Another area of sports management involves minor league teams. While these jobs aren't glamorous, they do teach sports managers a great deal about sports business. "Recently, a couple of my marketing employees asked me how they could best further their career and I told them, 'Go run a minor-league baseball team,'" said Dick Freeman, president of the San Diego Padres. (1)
Charles Theokas, who had been a vice president of the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League and then athletic director at Temple University, got his sports administration training in minor league football. "As a general manager in the minor leagues, I really learned the business. At that level, you buy oranges, you buy tapes, you're selling tickets, making out schedules, booking hotels and buses, and hiring and firing coaches." (2)
Usually the pay is low and the hours are long. "You don't do this, you don't get involved with something like this, if you're only trying to make a lot of money because that won't happen.
"You do this because you love sports and you want to give something back to the community by providing quality, affordable family entertainment. Otherwise, you would be crazy to do this," said Gary Sparks, majority owner of the Splash, an indoor soccer team based in Orange County, California. (3)
Gregg Slutsky, who owns the Will County Cheetahs, an independent minor league baseball team outside of Chicago, also serves as its manager and general manager. "Many times before the game, you'll catch me chalking the base paths. And maybe tomorrow you'll see me selling hamburgers and hot dogs at the concession stand. But you do what you have to do to get the job done." (4)
Melody Tucker served as general manager of the Aquasox, a Class A baseball team in Everitt, Washington, from 1989 to 1995. She had this to say at that time: "Everybody in the organization knows all my numbers -- home number, pager number, birthday. I am on call every day, all day, all night, whenever and wherever.
"I unplug toilets during games. I pull tarp off the field after rain delays. The last time I was pulling tarp, one of the groundskeepers said, 'Hey, girls don't do this!' I said, 'Shut up and grab a corner.'" (5)
Said Paula Pyers, a lawyer and co-owner of the Vigilantes, an independent minor league baseball team in Orange County, California, "You wear every hat when you run something like this. We have a core staff of about six full-time people, so I answer the phones if they're busy, I make copies if I need them and I sell tickets if someone gets sick. You have to have a passion for sports if you're in this business." (6)
In addition to hard word, managers need to focus on marketing and customer service to attract fans. Family entertainment is the operative phrase. For example, statistics gathered by the Indoor Soccer League indicate that among its fans, approximately 40% are women and 30% are children.
Minor league ticket prices need to inexpensive, the food good, the bathrooms clean, and the promotions appropriate for kids. According to Roy Englebrecht, who is senior vice president of the Piranhas, an arena football team in Anaheim, California, the quality must be there. "We don't operate in a minor league fashion. We have to prove to people they should equate us with the major leagues." (7)
Commenting on the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, a Class A baseball team for which Englebrecht serves as executive vice president, "Our credo is that if we provide great entertainment at the right price in a clean environment and remember to say thank you, they'll come back. We never want to take anything away from the game, but we feel that we've failed if we don't make fans laugh a dozen times a night." (8)
Merchandising and concessions are an important source of cash flow in the minor leagues. The Madison (Wisconsin) Black Wolf, an independent minor league baseball team, earns about $9 per attendee per game. Of that, only $4 is from tickets. Another $4 comes from food and beverage concessions and $1 from souvenirs and merchandise. While in the ballpark, fans can try out a speed pitch machine, get a massage, have picnics on a large deck, buy 11 different beers, and eat ribs, mesquite chicken, roasted turkey legs, steak sandwiches, or hot dogs. (9)
The Carolina Mudcats, a minor league baseball team in Columbus, Georgia, caught the fans' fancy to such an extent that an entire seasons' worth of caps, 1250, sold out on opening night. Licensing sales from all minor league teams went from $2.5 million in 1991 to $60 million in 1995. (10)
Finally, sponsorships also bring in revenue. For example, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, a triple A minor league baseball team, auctioned off the privilege of sponsoring the game one night as a fund-raiser for the local zoo. The result: Urology Night, sponsored by Pikes Peak Urology. The group got to throw out the first pitch and the electronic scoreboard flashed "Welcome To Urology Night" and "Sky Sox Welcome Pikes Peak Urologists" throughout the night. (11)
Two examples of minor league managers: