Not Just A Job: A Passion

As part of the O-Bolt Blog, we'll take you behind the scenes with posts from front office employees about their experiences at Werner Park, in the Omaha Metro community, and more. The third blog post below is courtesy of Omaha Storm Chasers Group Ticket Sales Executive Michael Herman.

"You are so lucky!" "You have the coolest job around." "I wish I could work in baseball." These are statements that we as front office personnel in Minor League Baseball hear almost every day. Most of us that get to call this our job, would in fact consider ourselves lucky. But while the love for the game is shared by many fans and baseball lovers around the world, working in the industry takes a different type of passion.
Working in Minor League baseball will take you away from your family and friends for long hours during the summer months. We work holidays, we work weekends, we arrive at the dawn of day and end when the lights shut out and all fans have left the area long before. Getting prepared to host thousands of baseball fans day in and day out over the course of the season can really wear someone down. But, this schedule is the reason we love what we do. Making sure that the fans and customers are the number one priority and creating the experience for them that will keep them coming back to enjoy our product. Every detail that goes into the 140 game minor league season is hard work, all year round.
To make it in this industry, most executives end up moving around to get experience to get to where you eventually want to be. I personally moved to San Antonio, Texas to get my start in baseball and, fortunately, after two seasons there, made my way back home to "The Good Life". Along with that, many of us did not grow up in Omaha, Nebraska. We have traveled near and far from 13 different states including Florida, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, and California to name a few. These hard-working, passionate minor leaguers are enjoying the grind of trying to make it to the top. My story has just begun but many others have taken long-curvy roads with multiple teams to create their path to success.
Marketing, social media posts, community involvement, updating the team website, compiling statistics, writing press releases, and coordinating player interviews with the media all happen daily. Fans show up at 7:05 ready for first pitch, but the team behind the scenes has been working all day, barely getting time to eat. Tables and chairs have to be set up, scripts have to be prepared, sound has to be checked and perfect, the scoreboard has to be on and ready to roll, lineups have to be posted, pre-game promotions are announced, the national anthem singer must be ready, first pitch participants have to be guided to their area, all before most people arrive.
Once 7:05 p.m. hits we are constantly talking on our radios to make sure the cameras are in the right spot, the people participating have been found and taken to where they need to be, the announcer is on schedule, the music is played perfectly, the sponsorships are read, the promotions are on time, all while keeping the fan the first priority. This is what makes our job unique, you see a finished product without having to see all the behind the scenes work prior.
Inside a minor league front office you will engage with different types of people, but in the end they all have one thing in common: A true passion for what they do. We are all here to make sure that fans have the best possible experience and leave the gates with memories to cherish. Doing this involves creating promotions, in-game contests, theme nights, jersey nights, giveaways, and fan engagement. We don't take it lightly and most people that come to the ballpark as fans have no true idea of what goes on to make it all happen. There are long hours of making sure the minute details are taken care of and the experience for all is one-of-a-kind.
We want to thank you, the fans, for supporting everything that we do and showing up to cheer on your favorite teams. Without you guys, none of this would ever be possible and a lot of us wouldn't know what to do with our lives. Minor League baseball is not just a job, it is a passion.