The following story was submitted by Connor Starrs, a 2015 fellow of The Perfect Game Foundation.
The Perfect Game Foundation has afforded me many incredible opportunities. At the outset, the Foundation provided assistance which enabled me to attend the Pittsburgh Sport Sales Combine. At the combine I was able to audition, network and interview with representatives from numerous sports organizations leading to several opportunities for a career within the sports industry. My relationship with the Foundation has been instrumental in directing my future and mentoring my professional development. The Perfect Game Foundation has not only been an advocate for my career aspirations but I consider the Foundation to be a friend as well.
The sports industry is a dynamic, growing, and ever changing field. Finding a mentor and an advocate can be the difference between trying to work in sports and actually working in sports. There are several qualities which are vital to being successful not only in sports but in today’s business climate. These qualities are ethics, diligence, education, and perhaps most importantly a mentor to help navigate a difficult but immensely rewarding career path.
"There is no substitute for Excellence – not even success. Success is tricky, perishable and often outside our control; the pursuit of success makes a poor cornerstone, especially for a whole personality. Excellence is dependable, lasting and largely an issue within our own control; pursuit of excellence, in and for itself, is the best of foundations,” The Heart of the Order, by Thomas Boswell (Doubleday, 1989).