By junior William F. Rodebaugh III

A wonderful thing about Manor College is that students have so many opportunities to pursue their career interests. A prime example of this is the recent trip Sports Management majors were able to take to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Professor J.P Lutz was able to coordinate this trip thanks to his connections in the sports industry, allowing students to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to work at Citizens Bank Park.

“Students got a chance to experience the inner workings of the Philadelphia Phillies and Citizen Bank Park operations,” explained Lutz. “It is a great opportunity for our sport management majors to learn from sport industry professionals outside of the classroom!”

A majority of the students who participated were from Lutz’s Introduction to Sports Management Course, allowing them an up-close look at what it would be like to work for a Major League sports team. The guide on this trip was Sal DeAngelis, who serves the Phillies as their Director of Security and has been working for the stadium since 1994. 

 DeAngelis encouraged students to ask questions as he began the tour. The first stop was the security camera room. The students learned about how crucial security is to the stadium. Employees in that room work twelve-hour shifts, monitoring giant screens that contain live video coverage of every single room in the stadium.  Security is crucial – if anything were to happen to that room or the cameras, they have a separate security room, just for emergencies! 

Next the class visited the clubhouse, which is where the Phillies hang out before and after their games. This clubhouse contains their locker room where they hang up their uniforms. Players can get physicals here and train for the games.  They even have a chef that makes them meals when they are hungry! Lastly, something really amazing that happens in the clubhouse is a lightshow that takes place after every home win. What a fun way to celebrate!

The class then got to see the batting cages where the players practice their hitting. Taking photos of this section was forbidden. The next stop was the dugout. Here, everyone got a great view of the field. Then, the group was able to see the media room where coaches and players get interviewed. The group was also invited to get their pictures taken from the table.  The next stop was the dugout. The group got a great view of the stadium field and the Megatron. The guide explained that besides games, Citizens Bank Park is great for concerts. Familiar names such as Billy Joel and Elton John have taken the stage there.

 Student Luke Carlin had this to say about the experience: “The trip was amazing; it was very inspirational and educational at the same time. We got to see the behind the scenes of the Phillies and how they operated on a daily basis. We also got to see a lot of cool things like the locker room and dugout where the players spend most of their time.” It is always great to hear the excitement that comes from students on trips like these.

An important lesson that can be learned from this trip: take advantage of opportunities like this in college. You never know the things you could see, or the connections you could make. It can be a great aid in helping you figure out what direction you would like to take in your career. Many thanks to Professor Lutz and Mr. DeAngelis for making this trip possible.