By Lacie Blankenship
The most recent edition of the Owen Forward series, The Business of Sport, featured Candice Storey Lee (BS’00, M.Ed.’02, Ed.D.’12), Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs, and Athletic Director and Jamey Rootes, who helped launch both the Columbus Crew and Houston Texans, serving as President of both organizations. Lee and Rootes discussed today’s most relevant sports business topics and shared advice applicable to the widespread Vanderbilt community. We highlight 4 key takeaways below.
Learn how to sell.
“You will always need to know how to sell,” says Rootes, who credits his ability to sell for helping him pivot his career from the computer industry to the sports industry. Selling is a useful skill across any industry or function. Rootes and Lee discussed the value of confidently selling yourself, and selling visions and ideas to potential employers, investors, and others as well.
Interpersonal relationships matter.
“Sometimes, you just have to answer the phone,” says Lee. “Stay connected with people because that’s where our opportunities come from.” Lee, a “lifetime Commodore” who transitioned from a Vanderbilt student-athlete, to a Vanderbilt graduate and doctorate student, to the first Black female athletic director at Vanderbilt and in the SEC, emphasized the point that establishing and fostering connections is game-changing, professionally and personally.
Rootes echoes this point – “it’s about people who will get you your opportunities.” He described his success with informational interviews (informal conversations with someone that works in an area the ‘interviewer’ is interested in). Rootes notes that he connected with 3 people that “made a huge difference” in his professional life via informational interviews and shared that the key was staying in contact after their 20-minute ‘interview.’
You don’t have to be the MVP to make an impact.
Lee discussed finding her role as she stepped into her position as a student-athlete and how that translates today. “I learned the importance of understanding your role and owning it,” says Lee. “I was not going to be the MVP, I was not going to be the first off the bench, but I figured out how I could help my team from a leadership standpoint or scout team to get the real stars on our team ready to play.”
When you have a star, your role is to create a better role for them, before they do.
“The opportunities that I’ve had at Vanderbilt are the same opportunities you would move for,” says Lee. She and Rootes discussed her commitment to Vanderbilt and the array of opportunities in the community. For Rootes, “when you have a star, your job is to create a better job for them before they go look for another.” This applies as much to the business of sport as it does in other workplaces.
To learn more about the business of sport and hear the dialogue between Lee and Rootes, watch the recorded session below or on Vanderbilt Business YouTube.
