1) The author's perspective on the sports management industry changed through their practicum experience with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats minor league baseball team. They learned that minor league teams are more like entertainment companies operating in a baseball stadium, as they have little say in the baseball itself which is controlled by the affiliated major league team. 2) Communication and hard work are keys to success that the author learned. They observed that problems often arose due to lack of communication, while excellent communication prevented issues. Hard work was consistently rewarded, and completing tasks efficiently gained notice. 3) Having fun at work is important, as it creates a better environment and makes customers happier. The author found that they enjoyed their job more when they

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David Cummings
Final Reflection
The practicum experience has changed my perspective of the sports
management industry. Before starting the experience I thought that minor league
baseball teams had a say in the baseball going on. It turns out that this is not the
case at all. The Major League team provides the baseball and the minor league office
is there to provide the venue and environment. The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are
a AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Fisher Cats use the Customer Service
Approach to business. This meaning that the customer is always right and making
them happy is what is important to the company. Working in the Front Office I have
come to realize that I do not work for a baseball team, but more for an
entertainment company at a baseball stadium. In my practicum experience with the
New Hampshire Fisher Cats I have learned that all sports venues are run relatively
similar. All the agencies are trying to compete with one another but also trying to
help each other. It took me awhile to understand this concept until I made a phone
call to another minor league team and asked about a promotion that they were
doing. Receiving help from this team instead of hearing laughter on the other end of
the phone was a little bit of a surprise to me. In the practicum experience, with the
NH Fisher Cats, I have learned that communication is key, hard work is rewarded,
and how to make the best out of having a fun job.
Communication can make a business successful, but it can also be its
downfall. In my RSM 242 class we discussed how there is a lack of communication in
sports all the time. A big example that was brought up was that in baseball when a

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player and his agent are working with a team to a sign a contract. There always
seems to be a lack of communication when trades fall apart and an excessive
amount of communication when a trade falls through. Although we did not deal with
the players that much we still had to take care of the fans and each other. If our
communication was lacking there were more problems created, where if our
communication was excellent there were no problems on our behalf. While
observing full staff members I realized that if a group had a problem it was usually
the group leaders fault because our staff members make sure they inform the
customer between three and four times about what they should expect.
Communication is a great skill that I have been able to improve upon during this
practicum experience that will help me in the future. Another skill that I will benefit
from mastering during the practicum experience is hard work.
Hard working employees will be rewarded for there work 10 out of 10 times
according the General Manager for the Fisher Cats, Rick Brenner. In working 406
hours during my practicum experience over the summer I have learned that hard
work pays off in the end. Even if it’s a little thing that you do efficiently it gets
noticed in a small office. In RSM 120 I learned about being a team player in a group
project. While working for the Fisher Cats I realized that every task was a group
project because, 9 out of 10 times there was at least two or more people working on
the same thing even if they did not realize they were doing the same thing. As a
Fisher Cats intern you are usually lucky to be part of the tarp crew during games
because you have less responsibilities than a full time staff member. Watching a
crew pull tarp on television or just being a fan is not the same as when you are out

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there pulling it. Although it was tough work, pulling the tarp onto the field became
fun because; it was a race to see if we could beat our previous time. Just like in class
when you try and improve your test scores throughout the semester. Sometimes
giving incentives, like Dr. Rockey talked about in RSM 242, to the employees also
motivates them to be hard workers. The Fisher Cats were starting to even give
incentives to the interns to push the full time staff that extra mile. Another skill I
learned on top of being a hard worker was being able to have fun while being a hard
worker.
When you come home from work at the end of the day and you say I had a
fun time tonight at work you are doing something right. Even if you are getting
home at midnight and have to be at the office the next day at 8 am you can still have
fun. You learn to dislike bad weather more than anyone because you have to pull the
tarp but you also get to be part of the slip and slide on the field. There is an office
clown everywhere, but with the Fisher Cats there are many office clowns where
everyone is trying to pull a prank on each other. Anything can be fun as long as you
have a good attitude and are will to help each other out. When everyone is having
fun in the office you want to go to work. I learned that everyone was excited to work
with each other even if the task was not always the greatest. This experience helped
me learn that putting a smile on for the customer is a lot easier if you are actually
enjoying your self at work.
As the practicum went on it became easier because I felt like I was part of the
staff. In a way the interns are part of the staff because we work in the office and
games just like the full timers. I will take many skills away from this practicum

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experience including: hard worker, intrapersonal communication, and teamwork.
Being able to work as a team can be challenging at times but rewarding in the end if
everyone puts an equal effort into the job. Having fun on the job is good as long as
you get your work done. As an intern you do not necessarily get the most glorious
jobs to start out but as you show that you are capable of handling more
responsibilities the full time staff were more than happy to give up the reins to an
intern. The practicum experience provided me with knowledge that I could never
learn in a classroom because while in the real world you have to be quick on your
feet and accommodating. Taking care of the customer at all costs is the important
part of the job. Happy customers will bring more people to the park and create a
better environment for staff to help keep it safe and fun for the players and fans.