level or paid internship positions. You are able to submit your resume to and interview with those teams' executives right there. I highly recommend attending the winter meetings and participate in the PBEO seminar. You can find out more minor about it by searching PBEO Job Fair on the internet.


Hope that helps and best wishes in your career endeavors.

Thank you comment icon Great answer Monty. This is well said. One suggestion I would add....surround yourself around players. As you are becoming life long friends, remember that they may need accountants, managers, and other folks they trust to be part of their world. It is another way you can get involved M Schwartz
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