The Fields of Opportunity Career Fair was a student-run event that sought to bring student networking and internship experience in the sports world as well as show how extensive the sports industry can be. 

The event included organizations like STS Education, IMPACT Learning Institute, Strike One Baseball Academy and Konami Digital Entertainment Co. There were sports teams to network with, like the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Kings.

Assistant professor and Director of Sports Management Program Mark Orlando helped organize the event with the students, which he said will be hosted yearly. Orlando said that while he already incorporates partnerships with professional sports organizations for his classes, he and the students in his facilities design and management class wanted to put on an event utilizing their skills to bring all of these organizations together. 

Orlando said that it took both himself and his students leveraging their connections to put together the event.

“The collective students who enroll will have the ability to network, extend, bring in external, local and regional partners to be a part of this event that opens up the exploratory research element for the student to figure out what subset of this industry of sport they actually would possibly like to work in,” Orlando said.

The event was divided into two portions. The first was a learning component where executives from different companies were able to sit down with students to talk about how their subset of the industry works. Students would rotate every 10 to 15 minutes to get the chance to learn from all the executives. 

Orlando said that it would not only be what the job itself is about but also the challenges of working in that part of the sports industry.

The second part of the event was the sports management career fair. Students had a chance to talk to representatives of companies and organizations, like the Los Angeles Rams and Young Athletes for Christ, and look into internships and entry-level jobs. One attraction by STS Education included an esports gaming truck where students could play Rocket League together.

First-year sports management major Trevor Cadam said he heard about the event through the Business in Sports Club and was excited about the opportunity to make connections in the sports industry.

“The Rams are out here, that’s the big name…but then we’ve also met some new organizations like YAC [Young Athletes for Christ],” Cadam said. “They were just a cool organization that we got to meet and talk with today about providing opportunities for kids and guidance through football careers and their faith.”

Another first-year, communication major Kyle Howie, said that he always wanted to be a part of sports since he was young and this was a great opportunity for him to learn about it.

“Cal Lutheran offers such great opportunities to get your foot in the door, so just taking advantage of doing what I want to do in the future,” Howie said. “It’s a great event and if it was held yearly, I mean I’d be here every year.”

Orlando said that this event will become the second annual cornerstone event for business management.

“Today is not just about sports management majors and minors,” Orlando said. “It’s about the Cal Lutheran community and it doesn’t matter what major, it doesn’t matter what minor, you are. This is just a gateway, and again a pipeline, for everyone to enjoy the festivities and possibly learn about a career path.”