Sean Hildebrand ’14: \u00a0When I was searching for an externship that would help me in my goal to one day work in the NFL, I was fortunate enough to land an opportunity to visit the Indianapolis Colts Team Facility for a day.\u00a0 While there wasn\u2019t anyone on site that worked with the actual team, there were plenty of employees scrambling around to finish various projects before the preseason opener this Sunday.\u00a0 I met numerous people who worked with the marketing, sales, and sponsorship side of the organization, and I instantly became fascinated with the work they were doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The first man I visited was Jim Matis, formerly known as \u201cMad Dog\u201d on radio station Q95.\u00a0 After 25 years with the radio show, Jim became the Colts\u2019 sponsorship sales account manager.\u00a0 Even though promotions and sponsorships aren\u2019t what I\u2019m looking to get involved with, it was great to learn about what goes on behind the scenes in the Colts\u2019 facility and at home games.\u00a0 For example, all those company banners you see hanging around Lucas Oil Stadium became involved with the organization through Jim.\u00a0 The Colts organization agrees to market the company name around the stadium and through commercial\/radio ads in exchange for a hefty investment from the company.\u00a0 The more sponsors he racks up, the more the organization profits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I was then passed on to Andy Schwartz, the man Jim goes to once he comes to an agreement with a new sponsor.\u00a0 Schwartz then gets in contact with the sponsor and finds out what kind of promotions they want with the Colts (commercials, in-game ads, radio mentions, etc.).\u00a0 Once that is settled, Schwartz sets up times when the company\u2019s promotions will be displayed on television, radio, or during the game.\u00a0 He showed me the script of all the promos that will be shown during this Sunday\u2019s preseason game:\u00a0 there were eight pages worth of ads that had to be shown throughout the game.\u00a0 The unnoticed amount of work that the marketing side of the organization goes through every day is simply unbelievable.\u00a0 Even though this isn\u2019t the kind of work I want to get involved with, I gained an incredible appreciation for the work that this side of the organization does in helping the Colts become even more profitable.\u00a0 I also found value in seeing how fast-paced and unpredictable life in an NFL organization can be.<\/p>\n
The following day I visited the Finish Line headquarters to hang out with Andy Rankin, a Wabash alumnus of 1998 and a lawyer.\u00a0 He does real estate corporate counseling with the company, which means he makes agreements with landlords to have a Finish Line at various malls and buildings around the country.\u00a0 Finish Line began in Indianapolis in 1976, and has expanded to over 650 stores across the country.\u00a0 There are also over 650 separate leases for each of the Finish Line locations in the United States, and two real estate lawyers to manage them.\u00a0 To show me just how busy Andy can be, he gave me an old lease for a Finish Line store that is no longer open.\u00a0 Numerous amendments were made on the lease by both Andy and the landlord, and the final draft ended up being 70 pages long.\u00a0 The average lease for a Finish Line store takes him roughly two hours to look over and propose changes, and he usually does this about 5-7 times each week.\u00a0 Fortunately for Rankin, this is about as difficult and boring as it gets for him at Finish Line Headquarters.<\/p>\n
After spending a day with Andy, I gained a much better understanding of what lawyers do in the sporting goods industry.\u00a0 While I am still uncertain about my specific career track after graduation, it was nice to learn what a law degree and other graduate school programs can do for you.\u00a0 It was also great to see what a gigantic sporting goods headquarters looks like.\u00a0 Along with the warehouse, conference rooms and hundreds of offices, the headquarters contains just about everything you can ask for:\u00a0 lunch room, 80″ flat screen TV, arcade, weight room, basketball court, cross fit gym, and an actual Finish Line store in the basement.\u00a0 And much like the Colts\u2019 team facility, there is a lively and friendly environment around the offices and cubicles, and everyone seems to get along and have a good time with one another.\u00a0 I\u2019m grateful to have had the unique opportunity to visit two very distinguished businesses in the sports industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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