Many people assume that I want to be in the sports business because I'm an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete. That's not entirely accurate: I definitely am an obsessive sports fan that never made it as an athlete, but I'm not trying to be in sports to recreate a dream that never happened.
What appeals to me about the industry is the connection with fans on an imperceptible level, a bond that unites us with a bunch of strangers who toil for an impersonal company we have no direct connection to. Sports is one of the few markets where the end consumer actually drives the business.
We at the Sports Business Association got to see this first-hand last week when our colleagues from USC Marshall invited us to a behind-the-scenes day with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We started with a tour of Angel Stadium by Clyde Wright, who pitched for over 10 seasons in the big leagues, primarily in Anaheim. You could tell by his enthusiasm that Clyde had that he loved the ballpark and being a representative of the team - both on and off the field.
Then, we spent an hour with team president Dennis Kuhl, who gave us his insights on the club, the business, baseball, and the industry. Most interesting to me was his dedication to every detail of the fan experience. He wanted his stadium to be the cleanest in the majors - and by my count, it was impeccable. One of his objectives was to build the brand of the club behind three logos: the name "ANGELS", the large "A" logo, and the colour red. Every employee was dressed in all three on them in some capacity.
We wrapped up the session with Mr. Kuhl, then headed into the main part of the stadium for some Tennessee BBQ at Clyde's, which was named after our erstwhile tour guide. Finally, we soaked in the fruit of the hard work put in by Mr. Kuhl, Mr. Wright, and the Angels organization: a big crowd out to see the Angels take on Oakland, a midweek game between two teams already out of contention. The lower bowl was full, the upper deck was 40-50% there.
That's what it is all about.
-- Sreesha
