Students learn the business of baseball through internships

In the world of sports, there are many jobs most people never see or don’t readily associate with the game. The positions range from box office and ticket sales personnel to front office staff, hospitality and more.

Starting in the fall of 2023, the College of Education and Human Development at Augusta University launched its Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management degree to provide students the courses specific to sports-related businesses.

Third-year undergraduate student Rodrigo Burgos Aliva has been part of the video team for the Augusta GreenJackets, the local minor league baseball team, since the start of the 2024 baseball season.

He initially enrolled in AU’s Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology program but always knew that getting a degree in sports management was his end goal. It was an easy decision to make the switch when the program began.

“As soon as they opened it up, that’s what I wanted to pursue,” said Burgos Aliva. “I want to complete my bachelor’s in my first four years, and now I want to go to law school to become an agent.”

While that’s still a couple of years down the road, he’s learning about other aspects of the sports world until then. After attending a job fair held by the GreenJackets, Burgos Aliva received a part-time job with the team shooting video. It’s not something he was accustomed to, but he was willing to do anything to learn about the business.

Now he enjoys being a camera operator, and it’s set him up for something else in the fall.

“It has allowed me to pursue another job at WJBF-TV. I just got hired as a camera operator for their Football Friday Night show,” said Burgos Aliva.

The GreenJackets have been a landing point for other Augusta University interns, as well. Kyli Smith and Seth Rozelle are also working in day-to-day operations with the team.

Smith, a fourth-year Business Administration major in the Hull College of Business, wishes the sports management program was available earlier in her collegiate career. Her passion for AU can be seen in how active she is on campus, including being a member of AU’s cheerleading squad.

She’s really taken to the business side of sports, including her role with the GreenJackets.

Smith is a corporate partnership and suite services fulfillment intern. Her duties are varied but mainly focus on the team’s clients in their suites. She does a lot of the little things that add up to making a game night the best possible experience for the clients. It’s given her a better appreciation for the business, and she plans to continue in the sports business world after graduation.

“It’s been super eye-opening for me wanting to stay in sports,” said Smith. “I’m having a hard time trying to decide if I wanted to stay in baseball or venture into a different sport. I really do want to stay in the sports industry in any aspect. I really like the sponsorship side of it and the fulfillment side, making sure all the contracts are fulfilled and being that liaison for clients and the businesses and making sure everything is communicated correctly.”

Smith also said she’s not a “baseball person” but learning everything there is to know about the sport has been rewarding. Not just that, but she’s also learned how all of the behind-the-scenes jobs come together to make for a successful baseball club on and off the field.

Rozelle’s internship this year with the GreenJackets has him in the box office. He’s a lifelong baseball fan and current graduate student working toward his PhD in Biostatistics through the School of Public Health.

Last summer, he was an intern on the grounds crew, and, when another internship fell through, he was able to pick up another position with the GreenJackets as a first-of-its-kind position in ticket operations and marketing analytics. Baseball is using analytics on and off the field more than ever, and the GreenJackets are making sure they are utilizing it to the best of their abilities.

While he has served on a few different research teams within biostatistics at AU, branching into the sports world has been a change of pace for him.

“The team has not asked anyone to do marketing analytics here before. So, I’m trailblazing and being able to set a precedent since there are no real expectations about it,” said Rozelle. “I’ve been using some of my data science skills that I’ve cultivated at school, and it’s just been a blast.”

As a special project, he was recently tasked with breaking down single-game ticket buyers to a list of who attends Thursday games so the team could offer a special promotion just to those fans.

Rozelle said he would love to get into the field on a permanent basis but knows it’s extremely competitive. He is looking at the prospects of working for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions upon completion of his PhD.

There’s a natural fit with the sports management program and the GreenJackets, and both are hoping to foster the relationship as the program grows.

For Burgos Aliva, his career track is on the path he had hoped it would be all along, and he is excited for the upcoming sports management classes.

“This fall I’m taking a psychology class and then statistics and three other management classes,” he said. “There’s also a new class they are starting which involves current events and sports, which sounds really interesting.”