Students from California Lutheran University’s Sports Management program put on a Fields of Opportunity: Score Your Dream Career event, hosting guest speakers from The Rams, Los Angeles Football Club, Anaheim Ducks, Sports Academy, and more.
This was the second Fields of Opportunity event put on by the students of the sports management course, with 75 students participating in the networking portion. The goal of the event was to teach students how to break into the industry and begin networking early in their careers.
The event had two different sections: a networking roundtable event from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Ullman 100/101, and a career fair event from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the spine.
Sports Management Program Director Mark Orlando Mark Orlando said the entire event was embedded in a class, and the students were the ones who organized and ran the events.
“This whole event is embedded in a class, so our Sports Facilities, Design and Management course. Those students are the liaisons, I guess, the event directors, operations, that put this entire event on from beginning to the culmination of today,” Orlando said.
Vice President of Business and Sports Club, Co-Event Manager, and senior Kennedy Lazenby spoke on behalf of the student involvement and planning of the Fields of Opportunity event.
“This has been a semester-long project. We started out in the first week of school, first week of the semester, just planning out a day, a time, when are students most likely to come. Then it starts getting into more logistic things of: who do we want there, what kind of organizations, departments do we want there,” Lazenby said.
Lazenby said she and her classmates reached out to about 80-100 potential guest speakers for the event.
“It was a long process, and it took a long time. People cancel, we had two people cancel today, but that’s just kind of the nature of events, and it’s been a really good experience for students to learn how to work with people, communicate with people, and have the realization of how real events kind of go,” Lazenby said.
Lazenby is proud to be a part of the program, and she’s excited to see how much it’s grown since she first joined.
“The Business of Sports Club, that I’m the vice president of, it started off small, and the major is getting so big, and the club is getting so big, and we’re getting students that are so passionate,” Lazenby said. “It’s really something that I’m excited to be a part of and graduate out of this May.”
Orlando said that he wants to help students understand the path they are going to navigate after graduation and give them the tools they need to become fluent within the industry.
“My main job here, again, is not just to facilitate a robust curricula for our students to be prepared, develop the appropriate soft and technical skill sets to work in the sports industry, but it’s more about developing their purpose and proficiency; really trying to help students find their why,” Orlando said.
A large goal of this event, Orlando said, is to show students that the sports industry is massive, and has many different opportunities within it.
“This whole event was designed to showcase the olive branches of the business,” Orlando said.
Orlando said that Angel City Football Club has been a great partner to Cal Lutheran.
“They’ve been phenomenal. You couldn’t ask for a better partner. And it just speaks to their mission, they’re all about embracing the community no matter their background, interests, psychographics, whatever it may be, they welcome all. That is their purpose. I’ve just seen them treat us so well,” Orlando said.
Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Mark Berry, also said that the relationships and partnerships that Cal Lutheran holds with professional sports teams are incredibly valuable.
“I think while these teams are here, they’re incredibly valuable, and I like to think that we’re incredibly valuable to them too… it’s a cooperative relationship. I think that everybody gets something out of it,” Berry said.
Berry said that events like Fields of Opportunity are critical because students can see people similar to themselves, holding positions that they aspire to have.
“I think just having people in person, in front of you, can be really helpful. All of the sudden you realize that this can actually happen for you, if you’re looking to go into that kind of career. And I think it humanizes the profession, especially a profession that’s all about entertainment, and all about image, and all about being on TV,” Berry said.
Berry said that students should utilize Cal Lutheran’s resources like Career Services to help them find internships along with other opportunities.
“I would encourage people to go to Career Services if they’re looking for internships. Go right to the source, and they’ll be able to give you a list of [internships], not just with Angel City, but others,” Berry said.
Berry said that students shouldn’t be afraid about whether or not they are qualified for a job that they are offered and that they should take any opportunity they are given.
“Don’t worry about whether you’re qualified for something or not. Just take it, and just go with it,” Berry said.
Berry said students new to a job who feel underqualified can treat it like a class.
“If you’re in a decent situation where people understand you don’t have the experience, you have nothing to lose,” Berry said. “They’ll teach you as much as you’ll help them.”
Building relationships and networking, Lazenby said, is critical in the sports industry and can be instrumental in exploring various positions within the industry.
“Everything in the sports industry is relationship-based, and the best way to form relationships is actually go out and do it. It’s something that seems really scary at first, but it’s something you just kind of have to throw yourself into. It’s trial and error, and there’s no better time to make mistakes than when you’re a student, and people are expecting that from you,” Lazenby said.
Berry also said that networking is important and that students shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask for opportunities.
“Network as much as you can, and network proactively,” Berry said. “Email or message people on LinkedIn at as high a level you possibly can get, and network. Don’t be afraid, the worst thing they can do is just ignore you.”
Manager of Ticket Sales at LAFC, Lauren Levra, said that you won’t know until you try, so you might as well reach out and make connections.
“You won’t know until you try, that’s why it’s important to stay in touch with people, learn about what they do,” Levra said.
Levra commends students for taking the time out of their day to seek out programs like the Fields of Opportunity event.
“I commend them for coming out because putting yourself out there is the first step in doing a lot. In general, this organization that you guys have running here and the event that’s been set up has been nothing short of great,” Levra said.
Levra said that her advice to students is to not sell themselves short and to stay positive and take active steps in the right direction.
“Don’t sell yourself short, and I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but I really am a big believer in if you want something specific, put it out into the world, and you have some action steps to get there and keep a positive attitude, that’s the reality that you can help create for yourself. So I always recommend people just to give it their best shot and see where that lands,” Levra said.
Berry said he would like to know what students thought of the event so that they can improve and make adjustments for the future.
“I would really be interested to get their feedback on what they liked about it, what they didn’t, how they felt it was helpful, how they felt it wasn’t,” Berry said. “The event is a kind of pilot program to see if bringing in experts from a field and having them talk is something that people find worth their time.”
