Pulis Nick Interview Amy Fancher
SPM 205 9/18/11
When asked why she entered the sports industry she simply responds, "I love sports." All her life she was involved with sports, but baseball topped the list. As the years went by the passion grew stronger and stronger. When it was time to make a decision where to head in life it was without question the sport industry was the only place for her. Success in her future was guaranteed because of the great affection for what she was doing. Passion is a very powerful emotion and drives human potential. Today, Amy Fancher is the office manager and community relations manger for the Binghamton Mets. Fancher has been working full-time for the Mets since 2009, but has been involved part-time with the program since 2004. Fancher's day-to-day schedule is one of the most vigorous in the clubhouse. The reason why Fancher has a difficult time managing is because every day brings a new assignment. Fancher's projects are determined by what is going on at the stadium and what time of the year it is. For example, if it is in season it is important for her to make sure that the field condition is in good shape and that the weather forecast is prominent. Fancher says the in-season time is her favorite time of the year. "The atmosphere at the ballpark is a great experience even for the employees." As one could assume offseason is very challenging for Fancher. She spends a great amount of time working with advertising. Selling advertisement is very important because it makes up a major portion of the income for a Minor League Baseball team. This effort to sell advertisements and find sponsors continues all the way
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up until the season starts. Along with this Fancher has some less stressful jobs such as reserving hotel rooms for the upcoming seasons' road games and to fill donation inquires. Moreover, she handles the teams accounting and deposits. Fancher prides herself being the one in charge of the Facebook page because it is so important in the world today to be connected to social media. Fancher explained that there are many skills that are needed to be a manger of these operations. Fancher's key element in making sure that everything gets done is her team. Without her team Fancher would not complete the everyday tasks that must be accomplished. In addition to having a great team Fancher explains that it is very important to be a leader. She explains that a lot of people rely on her to make decisions and to give assignments to her fellow employees. Lastly, Fancher says communication is crucial. Communication comes in to play whether you are talking to an athlete, a fellow employee, or a potential sponsor. It is this skill that Fancher believes to be her most efficient. Fancher wakes up every morning and enjoys her career, however she does not forget what it took to get to where she is today. Once Fancher was in high school she knew that she wanted to work in sports and like many sports lovers Fancher wanted to become involved in sports media. For this reason Fancher decided to go to near by Binghamton Unversity. Here she would do many things along with get a bachelor's degree in English due to her aspirations to become a sports writer. While in school she decided to get involved in her local paper's sports department called the The Press and Sun Bulletin. This would be the first of her many internships. In her senior year she decided that she would expand her horizons in which she became an intern with the Binghamton University athletics department. It was at this point her in life that Fancher decided that she wanted to go into Sport Management. The
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decision shaped her career. After understanding the difficulty in making a career in the sport media world Fancher knew it was time for a change. In an effort to become more educated in the field Fancher went to SUNY Cortland where she would receive her Master's in Sport Management. At Cortland she worked as a graduate assistant in the sport department mainly managing internships. During the summers she continued to intern at Binghamton University. Fancher was very lucky because she was able to gain experience because of the internships she held. It was here she developed the many skills needed to uphold her position. This truly shaped her into the manger that she is today. In 2004 Fancher began to work for the Binghamton Mets. Fancher worked very hard to make it to where she is today, but still understands the true meaning of the sky being the limit. There are many different reasons why I choice to interview Fancher. One reason is because I would love to be involved with a baseball organization. I believe that there is great outlook and room for mobility within baseball clubhouses. Another reason I choose to interview Fancher is because she is a woman who has not yet accomplished her greatest achievements in her career. Although, she has done great things for the Binghamton Mets she has so much more to offer. Moreover, as a person currently within the sport industry she understand what is going on currently which makes her advice much more valuable. When asked for some advice Fancher proceeded to provided great invoice. She began by stressing the importance of experience. Fancher explained that without experience nobody will hire you. She understands the importance of education but if it was not for her internships she would not be where she is today. Fancher goes on to explain that you must have a great willingness to learn and that you will not be
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working your dream job right off the bat. She states; "You must be flexible." In a last effort to stress experience she explains how networking is so important in the sport industry. For example, there are three alumni of SUNY Cortland in the Binghamton Mets front office alone. Due to the great connects people are able to start off with great jobs that will only grow into beautiful careers. What I was able to get out of the interview the most was that I must gain experience in whatever field I want to go into. If I do not have the experience that everybody else has I will have trouble finding a job out of college. Nevertheless, Fancher's advice was absolutely beneficial. Amy Fancher is a woman who is doing wondrous things within the sport industry. She is a woman who has the knowledge along with the experience and could be a great employee for any company or team she would like. The interview allowed me to broaden my horizons and become a little more involved in the sport industry as a whole. Due to the interview I was able to get a better understanding of what I need to do to make it in not only the sport industry but also in the world of employment in its entirety. Fancher provided me with advice that I will never forget. She explained the importance of experience and connections. Surely, one hears this very often throughout his or her's educational years, however to hear it from someone who is currently employed by a sports team means a lot. Overall, I am very happy that I was able to do a project like this and I will surely benefit from the interview with Amy Fancher.
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