Women in Sports - Carly Rosenberg, Creative Artists Agency

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.

Carly Rosenberg is the focus of this week's edition of Women in Sports. Rosenberg is a 2006 graduate of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, where she completed the AEM major. She currently serves as the Sports Business Affairs Coordinator at Creative Artists Agency. Carly was kind enough to speak to the Cornell ILR SBS Blog about her career and much more.


Why did you go to Cornell?

I decided that I worked hard in high school and if I could get into a good school I should go there. I ended up applying early and I thought I owed it to myself.


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

I was an AEM major and I mostly studied marketing. I always knew I wanted to do entertainment. But I didn’t necessarily know I wanted sports.


Could you describe your current role?
I work at Creative Artists Agency. I’m in a lawyer the sports legal department. I’m called the Coordinator. I help to coordinate the work between the four lawyers and other members in our group. On top of being the coordinator for the sports legal department, I also have other responsibilities in the group as well as work I get work from other agents in different departments.


How did you get to where you are today?

I went to Brooklyn law school and graduated during the worst economic downturn in recent history. I was applying to every job possible in legal or entertainment. I applied to Creative Artists and when they called me they asked if I was interested in a position. It was all about applying at the right time.


How has the industry changed since when you started?
I think the industry has become more about big agencies. It used to be all about one-on-one agent experiences, so that everyone had their one agent, but now it is really shifting to more a team atmosphere. I think people are excited to be represented by CAA because of all the opportunities here.


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

I think the biggest thing is always networking and connections. Although it didn’t help me get to where I am, I think it's very helpful because if you get the opportunity to work in an internship you can see if you like the field or not. Another piece of advice is to follow sports. I know so much more now about sports than I ever did. I think it helps a lot to keep up with what’s going on.


What's your favorite part about working in sports?

My favorite part about working in sports is that it’s male dominated industry and I like the idea that it’s not necessarily what you expect a women to be doing. I like that women can be knowledgeable about sports. I like a strong woman who can hang with the guys and who knows sports.

What do you most miss about your time at Cornell?

I do not miss the weather! But I do miss Cayuga’s Waiters and the vegetarian bagel from CTB!

We sincerely appreciate alumnae like Carly 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.

Women in Sports - Megan Hughes, WNBA

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.

Megan Hughes is the focus of this week's edition of Women in Sports. Hughes is a 2008 graduate of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a former Ivy League Champion as a member of the Cornell Women's Basketball team. She currently serves as Coordinator of Basketball Operations and Player Relations at the WNBA. Megan was kind enough to speak to Cornell SBS member Zoe Forster about her career and much more.


Why Cornell?

Growing up my goal was to play college basketball and I wanted to compete at the highest level at academically and athletically. I was fortunate to be offered the opportunity at Cornell. I had full scholarship offers from other schools, but I chose Cornell for the outstanding academic background.

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

I started out in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and I was apart of the AEM program. I quickly transitioned into the Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS) major. I pretty much crafted my own curriculum. The official title of my major was Marketing Strategies and Management. I took a combination of courses from entrepreneurship, finance, food merchandising. It was a combination of a variety of classes from CALS and marketing classes in the Hotel School. I realized I didn’t want to be an investment baker and I felt like AEM was very driven towards making me one.

I wanted to do sports marketing and Cornell didn’t really have that. There was sports law in ILR but I wasn’t in ILR. As far as being business savvy, having that ability is so crucial to be successful and well respected in the sports business world. I definitely value all I learned from the AEM program because it really taught me how to leg up when I got to the Associates Program at the WNBA. All of that stuff helped to build a base, but I found that it was very narrow and I wanted more. There are ways to get more out of your experience at Cornell.

Could you describe your current role? 

My current role for the WNBA is Coordinator of Basketball Operations and Player Relations. I work in our WNBA president’s office with our players, coaches, officials, and league staff to help coordinate player programs. I’m very involved in any kind of league or team initiative that involves our players. I help communicate the player needs up to our executive partners. We make sure that our partners have access to our players. So I’m very involved in any kind of player communications or movements as well as making sure the players are abiding by the appropriate rules.

What's your favorite part about working in sports?

What I love the most about my job is that I have the opportunity to do the scouting and talent evaluations for the WNBA. Every year we get rookies in. But my job is to go out on the road between late November and early April. I’m on the road at March Madness and different conference tournaments out looking for the top 100 women’s basketball players in the country and getting them prepared to get drafted for the WNBA. This is so close to my heart given my background playing. I wanted to play professionally at one time. Helping them to make that transition into professional athletics is one of my favorite parts about what I do here.

How did you get to where you are today?

I came directly out of Cornell in May of 2008 and started immediately with the NBA. The NBA and WNBA are one big family of brands. I became a part of the NBA Associates Program, which is our entry-level program for recent college graduates. I applied to that program in the fall of my senior year and I remember I got an interview to come into New York City and I remember it was the day of our last home game against Brown University. So I woke up that morning and flew into New York City and had the interview with 5 or 6 people. I ended up flying back to Ithaca and making the game at halftime. 

It was the craziest day ever. Now the associates program is a rotational program, but when I started I was placed in a department called Team Marketing and Business Operations, which is a term for the NBA’s internal consulting firm. My job there was to work with all the account managers, team owners, and presidents, to figure out what are the best practices to implement to help them drive their business. They throw you right into the fire right away. It was a great experience.

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

In general, I think women are definitely making it. I sit in a very unique position. Where I am in the WNBA, I sit right between the WNBA president laurel Richie, and vice president Renee Brown. My desk is in between their offices and they are two African American women who are at the head of a major sports franchise. And that is very unique. So in my day-to-day interaction, I don’t always see what other people see. Where I am, we’re at the top of our game and we have two women managing it every day. There are not a whole lot of people coming in and telling us we can’t do something. Part of our brand charter is that we show the world what’s possible. 

Outside our department, I think women are making headway. There was a recent announcement that Michele Roberts is heading up the NBA Associates Program—the first women to ever take that role. To me, that’s a sign that we are cracking the glass ceiling. But we’re not always necessarily looked at with the same set of eyes as when there are men in the room. Sometimes your voice will not be as readily heard. And that’s something I didn't really believe until it actually happens to you. I think the role of women in sports is becoming larger and people are aware of us now in the industry.

How has the industry changed since when you started? 

The game itself is stronger than it has ever been. Its growing by leaps and bounds, which is evident by the talent we have. Brittany Griner came into the league in 2013. She dunks all the time in practice and did it in the All Star game a couple of weeks ago. We had a dunking contest in practice and all of them were dunking. As for the business side, we are 18 years young. Given where we are, I think we’re in good shape. I think we’re strong, headed in the right direction. Magic Johnson just became an owner this past December. We have people really helping to grow the business.

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

Get out there and get involved. Don’t worry about the money. Get experience, get on the ground and don’t be afraid to do the work. In sports, it is a who-you-know type of field, but it is also performance based. Get to know the business and be able to speak and articulate yourself about the game and the environment. Our president, Laurel Richie had no idea about sports. She never played basketball and I don’t think she even knew the rules, but she’s the president because she knows marketing and she knows how to sell the product. It’s about knowing your craft and perfecting it.

We sincerely appreciate alumnae like Megan 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.

Women in Sports - Robyn Miller, Tennis Channel

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.

Robyn Miller is the focus of this week's edition of Women in Sports. Miller is a 1973 graduate of Cornell University, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in French Literature and Linguistics. She currently serves (no pun intended) as the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Tennis Channel. Robyn was kind enough to speak to the Cornell ILR SBS Blog about her career and much more.


Why did you go to Cornell? What did you study at Cornell?

I had studied French from 4th grade up through high school and found I had a real affinity and growing love for the language. The Romance Languages department was very strong at Cornell, and I was so thrilled to be the first in my family to be admitted to an Ivy League School! My Major was French Language and Linguistics, and I loved every minute of it.

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

Hell no! I was always one of the last to be picked for sports teams and I didn’t make the Cheerleader squad because I couldn’t do a cartwheel to save my life. Need I say more?

Could you describe your current role?

I’ve been Senior Vice President of Marketing here at Tennis Channel for about 7 ½ years. Tennis Channel is a digital television network that’s in about 35 million homes across the U.S. (In fact, I hope the cable system in Ithaca carries us!). I’m in charge of all advertising, promotion, branding, creative and publicity for the network, basically any initiative that involves generating awareness and tune-in to our programming. 

I oversee all marketing. Not just to our viewers and website users, but also to our advertisers and distributors. I supervise an amazing, talented staff of 20, and as a live sports network with tournaments on our air 51 weeks per year, we have to be very nimble day-in-and-day-out. There’s never a dull moment!

How did you get to where you are today?

One of my first jobs was as a Coordinator in the International department of Max Factor Cosmetics, and it was there that I caught the marketing bug. I thought how cool it would be to travel internationally (and show off my French at the same time LOL). At that point I also realized a higher education was in order so that I could further hone my marketing skills. I got my MBA from UCLA Anderson School, specializing in International Marketing. I ended up working in International Marketing for the next 20 years, first with Max Factor and then at the Walt Disney Company. 

It was at Disney where I truly earned my marketing chops, moving up the ranks in the International Home Entertainment division for close to 17 years. I traveled extensively to almost every Disney office on the planet and to this day am so grateful for that experience! At a certain point however, I wanted to experience a bit more entrepreneurial, less corporate environment, and that’s where my first cable job, Fine Living (3 ½ years) and now Tennis Channel, came in.

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

Obviously there are gender issues at play in every industry, not just sports. In fact, after all these years, it’s appalling that women still earn less than their male counterparts in almost every arena of business. Speaking only of tennis however, I’m proud that it’s an even playing field. The Women’s purse for our Grand Slam winners is equal to the Men’s, as it should be!

How has the industry changed since when you started?

I started at Tennis Channel in 2007, where we had our linear network and a website, www.tennischannel.com. Today we have a robust mobile application, our “Tennis Channel Everywhere” App and our enhanced “Tennis Channel Plus” for our biggest fans. The ubiquitousness of various sports platforms has been a true technology game changer for the entire industry. Now our viewers have the freedom to access our live coverage from wherever they are, whether it be via mobile, on their ipad, on their laptop. And that’s great for Tennis Channel.

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

I hope it doesn’t sound pithy, but I encourage women to follow their passion. What I mean is, what is it that turns you on most in your life, and how can you parlay that interest into a career that will give you satisfaction? Understand that there will be many diverse curves along the way, but that shouldn’t deter you. My passion was French, and that interest led to my passion for Marketing. Importantly, you do not have to play sports to be in sports, and I’ m the poster child for that!

What's your favorite part about working in sports?

Watching Rafa or Roger from my seat at the French Open while exercising my now rusty French doesn’t suck!

What do you most miss about your time at Cornell?

I live in Southern California, so it’s NOT the weather!!! Of course I miss the amazing friendships I made with so many people during my time there. And just the experience of being in this quite magical place for four years and feeling very blessed to be a part of it.

We sincerely appreciate alumnae like Robyn 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.

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.