High school job seekers glimpse wide world of (front office) sports

by Ron Kaplan
NJJN Staff Writer

In sports, to “get schooled” means your opponent has taught you some valuable, if harsh, lessons about competition.

In a sense, a group of students from Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School “got schooled” at the Sports Career Fair at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford on March 30.

About 25 Kushner kids made the trip from the Livingston campus, mixing with more than 700 other hopefuls, primarily college graduates and adults already in the workforce. The event — sponsored by the New Jersey Nets — featured representatives from more than two dozen sports-related companies, including local area teams, management firms, and media outlets.

Many company reps were sympathetic to the students’ inquiries, but were seeking students of at-least college age for whatever internships they had available, mostly in the areas of marketing and administration.

Still, attending the fair opened the high school students’ eyes to the possibilities that await them after graduation.

Rabbi Richard Kirsch, who made the trip from Kushner, had warned the students what they were walking into.

“We had some run-throughs,” said Kirsch, who serves as the school’s guidance and career counselor. “I thought it was important that they experience the mechanics of networking.”

Ari Ackerman, 16, made a bee-line for the first table he saw, peppering the representative of the Somerset Patriots, a baseball team in the independent Atlantic League, with questions about what jobs might be available to someone with his limited background. He was told there were plenty of opportunities, such as usher, ticket taker, or on-field promotions. Like many of the Kushner students, however, Ackerman’s summer plans precluded any kind of summer job.

Avi Lerner, 16, Shira Lichtman, 17, Alix Freireich, 16, and Sheri Liebman, 16, waited in line for more than half an hour to learn what the New York Mets had to offer (not much for teenagers, it turned out). They also visited the booths of the Newark Bears and New Jersey Devils. Despite all the negative responses they received, the group agreed they were not discouraged.

A.J. Mitnick, a 16-year-old junior from Livingston, was looking into internship possibilities with the YES Network. A cocaptain of Kushner’s varsity basketball team, Mitnick said his dream job would be to work in the front office for the NBA. To that end, he and his friends Jon Freireich (Alix’ twin brother) and Elie Schoppik, 17, had an extended chat at the Seton Hall table about the school’s sports management program.

Adina Schwartz, a 16-year-old sophomore from East Brunswick, was actually offered a position with the Newark Bears, but, like many of her schoolmates, she already had summer plans. “Sports is my passion,” said Schwartz, who plays on Kushner’s volleyball team. “A job [in the industry] would be incredible.”

After waiting almost an hour, she finally had a chance to chat with Renee Antoine, manager of college relations for ESPN, who encouraged her to continue contacting local media to see what might be available.

After collecting hundreds of resumes during the three-hour fair, several representatives acknowledged they had no present situations to offer but were collecting information for the future. Agents for ESPN, WFAN, and the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, told NJ Jewish News that many applicants were looking for a career change but were unrealistic in their salary expectations.

As they strolled among the booths, some of the students were intimidated by the older competition, clad in business attire and carrying folders full of resumes.

Jon Schwartzbard, 16, was interested in working for one of the baseball teams, but after making the rounds observed, “There’s not many opportunities for high school students.” The companies were looking for older people, he said in frustration.

“They’re not going to walk away with a job,” Kirsch acknowledged. This purpose of coming here was a way of opening the possibility for an internship or job in a year or two, he said. “I know it’s hard for them to envision that. Everything is ‘now.’”

Several students also felt it was difficult to talk to strangers about matters connected to job hunting.

“On the one hand, I want to hold their hands and walk them through the process,” he said, “but sometimes you have to throw them to the wolves.

“Not everything is going to be handed to them on silver platters. You have to work for something in order to get it,” Kirsch said. “If I can accomplish that, then I’ll feel good about this experience.”

Ron Kaplan can be reached at RKaplan@njjewishnews.com.