Networking Interview

By Alex Katz

Ben CheringtonGeneral Manager of the Boston Red Sox

Birthdate and where from?Born: July 14, 1974 (40 years old) Meriden, New Hampshire

Timeline of CareerCollege Present

Undergraduate School: Amherst CollegeGraduate School: University of Massachusetts Amherst (Masters in Sport Management)

1999-2005: Cherington served Boston as an area scout, baseball operations assistant, coordinator of international scouting, and assistant director (and then director) of player development

December 12, 2005 - January 19, 2006: served as co-general manager of the team with Jed Hoyer during Epstein's absence from the team.

January 20, 2006 – January 2009: After Epstein's return, Cherington became vice president, player personnel

January 2009 – October 2011: senior vice president and assistant GM

October 2011 – Present: General Manager of the Boston Red Sox

Why did Ben choose this career path?-Ben was a huge baseball fan since his early childhood (Studied the stats and numbers relating to the game of baseball)

-He studied Baseball Digest from cover to cover, implored his parents to drive dozens of miles to secure a Sunday Boston Globe so he could devour the baseball notes column.

-He and his buddies collected baseball cards, but, explained lifelong friend Ben McGee, "The rest of us only cared if it was a rookie card. What interested Ben was all those numbers on the back.”

What is the biggest challenge of being a GM of a Major League Baseball team?

• Creating a winning team is the biggest challenge

• The GM controls player transactions, bears the primary responsibility on behalf of the ballclub during contract discussions with players

• The general manager is also normally the person who hires and fires the coaching staff, including the manager.

What does an average day at work entail?

• Interviews from the media• Phone calls with the GM’s of other MLB

organizations (Trades, etc.)• Meetings with executives and the scouting

department of the Red Sox• Attending home and away games

How many hours per week and how much travel does the job require?

• 12+ hours at the ballpark every day• The GM of an MLB team might travel as much or

more than the players on the team, depending on whether the GM travels to the team’s away games

• Meetings throughout the year (Winter Meetings)

• Hours every week on the phone and in meetings

Any advice from this person for someone looking to get into this area of sports?

• The first job description is not going to be the perfect one (the job duties)

• Being around the right people is the most important thing about your first job

• Try to get into scouting players, talk to scouts• Skills, qualities and being able to have an

intellectual conversation are key

Video

• Ben Cherington Career Advice Video(17:45, 34:15)

Dr. John Murray, Sports Psychologist

Sports Psychologists What do they do?

Some athletes seek help from a sport psychologist or other exercise and sport psychology professional when they have a problem .They might become anxious or lose focus during competition, for example. They might have trouble communicating with teammates, controlling their temper or even just motivating themselves to exercise. Or they might choke at key moments during a game. But athletes don't just consult sports psychologists when they're having difficulties.

Sport psychologists can also help athletes:

Enhance performanceCope with the pressures of competitionRecover from injuriesKeep up an exercise programEnjoy sports

-John Murray treats NFL players, professional golfers and professional tennis players.

Career path and how John Murray got to where he is

• Started as a tennis coach, but he saw something glaring while on the road watching matches. Saw how important the mental game was to success and how few athletes trained it.

• BA in psychology from Loyola University, • University of Florida Graduate School (1990s): 2 masters degrees (Sport

Psychology and Clinical Psychology) and a PhD (Clinical Psychology)• The 1997 national champion Florida Gators football team was the

subject of my doctoral dissertation• Clinical and sport psychology internship at Washington State University

and a • Post doctoral fellowship at Florida International University • Currently, owns a private practice in Florida

Advice to people wanting to follow a similar career path

• “To be a sport psychologist you have to wear many hats and credentials are extremely important. I believe the only way to do it is to become a licensed psychologist first, as the bare minimum level of training. You need to know what makes people tick, how they break down, all of the assessment and treatment training.”

• “a license in psychology is not enough. You also have to have studied the sport sciences--the physical bases of sport--the movement sciences, the biology, the physiology etc. Then, and perhaps the hardest part to acquire, is the hands-on training by another qualified sport psychologist.”

Fun Facts

• A big element of his job is attending sporting events (See the athlete in his/her natural environment)

• He is available 24/7 to his clients• He always meets his new clients in person• All across the country, the stigma of mental

illness is slowly disappearing. As a result, more and more athletes are willing to discuss their feelings with a professional (More open).