Eric Edelstein represents one of the best success stories in the sports industry. In high school, Edelstein was already getting his teeth cut on how to work in sports with the Cleveland Indians, then parlayed that into an internship in Buffalo. Now, 15 years later, Edelstein is in charge of one of the premier AAA franchises on the West Coast, the Reno Aces, and has already put his fingerprints on the Aces sales culture and success for the upcoming season. Edelstein shares his wisdom, as well as mindset on hiring, firing and making sure that the office reflects the values of the community. Twitter: @EricBaseball
Kevin Hatcher represents the epitome of NCAA Division II athletics, discussing how different the scene looks compared to the Division I days. Hatcher talks about the responsibilities, as well as smaller staff and budget, that make up the realities of CSSB and its sister Division II schools in the conference. Hatcher discusses coming into the environment, understanding how to shift the culture, and why it may be necessary to move staff when they do not fit into the system. Hatcher broadens the scope by illustrating why a jump to Division I athletics is not a certainty, even when an athletic department such as CSSB wins on the court.
The Arizona Sundogs CHL hockey team made international news in 2013 by having their front office staff climb into a scissor lift and staying up there for over a week until they set a new record of season tickets. The news coverage hit both BBC news and Deadspin as a completely out of the ordinary way to generate season ticket sales. The Sundogs are the Central Hockey League affiliate of the NHL Phoenix Coyotes. Sundogs GM Chris Presson talks about the scissor lift stunt, as well as how the club functions overall in Prescott Valley, about 90 minutes north of Phoenix, in the Tim's Toyota Center. Presson discusses some of the ins and outs of working in minor league sports, as well as what the sports management programs aren't teaching their students, and focuses on how sports sales needs to be viewed as a mainstay for anyone choosing to enter the industry as an employee.