Play Ball: Indians spring season begins with McAllister audition
March 3, 2015Taking Care of Business: Celtics at Cavaliers Behind the Box Score
March 3, 2015Good new for those aspiring to work in sports within the state of Ohio: You have some of the best options in the country. According to Forbes, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ohio State University athletics department are among the best in all the land with both being among the top five and Dan Gilbert’s Cavs being ranked No. 2 in all of sports—a list that includes, professional organizations, collegiate programs and marketing/research firms.
According to Jason Belzer:
The sports industry is incredibly competitive, with a high barrier to entry and an even steeper climb to the top. Those that have spent time working in sports know how often organizations turnover employees, whether it be due to the low pay, long hours, slow climbs up the ladder or any number of other factors that dissuade those who enter from having prolonged stays in the industry. …
I set out to determine just which leagues, teams, agencies and other organizations within the sports industry set themselves apart from the competition when it came to factors such as employee sanctification, work-life balance and career growth. I interviewed many dozens of individuals at all levels of sports, from entry-level sales staff to team presidents, as well as top executive recruiters and university leaders who have trained countless generations of top industry professionals.
The organizations that made the list are as different and varied as the industry they represent. Some employee just a few dozen individuals, others many hundreds. Among the areas of the business represented are professional teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, leagues like the NFL, college athletics departments like the Ohio State University Buckeyes, marketing and consulting agencies like Premier Partnerships and data and research firms such as Turnkey Sports & Entertainment.
The Arizona Diamondbacks take home the crown in professional sports, but the 400-person Cavs fall in right behind. One walk through Quicken Loans Arena on the night of a game and you’ll find a litany of hard-working, service-oriented folks looking to make fans feel as part of the action as possible. Rather than having season-ticket holders, the company has what is called “Wine and Gold United,” wherein their holders (full- and partial-season) are granted access to exclusive events including, but not limited to, Q&A sessions with ownership and the front office.
Sports and marketing are oftentimes are where employees are churned each season. The Cavs have had members of their sales team around since the last time LeBron James was wearing a Cavalier uniform. Long-time employee Scott MacDonald1 is quoted as saying the following:
“I’ve been a part of the Cavaliers family for 10 years and every day I am energized by an environment that inspires success. I work with the most passionate people in the industry who understand ‘yes before no’ will take us to higher places. Our passion is fueled by an ownership group that is second-to-none in arming us with unlimited opportunities to deliver to our fans and clients, and empowers each of us to create, think and believe. It’s been great and keeps getting better.”
Coming in fourth is the Ohio State University Athletics Department, praised for their individual development. Others given recognition include Chicago’s Navigate Research, Milwaukee’s GNR Marketing, and the National Football League.
- Disclosure: Mr. MacDonald is a friend of the program. [↩]
22 Comments
But everyone says Dan Gilbert is the devil. How can this be true? HOW CAN THIS BE TRUEEEE? Forbes, you are a liar.
I know. The spittle crowd loves decrying Quicken’s loan practices…and by way of association….Gilbert. From what I know of Gilbert, I think it’s a bit unfair. Also, the guy is almost single handedly revitalizing Detroit by making huge investments, redevelopment, etc. He’s putting his money where his mouth is in that passion project….if he was such a heartless bastard, he would’ve found sexier investment projects (less risky) than Detroit.
Shhhhh…
You guys risk the wrath of Frowns….
lol quite true
Up with Gilbert!
because it’s always easier to blame someone else when you don’t pay your own bills.
b..b…but I don’t want to pay!
“employee sanctification” Man. I’m in the wrong business!
Forbes is the same magazine that declared Kevin McHale as the best GM in the NBA during his Minnesota years and this season proclaimed that the Miami Heat fans are the best in the league so how about we take this list with a grain of salt?
Where is there evidence that Gilbert isn’t all the bad things people say about him?
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/01/11/gilb-j11.html
Gilbert is going to get mighty rich off the “revitalization” of Detroit.
so it’ll be a win-win. what’s your point?
Where is the evidence that Gilbert is all the bad things people say about him?
“The reality is that $300 million is not going to fix anything in Detroit. The federal money is in large part a political charade designed to provide cover for Emergency Manager Orr and the use of Chapter 9 bankruptcy laws to pilfer the pension and health care funds of city employees and retirees and hand public assets over to private businesses and individuals.”
Who’s the other winner besides Gilbert?
Besides that article describing what’s actually happening in Detroit, and the subprimeyness of Quicken Loans, and the lying every single step of the way about the casino and its effects?
yes besides that writer’s opinion.
I don’t share your cynicism (nor that of the World Socialist Website.) It’s hyperbolic to say this will have zero impact on the city, but this isn’t the venue to discuss it.
Don’t even bother, dude. Save yourself the aggravation. If Dan Gilbert gave a 1,000 kids presents, there would be complaints that he didn’t give gift receipts.
The fact is that Dan will either be a big winner or big loser with his Detroit gamble. If he didn’t invest, the same idiots would be clamoring he’s ignoring his hometown and letting them rot. Tune out that socialist article posted above (literally it’s a socialist slanted piece), and pick a number of legitimate articles with more objective takes. Here’s just one: http://www.nationaljournal.com/next-economy/america-360/is-dan-gilbert-detroit-s-new-superhero-20140227
We need to rewind a bit here. The premise of the Forbes article – that the Cavs are one of the better places to work for – is not evidence that Gilbert isn’t scummy, or that all the bad things said about him are lies. Your attempt to swerve the argument doesn’t change that.
If you want to discuss the things that make Gilbert scummy, we can, but I’d guess that it would be a fruitless effort on both of our parts.
Entirely fruitless. Also, my comment was not an effort to start a serious discussion on anything. It was a low-hanging fruit type of joke.
Excellent work at putting words in someone else’s mouth.
If Gilbert let Detroit remain as is, no one would make a peep. And that National Journal article is nothing more than puff piece. There’s next to nothing there about how he’s actually going to help the city.
The question remains – why is Dan Gilbert on the committee that determines how $300M of federal aid will be used to help Detroit considering his position there? That can’t be handwaved away by making strawmen arguments about gift receipts.
Maybe it is hyperbolic, but when looking at how much Gilbert’s casino was short of its projections in helping the city of Cleveland, it’s unlikely to be far from the truth.