MLB and NBA Recruit Students at Harvard Career Fair

Most freshmen arrive in Cambridge with a vague sense that, in the career cartography of a Harvard student, all roads lead through Wall St.

A small but extremely happy minority has proven otherwise.

The National Basketball Association’s and Major League Baseball’s participation in last Friday’s Career Forum is a reminder that many alternatives to internships with investment banks, hedge funds, and consulting firms do exist.

In fact, the students who have explored this option of working for a professional sports league recommend it highly.

Senior Tommy Balcetis worked as an intern with the NBA last summer and found his experience more rewarding than many of his friend’s.

“Everybody wants to get into I-banking and consulting,” he said.

“If people love it, more power to them. But I feel like a lot of people go to those places to get the tools and analytical skills, but they didn’t really enjoy what they were doing. I genuinely enjoyed what I was doing, and I feel like I got a lot of similar tools from that experience.”

Junior Michael Puopolo encountered a similar experience working for MLB.

“I think it’s one of the coolest summer opportunities you could possibly have—both for the actual experience itself and the lifelong story—whether or not you have a long term interest in working in the sports industry,” he said.

The NBA and MLB expressed similar delight with their relationship to Harvard students.

“Harvard students tend to be well-rounded,” said NBA campus recruiter Heather Roberts.

“You’re going to a great school, hopefully you’re maintaining a good GPA, but then there’s so much campus involvement at Harvard that you’re able to multitask.”

MLB manager of recruitment Bridget Fialo concurred,

“Harvard brings a certain caliber of person…We’re big fans.”

But the mutual interest was not evident in student enthusiasm at the Career Forum.

“Usually, there’s a line wrapped around my table, 100 and some people long. No joke,” Fialo said.

“So I’m feeling a little less loved today, but I’m not taking it personally because there’s so many amazing companies here.”

Fialo’s sentiments reveal a tension within campus recruiting.

Although Harvard’s prestige attracts both a wide base of companies and high caliber firms, the glamour of the latter oftentimes negates the abundance of the former.

“It’s not traditionally a career path that people have realized they can go into,” Roberts suggested.

“You’re a fan of sports, but people don’t necessarily realize that can translate into a permanent, full-time position.”

Fortunately for the NBA and MLB, their popular appeal invites passionate applicants.

Love of the game, it seems, is almost a prerequisite for the job.

“I grew up being a huge baseball fan,” said Puopolo, explaining his interest in the opportunity. “The vast, vast majority [of coworkers] were definitely [fans of baseball]. Their interest in the job centered around their interest in the sport.”

Likewise, Balcetis found an outlet for his passion for basketball in his summer job.

“I love everything there is to love about the NBA. How could you not? It’s the best sports league in the world,” he said.

After three years of applying for the position, Balcetis’ persistence was rewarded, and he was granted an offer to work for the league.

This enthusiasm for the organization made for a wholly satisfying experience.

“It’s incredibly rewarding,” said Fialo of her own time with MLB. “There’s still some sense of wholesomeness and familiness to the game…It’s a company to be proud of.”

Outside of personal satisfaction, employees found that, in fact, their experience had provided a useful platform for a career in any industry.

“If you’re being interviewed, there’s a distinct possibility that people are going to be extremely interested in what you did,” Puopolo said. “You’ll have some interesting conversations, some interesting stories to relate.”

—Staff writer Timothy J. Walsh can be reached at twalsh@fas.harvard.edu.