For Joe Zollo, growing up in New England made it tough to avoid being a sports fan.

“It’s really hard to not like sports in a city with 12 championships in your lifetime,” he says. “I started playing t-ball when I was three and haven't stopped playing sports ever since.”

对体育运动如此热情, it was no surprise that Joe was interested in pursuing a career in sports journalism. But after a heart-to-heart with a family friend and New England Patriots writer, Joe quickly realized journalism wasn’t the right angle for his career objectives. “He told me, ’Joe if you don't want to work long hours for pennies, don't get into journalism.’”

转向对商业的兴趣, Joe had heard about 满帆 and felt it would be the perfect fit for his approach to education. “I don't really care for the traditional college experience. 我不喜欢派对. 我不需要去大学校. I was just like, ‘All right, get in and out, get into the industry.’” After visiting the campus and attending a Behind the Scenes tour, Joe decided the 体育营销 & 媒体 program would be the perfect place to marry his lifelong love of sports and his desire for a successful and impactful career.

毕业后做了几份工作, including a part-time role with the Boston Red Sox that Joe secured while still in school, he found himself doing something he never expected: Moving to North Dakota. Receiving a job offer with summer collegiate baseball team the 俾斯麦云雀在美国，乔搬到了中西部.

A part of the Northwoods League – a baseball organization whose alumni include Curtis Granderson, 马克斯Scherzer, and Brandon Crawford – the 俾斯麦云雀 see a 72-game regular season throughout the summer that emphasizes the fan experience, focusing on entertainment and the lighter side of professional sports. 充满了舞蹈的间歇, 粉丝的参与, 当然也是美国人的消遣, Larks games give Joe the chance to flex his creativity, 喜剧, and magnetic personality in front of nearly 2,每晚有000名粉丝.

Hired as a content creator and even hosting a few games during his first season, Joe grew with the team as did his scope of work. 今天, Joe works as the Director of Entertainment and On-Field Host for the Larks, a role that requires him to perform throughout the summer season, while spending the nine off-months planning and preparing for next season. “We're pretty much preparing nine months for a three-month season. 在秋天, 是对上一季的回顾, 回顾一下粉丝们的评论, 赞助商说了什么, and trying to see what we can do better next year.”

During the season, Joe’s job doesn’t lack for excitement. “[A normal game day] is making sure the script is right and tight, 获得概要设置, sponsors are all happy… going over the ballpark, 确保视频板都安装好了, 晚上的东西都准备好了, 声音都准备好了, 以及我需要做的任何练习. Then, gates open and I act like a maniac for four to five-and-a-half hours… I love my job.”

在镜头和娱乐方面都很有天赋, Joe still credits much of his success to his time at 满帆.

“The amount of stuff that I learned is insurmountable, I think. And I say it every time I come back [to 满帆], 不管他们告诉你什么, 你可能会翻白眼，说, ‘Oh, 这是牛.’ And maybe 10% of it is, and they're trying to hype it up a little bit. But 90% of it is probably dead accurate… because these people have been in the industry. These people know what the industry is and they're not just teachers.”