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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 17, 2021 15:46:06 GMT -5
Interviewing this week for VP of Strategy position with Major League Baseball. Sounds like a pretty interesting position but it’s a long shot for me as I have 0 experience in the sports and entertainment industry.
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Post by 75tranzam on Jul 17, 2021 15:51:44 GMT -5
Good luck, hope you get the job if you want it!
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Post by bigdawgs on Jul 17, 2021 16:15:27 GMT -5
Good luck.
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Post by Elapid on Jul 17, 2021 22:09:03 GMT -5
Good luck, not having experience isn't always a bad thing. Bringing new ideas and strategy's can be good thing.
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Post by CFF on Jul 18, 2021 7:59:32 GMT -5
Will you be introducing the idea of free tickets to the "Sports Forum" crew for research and strategy?
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 18, 2021 9:29:29 GMT -5
The ESF that contacted me about the opening said they are looking for a diverse, non-traditional background, however the position requires an MBA. Being a NYC job, a diverse background can mean a minority candidate with an Ivy League MBA to check a box or it can truly mean an out of the box candidate. No way to know for sure ahead of time but the hiring EVP has an MBA from Wharton SOB. Should know more on Tuesday. If it works out, I will get you some comp tickets as long as you troll the Yankees CFF.
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Post by theswan on Jul 18, 2021 16:25:54 GMT -5
Good luck! If you get it, I think having Rob Manfred step down would be an excellent strategy for Mlb moving forward.
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Post by Elapid on Jul 18, 2021 18:20:59 GMT -5
The ESF that contacted me about the opening said they are looking for a diverse, non-traditional background, however the position requires an MBA. Being a NYC job, a diverse background can mean a minority candidate with an Ivy League MBA to check a box or it can truly mean an out of the box candidate. No way to know for sure ahead of time but the hiring EVP has an MBA from Wharton SOB. Should know more on Tuesday. If it works out, I will get you some comp tickets as long as you troll the Yankees CFF. Am I to guess it with the Red Sox?
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 18, 2021 18:33:52 GMT -5
No, it’s with Major League Baseball in their NYC corporate office. I just dislike the Yankees due to my obnoxious Connecticut family.
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Post by tophb21 on Jul 19, 2021 14:24:27 GMT -5
Very cool opportunity. Go in guns a blazing! Haha.
In all seriousness best of luck. Even if it doesn’t work out, it could be a great experience and good connection for you.
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Post by CFF on Jul 19, 2021 16:59:04 GMT -5
The ESF that contacted me about the opening said they are looking for a diverse, non-traditional background, however the position requires an MBA. Being a NYC job, a diverse background can mean a minority candidate with an Ivy League MBA to check a box or it can truly mean an out of the box candidate. No way to know for sure ahead of time but the hiring EVP has an MBA from Wharton SOB. Should know more on Tuesday. If it works out, I will get you some comp tickets as long as you troll the Yankees CFF. Would love to watch the Yankees. I will root for whoever the other team is also. I can be quite loud, so the trolling is very possible.
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 21, 2021 9:32:04 GMT -5
Very cool opportunity. Go in guns a blazing! Haha. In all seriousness best of luck. Even if it doesn’t work out, it could be a great experience and good connection for you. And I did but will see if they liked what I had to say. The office was nice enough but working in Rockefeller Center would be an adjustment in lifestyle. It’s stuffy in there…a bunch of old Ivy League types. If I got the job I would be the youngest VP by about a decade, don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. But my pitch was about following the data, embracing becoming a niche sport and looking for new and inventive revenue streams rather than trying to fill the stadiums as currently constructed. Operational agility and the bottom line are far more important than historical prestige. We will see if that resonates but there were undertones of arrogance in their presentation of the “future” so it may not be well received. 🤷♂️
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Post by theswan on Jul 21, 2021 12:21:30 GMT -5
Very cool opportunity. Go in guns a blazing! Haha. In all seriousness best of luck. Even if it doesn’t work out, it could be a great experience and good connection for you. And I did but will see if they liked what I had to say. The office was nice enough but working in Rockefeller Center would be an adjustment in lifestyle. It’s stuffy in there…a bunch of old Ivy League types. If I got the job I would be the youngest VP by about a decade, don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. But my pitch was about following the data, embracing becoming a niche sport and looking for new and inventive revenue streams rather than trying to fill the stadiums as currently constructed. Operational agility and the bottom line are far more important than historical prestige. We will see if that resonates but there were undertones of arrogance in their presentation of the “future” so it may not be well received. 🤷♂️ I don't think baseball becoming a niche sport is a good thing at all. Do you mind going a little further in your thoughts on this? I would also be interested to know more about their presentation for the future of you could.
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Post by dawgggystyle on Jul 21, 2021 15:15:40 GMT -5
good luck, let us know what happens.
i did an internship with the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association in college. It was the best time i ever had. Wish they would have had some openings back then for me to work there.
FYI Tug McGraw was the coolest MFer on the planet
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 21, 2021 19:33:34 GMT -5
A lot of the future stuff is proprietary. However, MLB is trying to figure out rule changes to bring in the casual fan. It’s all been floated: smaller pitching staffs, moving the mound back, limiting defensive positioning, limiting pickoff moves etc. I think that’s a mistake and you risk alienating the core fan. The MLB wants to figure out how to capture market share of casual fans back from the NBA and NFL. I think this is a mistake because you don’t see growth in tv numbers during the summer when the NFL and NBA aren’t playing. So I don’t think there are many “casual” fans looking for sports to watch that can be “captured” in large numbers by any sort of rule changes.
I think the smarter move is to embrace the fact that TV viewership and attendances may decline but this can be offset by more efficient operations and new revenue streams. For instance, a smaller ballpark with more premium options (better seating, food, amenities etc) can bring in the same revenue as a larger ballpark. That’s what I mean by niche sport. MLB wants to drive top line growth and I think that is a pipe dream. Rather are there premium streaming options that would be attractive to core fans? What about an analytics integrated broadcast of the game for fantasy players? Are there untapped markets in Latin America for streaming? Can the MLB do a better job marketing the top players?
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Post by theswan on Jul 21, 2021 20:16:38 GMT -5
A lot of the future stuff is proprietary. However, MLB is trying to figure out rule changes to bring in the casual fan. It’s all been floated: smaller pitching staffs, moving the mound back, limiting defensive positioning, limiting pickoff moves etc. I think that’s a mistake and you risk alienating the core fan. The MLB wants to figure out how to capture market share of casual fans back from the NBA and NFL. I think this is a mistake because you don’t see growth in tv numbers during the summer when the NFL and NBA aren’t playing. So I don’t think there are many “casual” fans looking for sports to watch that can be “captured” in large numbers by any sort of rule changes. I think the smarter move is to embrace the fact that TV viewership and attendances may decline but this can be offset by more efficient operations and new revenue streams. For instance, a smaller ballpark with more premium options (better seating, food, amenities etc) can bring in the same revenue as a larger ballpark. That’s what I mean by niche sport. MLB wants to drive top line growth and I think that is a pipe dream. Rather are there premium streaming options that would be attractive to core fans? What about an analytics integrated broadcast of the game for fantasy players? Are there untapped markets in Latin America for streaming? Can the MLB do a better job marketing the top players? Thanks. Sounds pretty good from your end. Except for some limitations on shifts, what they're talking about will just further ruin the game. Not surprised. As far as integrating analytics into broadcast, are you talking about separate broadcasts?
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 21, 2021 20:50:41 GMT -5
No, same broadcast but add an analytics component to the broadcast…maybe graphic overlays that show probabilities, predicted results or possibly add an analytics person to the booth to provide color. Statcast integrated broadcasts do a poor job as they try to pack too much material and it can’t be digested by the average viewer. It needs to be more surgical.
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Post by theswan on Jul 21, 2021 21:19:53 GMT -5
Okay, I thought maybe you were talking about streaming other types of broadcasts.
Personally, I think too much stock has been put into analytics. There are some useful tidbits that are useful, but much is taken overboard.
As an example, stolen bases. There is no possible way anyone could possibly quantify the effect on a pitcher when he has to be concerned about a runner taking off. I've seen great pitchers frustrated and completely unravel when he's hounded by that threat. Money ball was a great movie, but I laughed pretty hard at that point.
I enjoy watching baseball. That seems like it would feel like the analysis is the show and the actual game is just there for the analysis.
If the wheel is rolling along just fine then there's no benefit to reinventing it. That's actually the reason people like me are tuning out. We wouldn't even be talking about baseball right now if the game couldn't stand on its own as it was.
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Post by geauxtigerfan on Jul 21, 2021 22:49:01 GMT -5
Good luck USC Gamecocks - hope you get the position.
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 22, 2021 11:18:51 GMT -5
Okay, I thought maybe you were talking about streaming other types of broadcasts. Personally, I think too much stock has been put into analytics. There are some useful tidbits that are useful, but much is taken overboard. As an example, stolen bases. There is no possible way anyone could possibly quantify the effect on a pitcher when he has to be concerned about a runner taking off. I've seen great pitchers frustrated and completely unravel when he's hounded by that threat. Money ball was a great movie, but I laughed pretty hard at that point. I enjoy watching baseball. That seems like it would feel like the analysis is the show and the actual game is just there for the analysis. If the wheel is rolling along just fine then there's no benefit to reinventing it. That's actually the reason people like me are tuning out. We wouldn't even be talking about baseball right now if the game couldn't stand on its own as it was. So at what point would you suggest making changes? The average age of the typical MLB fan is going up nearly at the same rate as the calendar. That either means baseball isn’t attracting new fans, or if they are these new fans are in the same demographic as the average. That doesn’t bode well for the future. I wasn’t thinking of an overwhelming presence of analytics like the statcast broadcasts. I think a balance needs to be struck in that regard.
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Post by theswan on Jul 22, 2021 12:35:42 GMT -5
Okay, I thought maybe you were talking about streaming other types of broadcasts. Personally, I think too much stock has been put into analytics. There are some useful tidbits that are useful, but much is taken overboard. As an example, stolen bases. There is no possible way anyone could possibly quantify the effect on a pitcher when he has to be concerned about a runner taking off. I've seen great pitchers frustrated and completely unravel when he's hounded by that threat. Money ball was a great movie, but I laughed pretty hard at that point. I enjoy watching baseball. That seems like it would feel like the analysis is the show and the actual game is just there for the analysis. If the wheel is rolling along just fine then there's no benefit to reinventing it. That's actually the reason people like me are tuning out. We wouldn't even be talking about baseball right now if the game couldn't stand on its own as it was. So at what point would you suggest making changes? The average age of the typical MLB fan is going up nearly at the same rate as the calendar. That either means baseball isn’t attracting new fans, or if they are these new fans are in the same demographic as the average. That doesn’t bode well for the future. I wasn’t thinking of an overwhelming presence of analytics like the statcast broadcasts. I think a balance needs to be struck in that regard. It all depends on what kind of changes we're talking about. The average attendance has remained pretty steady going back the last 20 years. Sure, the average age of viewers is up. That isn't unique to baseball. It's the same with college football, the NFL and I think NBA. Along with almost every other sport. So, I don't think it's the sport itself. I read only 7% of tv viewers for baseball are under 18. It's 9% for football. I think that has more to do with kids spending more time doing kid things than the games themselves. Not to mention that the 8-17 age range is a much smaller segment of the population than 18+. A 2-2 and a half hour game was very common back when I was a kid. Getting back to that would help. What I see as a MAJOR problem is the analytics driven trend of strikeout, walk or HR outcomes. It's made the game far more boring. The Cardinals may have only hit 60-80 home runs in a season as a team in the 80's, but man...they were a lot of fun to watch. They would just run your dick in the dirt. Analytics isn't the answer. Just my opinion as someone who has always had a passion for the game of baseball.
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Post by USCGamecocks on Jul 22, 2021 13:23:34 GMT -5
So that's a different issue. MLB has no control over the use of analytics by individual teams. It's too hard to string together hits against specialized pitching staffs so players have changed their swings to hit more homeruns and the teams provide financial reward for playing this way. I agree the game is much more boring now than when I watched religiously in the 90s, but analytics in a broadcast aren't the reason for that.
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Post by Geaux Tigers on Jul 22, 2021 14:34:11 GMT -5
How are you approaching the SJW BS, both positive and negative effects?
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Post by theswan on Jul 22, 2021 14:42:57 GMT -5
So that's a different issue. MLB has no control over the use of analytics by individual teams. It's too hard to string together hits against specialized pitching staffs so players have changed their swings to hit more homeruns and the teams provide financial reward for playing this way. I agree the game is much more boring now than when I watched religiously in the 90s, but analytics in a broadcast aren't the reason for that. When I was talking about the role analytics played in the 3 outcomes, I wasn't intending to suggest that had anything to do with your idea. It's just an idea right now. Merely pointing out an issue that affects popularity. At the same time, I don't think incorporating analytics more into broadcast will help anything. I just don't see how it possibly could. Maybe another streaming service or something with that aspect that's seperate from the regular broadcast. I'm not sure if that could be viable or how it would work. I definitely wouldn't be against trying that. When I watch a game, I want to watch the game is all. Specialized bullpens have been around a couple of decades now. The 3 outcome trend is very recent. Marketing star players is another area that MLB could definitely improve on.
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Post by USCGamecocks on Sept 16, 2021 5:52:25 GMT -5
Didn’t end up working out as they went with another guy. Probably for the best because finding housing (and a suitable lifestyle) in Manhattan for me and three dogs would have been challenging. Predictably, they went with an Ivy League MBA candidate in his early 50s. Made some great contacts though and will be interested to see his impact on the overall strategy.
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Post by dawgggystyle on Sept 16, 2021 10:26:02 GMT -5
Didn’t end up working out as they went with another guy. Probably for the best because finding housing (and a suitable lifestyle) in Manhattan for me and three dogs would have been challenging. Predictably, they went with an Ivy League MBA candidate in his early 50s. Made some great contacts though and will be interested to see his impact on the overall strategy. everything happens for a reason i always say. hope you had a good experience through the process though
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Post by Elapid on Sept 16, 2021 11:05:59 GMT -5
If you never lived in New York or surrounding areas, you probably wouldn't have enjoyed it. It's a crowded mess and hunting is, well there isn't any for over 200 miles.
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Post by USCGamecocks on Sept 17, 2021 9:30:14 GMT -5
The only hunting in the area is at clubs. The main Orvis shooting ground at Sandanona is less than 2 hours away. It was a great experience but mutually not a great fit. The good part is companies are tripping all over themselves to hire supply chain consultants since so many of them are finding their processes are failing under this current stress test. So I’ll likely have a consulting position in the next few weeks.
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