Behind the Green Monster Blog
William Keough, a Boston College High School student from Hingham, Mass., spent a month as an intern with the Boston Red Sox, courtesy of Bentley University in Waltham, Mass and Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLB.com).
BLOG ENTRY #1
The Boston Red Sox are arguably the most successful sports franchise of this century. The success of a sports franchise is almost exclusively credited to the players of the field. As long as I can remember when someone would say Red Sox I would think of a player – Roger Clemens, Mo Vaughn, Pedro Martinez, David Ortiz. The Boston Red Sox are a successful baseball team not because of the 25 men on the active roster, but because of all the people who work behind the scenes to ensure the franchise thrives and remains profitable for years to come. I have spent the last two weeks working with those people – the people who sell sponsorships, manage events, and ultimately provide the revenue to field a competitive baseball team.
Over the last two weeks I have gained both experience and knowledge in a variety of areas. I have been working primarily with Fenway Sports Group (FSG) which, in its own words, is “an innovative, sports-oriented sales and marketing organization that offers clients the tools necessary to resolve marketing integration challenges, drive brand awareness and deliver results.” FSG is in essence the sales and marketing arm of the Boston Red Sox. Although FSG is most closely associated with the Red Sox, hence the office on Yawkey Way and the same parent company, the company works with various franchises, ranging from Boston College athletics to Roush Fenway Racing. With FSG I have completed a significant amount of research on potential sponsors and new sponsorship ideas. But I certainly haven’t just sat at a computer every day.
FSG also runs the “Red Sox Destinations” program. The Red Sox Destinations program organizes trips to see the Boston Red Sox either in different cities or for out-of-state Sox fans to come see them in Boston. The trips typically include tickets, and a reception with a Red Sox player. The most recent trip the Destinations crew organized was to Cooperstown, N.Y., for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The Red Sox’ own Jim Rice was inducted last weekend, and thanks to Red Sox Destinations, hundreds of Jim Rice fans were able to attend. When the travelers returned this Tuesday, they had a reception with Jim Rice in the EMC Club at Fenway Park. I helped out with that event and got to personally congratulate Jim on his accomplishment. Following the reception we brought the travelers down to the field to watch batting practice from behind home plate. It was quite an experience. I was also able to speak briefly with Don Orsillo and Tom Caron of NESN while down at the field.
Wednesday was the Red Sox quarterly meeting. All Red Sox and FSG employees were asked to attend. The meeting was held in the EMC Club and was hosted by Larry Lucchino. At the meeting there was discussion of future plans for Fenway, record-breaking ticket sales, and of course the trade deadline. All of this was accompanied by my favorite part of the afternoon – a free lunch.
As I sit here on deadline day at 1:37 p.m., the Red Sox seem to be positioning themselves for a big deal. The popular names on the Red Sox radar include Roy Halladay, Adrian Gonzalez and Victor Martinez. Although this day is almost always centered on trades, significant news about David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez broke yesterday around noon. The fact that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez both tested positive for performance- enhancing drugs in 2003 is both embarrassing and devastating. It will be interesting to see how the next few days here play out.
This internship has already provided me with connections I feel can make a difference in the future, and valuable business knowledge. I strongly recommend that everyone enter this contest. The reward isn’t money or fame, it’s the opportunity of a lifetime to work for one of the most successful franchises in the country. The prize cannot be spent away or wasted. It is an experience that will benefit you for the rest of your life.
BLOG ENTRY #2
I guess I knew this day would come eventually, but I never thought it would come so quickly. It is now the last day of my one-month internship with the Boston Red Sox.
Since my last blog entry a lot has changed here in Red Sox Nation – the most obvious changes being the acquisition of catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez and the team’s precipitous fall from the top of the American League East standings. Although times are tough for the team on the field, business is swirling in the Red Sox offices. The Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon is taking place in just a few short days, and Deutsche Bank Championship preparation is in full swing.
I have been working primarily on sponsorship proposals for potential customers, and of course watching as much batting practice from the field and attending as many games as is humanly possible. I have been brainstorming for ideas for events, promotions, and new sponsorship opportunities and have been working on formal proposals using Microsoft PowerPoint and Adobe Photoshop Elements. With all the time and effort I have put into these proposals, they are starting to look like the real deal. It is truly amazing how much one can learn in a short period of time when immersed in a real business setting.
The knowledge I have garnered over the last month has significantly surpassed the knowledge I could learn in a classroom. This great opportunity has given me a step ahead of my soon-to-be classmates in college and an unparalleled motivation to become an intelligent, aggressive, and successful businessman.
I would like to thank everyone at Bentley University for this incredible opportunity. Everything was so well managed on their part, from the process to name a winner to the media coverage of my opportunity in the Boston Herald and Boston Globe, and my home paper , the Hingham Journal. Thanks to the Bentley University Office of Public and Media Relations, I am even going to write a column about my experience in the Journal.
Anyone who is even considering entering this contest should do so. A 100-word essay will not take all day. Enter this contest regardless of your doubts. I remember as I filled out my essay thinking “There is absolutely no way I am going to win this.” You cannot pass up this chance, because the reward is second to none.
