We recently had an opportunity to catch up with Eric for a Q&A, and hope you enjoy our conversation:
Did you ever envision doing this while you were at CCNY?
Somewhat. I knew that I wanted to work in sports but my original vision was to work in Community Relations, which I did briefly post-graduation for the Newark Bears. However, there is far greater opportunity in ticketing than most other facets of sports organizations so I transitioned when I started with the Mets in 2009.
What brought you to Concordia College New York?
I grew up not that far away in College Point, Queens and went to a Lutheran grade school, St. John’s, and a Lutheran high school, Martin Luther. Concordia was a school that I always knew of growing up and when it came time to decide where to go, it checked many boxes. It was a small school, I could study Business and English, it was close to home but I could still live on campus, and I had the opportunity to walk-on to the baseball team.
How did your education at CCNY help prepare you for what you are doing today?
It gave a realistic expectation of what to expect when transitioning into a professional setting. Classes in management, marketing, communications and ethics, among others, gave me the insight I needed to make an immediate impact upon landing a job. The small class sizes and accessibility of professors made courses more engaging and created a great learning environment. Additionally, being able to take several sports focused classes reinforced that that was the business career path I wanted to pursue.
What advice/insight do you have for CCNY alumni and students interested in your career field?
Working in sports, especially during the season, can be a lot of long days and nights. It’s important to know, when looking to break into the field, that it is not a 9-5 workday. That being said it’s incredibly fun and rewarding to work in sports. I’ve been able to experience an All-Star Game, World Series, Winter Classic and many other events along the way.
In terms of setting yourself up for a career in sports, internships are a great way to gain experience and when in school you should look to do as many of them as you can. Keep an open mind and be willing to go out of your comfort zone. You should, however, have an idea of what career path you’d like to pursue. Often times people say, “I want to work in sports” because they are big sports fans but they don’t have an idea of what they want to do. Hiring managers are looking for how you can help their organization and not necessarily the biggest fan. Having an idea of where you see yourself and how you can make an impact on the organization will make you a more appealing candidate.
What was your most memorable moment as a student?
Not surprisingly, my most memorable moment at Concordia took place on the baseball diamond. During my senior season all sports teams were given a yellow shirt that had the Concordia logo and their sport on them. I wore it for every game under my uniform even though most wore blue. As a walk-on, my opportunities to play were few and usually came in the form of pinch-hitting appearances. Leading into Senior Day, I was told that I’d be starting at catcher for the game. This was a huge deal for me. Without me knowing, my teammates all decided to wear their yellow shirts during batting practice and under their jerseys for the game. It was an amazing gesture and showed that while I wasn’t the best player I had still earned their respect as a person and teammate. To me it validated all of the hard work that I had put in on the field the previous four years.
Have you kept in touch with former classmates?
Not as much as I should. There are a handful of classmates that I regularly text or talk to throughout the year and am connected with many others through social media. It’s always fun to reminisce and catch up on how everyone is doing at the annual baseball alumni game. Sometimes you feel like you never left.
What is your lasting impression of CCNY?
Concordia was a great place to learn and grow as person. My time and experiences prepared me for the next steps in my life.