Women in Sports - Molly West, ESPN

The Cornell ILR Sports Business Society is pleased to present our "Women in Sports" series. In recent years, powerful women (led by many Cornell Alumnae) have advanced the role of women in the sports world. We will be featuring the stories of individuals from across the industry, in various stages of their careers, who have made an impact in sports.

Molly West is the focus of this week's edition of Women in Sports. West is a 1997 graduate of Cornell's College of Human Ecology, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Human Services Studies. She currently serves as VP, Global Business Operation at ESPN, and has previously spoke to the club in person. Molly was kind enough to speak again  to the Cornell ILR SBS Blog about her career and much more.

Why did you go to Cornell?

I think there are multiple reasons why I went to Cornell. I grew up in northeast Pennsylvania. Field hockey is big there. I had every desire and expectation that I would play some point in college. I hurt my knee junior year of high school and in sports your senior year is critical, so I ended up wanting to go to a school where if for some reason my knee didn’t hold up I could still attend there. Obviously going to an Ivy League school isn’t easy, but I had this focus from very early on. I was actually born in Ithaca while my dad was getting his MBA there. When I first came to Cornell my sister was being recruited for field hockey, and I remember thinking that the campus was beautiful. There were freshman on the field and I got such a sense of community. At that time I didn’t know if I was serious about Cornell or not. I ended up applying early decision because I knew it felt like home.

What did you study at Cornell? Did you know you wanted to work in sports while at Cornell?

I was in Human Ecology. I remember seeing the schools and I remember getting the packet. On the cover there was a collage of photos and it said, “Do you want to help people?” That was what I wanted to do. And I knew that was the school I wanted to apply to. HSS was the major I chose and it had a lot of cool courses and professors. One professor, Professor Barr, really spoke to my soul. I ended up focusing on social work. There is a through line into what I do today.

When I came out of school I applied to get my masters in social work. The feedback in that was that I needed more experience. I ended up at the Family Channel as a sales assistant. I worked on the TV media side. Within a couple years the digital industry was exploding and I realized there was an opportunity to help the organization. I asked if there was a way to help manage the new people. I learned through that time, that efficiently managing people is to effectively coach them. As a coach you have to take feedback and change things based on what you hear. I probably get most gratification in helping people. 

A big part of my job is managing this large staff I have, mentoring and coaching them. That has its roots in sports, and I probably have a stronger personality anyways, but I think sports brought that part out in me. You have to be a leader on the field to make an impact. Sports was the place where I felt I could most be myself. You don’t have time to make a lot of other choices. You’re on a team with men or women who are doing the exact same thing. You have to accept each other in high stress situations. The through line is coaching and mentoring others, which I have implemented into my profession. Another thing is really about operations. Finding a way to improve things. I was a goalie. Standing in the back I always felt that my job was to help out my teammates, which I feel I can do in operations.

Could you describe your current role?

I work in media operations at a Sports Company. The Function of my job is to oversee global TV advertising operations. In media today you have an advertiser. Lets say Nike. Nike wants to advertise their products. They work with an advertising agency and the agency goes out and purchases time on behalf of the advertiser. It could be an advertisement in Sports Illustrated or NFL Tonight. Whatever Nike is trying to push, the agency is looking for ad space to find that demographic. We are responsible for creating content. The sales people sell the piece and once the deal has been closed I oversee the completion. We make sure the commercials are booked and when they are run. My job is to oversee globally to make sure the inventory that the advertiser buys is run the way the requested it to be run.

What are your thoughts on the role of gender in the sports industry?

Growing up for me I realized if I wanted to be a great athlete the standards around me was that I wanted the guys to think I was great. Whatever it was I played with guys for as long as I could do it. Back then I felt I needed to be like the guys. Over the years, I realized that we don’t have to be like our male counterparts. We have to be looked at as us women. I think the opportunity is to really own how great it is to be a woman. What that means and how it benefits you. Every person is different. Both men and women have managed me. I don’t think its gender specific about whether a man is a great manager or a woman is. There is a balance at every role in every level.

Part of what happens with women is that there is no wrong or right in our lives. Sometimes the things we do are to please other people. As a woman, some point in your life you may want to get married or have kids. That environment is definitely better today than it was for our moms when they were out working. Some people say there is no point of going for that big job because they are going to be a mom. Are there as many women at the top as men? No. But there are a million reasons for that. 

Maybe I’m a little bit more optimistic. There are challenges and it’s not easy, but the world I live in now I’m very grateful for. At ESPN the company does an excellent job at caring for their employees. I’m lucky to be here. My sports upbringing as a whole really helps in a sports environment because it helps me get along with people in the office. I feel like there is a teamwork here that feels very similar to being apart of a team sport. I think the fact is that when we are sitting in the spot to make things happen, a big part of being successful is managing that inter critic and being confident.

How has the industry changed since when you started?

The biggest change is in the digital and mobile industry. When I was in college I remember seeing someone walking down the street with a huge cell phone and I thought it looked ridiculous. Now none of us can live without our cell phones. I think there is more opportunity because of the digital growth.

Do you have any advice for students, particularly young women, who would like to work in sports?

Think big picture. What does it mean for you to work in sports? What is that exactly? How do you want to contribute? The most important reason I say think big picture is because you need to think about what you are trying to reach. Don’t think small. Keep asking why because it may be that what you really want to do is baseball and that you want to revolutionize it. Get to your own personal mission statement and then come up with what kind of environment you want to work in. Lets say it’s working in media. What’s the best way to work in media and whom are you trying to reach? Part of the reason I say think big picture is because you will have to make some sort of sacrifice. What is your purpose and what do you want to do? Think about what sports mean for you and push it as big as you can. Don’t be afraid to make some sacrifices.

What's your favorite part about working in sports?

The culture of my company is similar to a team nature. I feel like we are kind of an established startup. We have a lot of energy and everyone is pushing. The people here are phenomenal, smart, hardworking and passionate. You don’t have to be die-hard sports fan, but the passion is critical. You need to have that passion and this company has passion at large for sports.

What do you most miss about your time at Cornell?

Cornell felt like home to me so whenever I go up there I feel like I’m returning to some part of myself. It’s a more simplified time when you’re there. It’s a beautiful place and it’s magical because it set this beautiful environment. The constant learning is unique and I think Cornell has a great way of bringing everything together. The season after I graduated I really missed my team. I like to come back once a year and help in some way. It’s always nice to get a little reminder.

We sincerely appreciate alumnae like Molly who take the time to share their experiences with us. "Women in Sports" is only possible through the efforts of industry leaders and students alike. We wish to thank all of the alumni who make the Sports Business Society such a valuable organization for so many Cornellians and others interested sports.

Event Recap: Molly West ('97)

On Friday, October 25th The Cornell Sports Business Society was fortunate enough to host Molly West ('97) for an alumni speaker event. West currently serves as the Senior Director, Global Ad Sales Operations for ESPN. She graduated from the School of Human Ecology, playing Field Hockey during her time here, and was inducted into the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

West started her career working as a Sales Assistant for The Family Channel, known now as ABC Family. She quickly moved to a managerial role with a goal of managing other TV Sales Assistants during the expansion of Digital business in media. After 4.5 years, she moved into Ad Sales Planning team with a goal of maximizing commercial inventory. In 2004, she moved to ESPN to oversee all Ad Sales Support staff in NY.  In 2006, she was promoted to her current position, and in three years, her and her team helped improve the company's cash flow by $34 million.

She delivered a wide-ranging presentation which included an explanation of advertising sales in the media business, her "top 10 things I wish I knew when I was your age", and answered questions from our members. Read all about it after the jump.

When describing the advertising sales process in the media business, West explained that it was easiest to understand the system as four groups interacting. These four groups are: the client, any firm that wishes to buy advertising time, the media company, such as ESPN, the media agency, which acts a middle man between the client and the company, and the consumer.

The process starts when a client approaches the media agency, specifically the media-planning branch of the agency, with a desire to market their product. The media-buying branch of the agency then approaches the media company with a plan to bring their client exposure, whether it is through ads, sponsoring an event, or any other means to raise consumer awareness about a product. The company and the agency will then negotiate an agreement that allows the product to be showcased.

The consumer is connected to: the client through their exposure to the product, the company by watching their content, and indirectly the agency, because the agency is the expert on consumer trends and tastes. Brands want to be tied to a media company that reaches their desired demographics, West stressed, so it is the duty to of the media agency to be up to date on which demographics are reached by certain companies and programs. For example, as West said, ESPN has such high viewership amongst males, that any company wishing to reach that demographic would be very interested in The Worldwide Leader in Sports.

After her thorough explanation of the advertising sales in media, West offered ten pieces of advice she wished to offer us. Without further ado:
 

• "Money isn't everything"-While West said that she certainly appreciates her paycheck, money cannot buy happiness, and "when you're evaluating jobs, and a career, don't choose just for money". Be sure to review your package as not just salary, but also, company culture, time off, other benefits. You are looking for what is the best fit for you.

 

• "Ask for help"-She added an extra layer to this common piece of advice, to "find people who you can be vulnerable around and be yourself". In other words, don't ask just anyone for help, but find a few mentors with whom you're comfortable asking anything. Build a “board of directors” that you trust to share yourself with. These people could be friends, spouses, significant others, family, or coworkers.

 

• "Work smarter, not harder"-West stressed efficiency, saying that the person who works smartest and the most efficient will be given more responsibility and is more likely get more chances to shine with management which only helps with your career growth.

 

• "You don't know everything"-West advised that no one should be afraid to simply admit that they don't know and ask for help.

 

• "Be respectful and humble"-Confidence, not arrogance, is what West advised us to have, "show your personal brand across the entire organization", she said. NEVER underestimate that each person in your work environment is important. Be respectful to everyone around you, showing people that you aren’t only nice to the people you have deemed “important” but to everyone.

 

• "Be coachable, feedback is a gift"-If you're actively engaged in improving yourself, West said, you will inevitably succeed. When someone gives you feedback , especially when you are working so hard at making what you do perfect, it can be very frustrating. But hearing what someone says to you, is important to your growth personally and professionally.

 

• "Know thy self"-Self awareness is key, as West explained. What are your strengths & weaknesses, (we have a hard time identifying these in an interview because we are afraid people will not be impressed, but always being able to articulate what you are working on is a sign of growth and maturity). 

 

• "Perfection doesn't exist"-We should only be concerned with bettering ourselves, not striving for unattainable perfection. Also perfection is subjective, your “perfection” is different than mine. So how can you determine what the goals are supposed to be?

 

• "Attitude is everything"-If you don't go in with a positive attitude, success is impossible, West noted.

 

• "Have fun and enjoy the ride"-West closed her list of advice with the simple and key point to step back once in awhile and enjoy yourself. Being goal oriented is important in life, but the journey looking back is more the story than the goal itself.

To close her presentation, West answered a few questions about the rise of digital media and how that has affected her work. She said that digital media has indeed changed the business, although not radically. The main difference she noted was the way ads are presented in digital media versus television. On TV, commercials are linear, the consumer watches one ad, then another, and so on, until the content returns. Online, this is not the case, adverts can come from anywhere, the sidebar, the top banner of a website, before a video, or in the breaks of a live event. She calls this system of ads non-linear. Although digital media is growing, TV is still the "cash-cow", she explained, "people want to watch the big game on the big screen".

As always, The Sports Business Society extends its sincerest thanks to alumni like Molly West, who take their own time to come to campus and help educate our members about the nuances of the sports industry. Not only did Molly provide valuable insights into the business of advertising sales within sports media, but also provided fantastic advice that any of our members can use to help themselves and their careers. Molly's advice is truly invaluable to our members, and we hope to have her back again soon.

Blogger Roundtable: NFL in London?

Will the NFL Have a London-based franchise by the end of the decade (2020)?  We gave our thoughts, so now it's your turn.  Answer our poll at the top of the blog and then leave a comment at the bottom of this post explaining why. 

In last week's edition of Blogger Roundtable, our newest Sports Business Society bloggers argued over who was the best commissioner in sports.  Two of the panelists chose Roger Goodell, citing among other factors, the National Football League's success in international markets (particularly London). 

Then on the September 17, SBS Skyped with alumnus Hussain Naqi, SVP of  Fan Engagement for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Naqi has been charged with marketing and branding the team in the UK.  Naqi was able to provide a great deal of incite into the potential NFL market, although he dismissed the possibility of his Jaguars making a permanent move across the Atlantic.


And now the possibility of a London-based franchise has received more media attention than ever before.  ESPN has launched a series of articles on the issue, including Greg Garber's "More Than Just A Nice Place To Visit".  Here's what Garber had to say:

The good news for the skeptics? Players, coaches and staff of the four teams get to jump on a plane afterward and return home. But what if they didn't? What if there were a franchise in London? What financial, logistical and competitive challenges would have to be overcome?  

It's time to start asking these questions, folks, because it's going to happen. Yes, with some serious thrust from commissioner Roger Goodell and a league with a powerful hunger to increase its revenue streams, it's quite likely there soon will be an NFL team in London.

In a separate piece on ESPN, Kristi Dosh examines a variety of legal concerns that arise from a full-time London team.  Tax laws, working visas, as well as competition and free movement labor laws could get in the way of the desires of the NFL's business and marketing brass.

But could legal or other logistical challenges (such as travel) really get in the way of the most powerful sports league in the history of the world?  Or will Roger Goodell and the NFL break down any barriers that stand in the way of their expansionary goals?  That was the question we asked our bloggers and E-Board members this time around:

Will the NFL have a London-based franchise by the end of the decade (2020)?

Adam Malz (Featured Blogger)- Yes

 Yes, I believe that the by the end of the decade an NFL franchise will call London home. This is going to happen eventually, regardless of whether fans or players think it is right. Owners and the League are pushing for it because of the fact that it opens up a brand new and tremendously large area of revenue, as the domestic market is peaking. There are still a lot of obstacles and kinks that will need to be worked out, which is why I’m thinking towards the end of the decade. But I think it is certainly in our near future.

Gabe Cassillo (SBS VP of Magazine)- NO

While the NFL has the ambition and no doubt the resources to make a move to the UK happen (eventually) I think it highly unlikely such a move would take place by the end of this decade. Fans often cite fairly trivial "issues" that would impact such a move. Travel, time differences, culture, lack of fan base, etc. In reality, the time frame seems too aggressive. For a league experiencing continual growth, I question whether the 32 owners would be in favor of taking the risk by adding a team based in London. If I was a betting man, yes, I agree that one day the NFL will have teams overseas. Do I think that day will be by 2020? Not at all.

John Zakour (Featured Blogger)- Yes

In both articles, Garber and Dosh discuss a litany of problems that an NFL team in London would face. Tax codes, food, jet lag, logistical issues, would all have to be ironed out. But they're just minor issues. If Goodell wills a NFL team in London, it will be so. Roger Goodell won't let these triflings stop him from realizing his dream of a truly international, intercontinental NFL. It wouldn't surprise me if we have a foreign Super Bowl in the near future, which would precede a London team. Goodell wants this, against all reason, and he will find a way to make it happen.

Jon Levitan (Featured Blogger)- Yes

The NFL will eventually put a team in London. The league almost always gets what it wants, and clearly wants to have a team.  With two games being played there this year, the only question is when a team will eventually be placed across the pond. I would say that a team will be there by 2020, and I would also guess that that team will be the Jaguars. The market of Jacksonville just isn’t big enough to support a franchise that isn’t firmly entrenched there. That much is already clear, by the fact that the Jags will play a game in London for the next four years, which will be far more lucrative for them than their normal home games. By the end of those four years, the team may very well have a solid following overseas, and hopefully a better product to put on display. Although the league may want to place an expansion team London, as Garber’s article showed, I think the Jaguars will lobby heavily to be relocated.

Jesse Sherman (SBS Director of  Operations) - NO

Word on the street is that an NFL team in London is imminent. We've seen some successful trips to Wembley in the past few years. But that being said, I don't see a London-based franchise emerging before 2020. The current NFL CBA runs through 2020 and some labor laws between the US and London differ significantly enough to raise doubt in my mind. I don't think it will happen.. yet.

Matthew Hakimian (Featured Blogger)- Yes

One of Roger Goodell's main priorities since he came into power as the commissioner in 2006 has been to innovate the National Football League in all facets of the game, both on and off the field. We all know that he is one of the main proponents of an NFL team permanently relocating to London and it's looking more plausible each year. The most likely team to move to the UK would have to be the Jacksonville Jaguars as the team is scheduled to be featured in a game overseas through the 2016 season.  With one of the league's lowest fan bases, and faced with yearly difficulties with local television blackouts, it makes way too much sense to move the struggling Jags to London.

Will the NFL Have a London-based franchise by the end of the decade (2020)?  We gave our thoughts, so now it's your turn.  Answer our poll at the top of the blog and then leave a comment at the bottom of this post explaining why.