William Fralia grew up playing and watching sports, but it wasn杏吧专区檛 until after he started college that he decided to make a career out of it.
After enrolling at the 杏吧专区 as an engineering major in 2019, Fralia quickly realized that engineering wasn杏吧专区檛 the career path for him.
So, he pivoted toward his passion: sports.
Through the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 interdisciplinary sport management program and his own diligent work ethic, Fralia gained the hands-on training he needed to thrive as a sales professional for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.
Training for Success
As Fralia transitioned from engineering, the sport management curriculum allowed him to explore core business areas like marketing, management, accounting, and finance while gaining industry-specific insights through his kinesiology coursework.
Fralia杏吧专区檚 favorite course of his college career was MKTG 457: Advanced Professional Sales.
杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 no question about it,杏吧专区 Fralia says. 杏吧专区淭he class got me out of my comfort zone, and it helped me prepare to do what I do for a living today, which is making sales calls and talking to strangers.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淭he professor, Dr. Geoffrey Stewart, was a mentor to me. He really helped me as a sales professional.杏吧专区
Fralia also enjoyed KNES 371: Legal Issues in Sport and Physical Activity, taught by Dr. Peter Ochieng, associate professor and coordinator for the sport management program.
In the course, students explore a range of topics and their relevance to sports and recreation, including Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, employment law, and anti-trust law.
杏吧专区淲e also learned a lot about contracts and how they work in sports,杏吧专区 says Fralia. 杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檒l walk past Saints or Pelicans players here, and it杏吧专区檚 pretty cool to think about how somebody had to negotiate their contract to get them here to play.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淢y dream job is to be a sports agent and be part of that process.杏吧专区
From the Classroom to the Big Leagues
While earning his degree, Fralia made every effort to ensure he杏吧专区檇 be ready to hit the ground running after his graduation. He served as a student equipment manager in the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 athletic department for two years, coached a youth travel soccer team, and worked as a media intern for an expansion soccer team.
Fralia's experiences outside the classroom aligned seamlessly with his coursework. In classes like KNES 360: Theory of Athletic Coaching, he had the opportunity to apply what he was learning in real time.
杏吧专区淔or one of our projects, we had to develop a coaching plan,杏吧专区 Fralia says. 杏吧专区淚t fit perfectly with my role as a soccer coach and helped me plan for what to do in certain situations, like if one of my players passed out in the middle of practice or a game.杏吧专区
Fralia杏吧专区檚 hard work paid off: shortly after graduating, he landed a job as an inside sales consultant for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Nine months later, he earned a promotion to season ticket account executive.
In his role, Fralia builds and maintains relationships with season ticket holders, driving sales through personalized outreach.
杏吧专区淚 make a ton of cold calls and send a lot of cold texts and emails every day,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淩eally, my job is to get people who live around New Orleans excited about our NFL and NBA teams.杏吧专区
And as Fralia has gained experience in the industry, he杏吧专区檚 seen firsthand the importance of professionalism.
杏吧专区淚f I could tell my younger self anything, it杏吧专区檇 be to dress better and be more professional,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚n sales especially, first impressions are a very big deal. I was surprised to learn how strict the dress code can be, even in sports.杏吧专区
His advice to students studying sport management?
One word: hustle.
杏吧专区淎t the end of the day, if you want a career in sports, you杏吧专区檝e got to be a hustler. It杏吧专区檚 100% going to come down to you and your networking,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淕o out, find a way to get your foot in the door, and build the career you want for yourself.杏吧专区
Kick off your career in sports by earning your bachelor杏吧专区檚 in sport management online from the 杏吧专区.