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After debuting last fall, First and Pen and Sports Business Research Network (SBRnet) are bringing their diversity-driven career and education event Get in the Game back to Baltimore.
Get In the Game — which debuted October 2023 — is a diversity-driven career and education event, that puts students from historically Black colleges and universities ( HBCU ), as well as other institutions, directly in front of leading shoe and sports companies. It’s purpose is to help students identify pathways to internships and jobs. The event is scheduled to take place Nov. 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor in Baltimore.
“We want to enhance their understanding that skill sets determines your career path, and here, you’re going to be exposed to a bunch of different career paths, from baseball to retail to marketing to golf — a lot of different areas,” First and Pen founder Yussuf Khan told FN. “On top of that, you get to engage with sponsors in those fields that you can actually get a job out of right then and there.”
Neil Schwartz, president of SBRnet, stated roughly 90 percent of the agenda is locked in, and will include “topical things to get students of color a job in sports.”
For instance, Schwartz said former Baltimore Ravens running back Femi Ayanbadejo, who has become a serial entrepreneur after his retirement from football, will offer students insight on how to overcome challenges and explain how achieving the seemingly impossible is possible if you keep yourself motivated.
The agenda also includes a golf panel featuring representatives from Golf Galaxy, Acushnet Golf and the U.S. Junior Golf Association, as well as a running and retail workshop with Dick’s Sporting Goods, On and Brooks, and more.
Under Armour, too, will play a major part in the event. Aside from sponsoring a panel, the athletic giant will host several students ahead of the event on its campus, who will hear from several employees about the different types of jobs that are available.
“We’re trying to touch on a number of important issues that college students of color are facing as they get into the job world, internships and so on. We want to hone in on not the obvious things, but the things that are not as obvious,” Schwartz explained.
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Last year, 137 students attended the event, including roughly 50 percent that Schwartz said were ready for a job or internship. Of those ready for the workforce, 21 received internships with companies including Clarks Originals, Asics, Dick’s Sporting Goods and more.
“We had a few that were given internship opportunities on the spot,” Khan noted.
Schwartz confirmed they are looking to register a total of 200 students for this year’s Get In the Game, and that there are already 150 registered. He also stated there will be 23 companies in the career expo that are looking for interns, and confirmed sponsors include Brooks, On, New York Road Runners, Charm City Run and Dick’s Sporting Goods.
Leading up to the event, Khan will conduct a series of workshops with attending students to inform them on what HR managers are looking for on resumes, how you dress for an interview, the important five-minute elevator pitch where you sell yourself, and more.
“We are not just a career expo. We are an educational opportunity for students, and we make it effective and efficient for our brand partners because we prepare the students to come in ready to talk to them, ready with their resume, ready with their areas of interest,” Khan explained. “When the sponsors look in, they say, ‘I’m interested in people in the technology field or training field,’ and they have those resumes and students already identified.”
Registration is open now via Getinthegameconference.net .
About the Author
Peter Verry is the Senior News and Features Editor for Athletic and Outdoor at Footwear News. He oversees coverage of the two fast-paced and ultracompetitive markets, which includes conducting in-depth interviews with industry leaders and writing stories on sneakers and outdoor shoes. He is a lifelong sneaker addict (and shares his newest purchases via @peterverry on Instagram) and spends most of his free time on a trail. He holds an M.A. in journalism from Hofstra University and can be reached at peter.verry@footwearnews.com.
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