Q&A With Sharon Fish: Women’s History Month

1. Tell us about your background. Where have you worked, go to school, etc.?

I’ve had roles in a few different areas of the sports industry. I started out with a startup called The Content Factory who curated sports broadcast and radio personalities and gave them their own platform to grow a syndicated radio show. With them, we launched The Dan Patrick Show and a few others. DirecTV ultimately bought the company, so I was able to grow my role and move to a larger company while still doing integrated marketing for sports content properties. I was there for almost 7 years and thought, how lucky am I, that I truly got a dream job right out of college. But we grow, and I decided to see what else was out there.

I ended up moving to Washington, D.C. to lead strategy and development for the partnership group at Monumental Sports and Entertainment. At MSE, I was able to bridge the gap between creative, data, and sponsorship to help innovate the pitch process, create new types of assets, and be more strategic in the asset mix provided to partners. MSE was great because they are more innovative and tech-forward than most organizations, and you are able to work for the NHL, NBA, WNBA, and other properties under the same umbrella.

After MSE, I ended up moving back to Chicago and tried my hand at the agency side. I lead creative strategy for a sports marketing agency; so, basically had a hand in all new business, development, and execution of client’s work and projects. After a few years there, a colleague from MSE (who happens to be Trajektory’s CEO) reached out and asked if I’d be interested in helping grow a marketing team at an e-commerce loyalty platform. This was an amazing opportunity to try something new, get a bit more traditional marketing under my belt, and build true data-driven, full-funnel marketing strategies for a loyalty program with millions of members. I was able to lead branding and marketing strategies for the rewards platform, partnerships, credit cards, and more. It really helped grow my expertise in the space.

While there, Alex (Trajektory’s CEO) and I had lots of conversations about the challenges in the sports sponsorship space and what we had experienced. Being the data guru he is, he came up with this cohesive aggregated platform idea and we finally jumped and brought it to life. So now I’m here at Trajektory, really able to drive my passion in the industry and provide a real solution for teams.

2. How did you get into the sports industry?

I wish I had a great story to share about this but, the truth is, I just always wanted to be in it. I picked my college specifically for the location being adjacent to major sports teams. I was recruited to a few colleges for diving and picked Rutgers since it was, for one, a great diving program, but also because it was so close to NY and all the sports teams. I majored in Sports Management, interned with the NY Red Bulls, and the rest is history.

3. Why did you want to work in sports?

It’s funny because this is a key question I ask candidates in interviews. I think their answers are very telling. I of course had all the fantasies of what working in sports looks like; attending games, getting perks, all the fun. But, for me, it really wasn’t about that. I truly think the business of sports is fascinating. The operations and process of what goes into it. From tickets to community service to sponsorships to marketing and even down to the game-day operations, and the athletes themselves. The wheel that makes it all work and makes money was just such an interesting concept to me. One of the reasons I’ve tried to work in roles in different areas of the industry (content/media, team, agency, brand) is so that I can really understand each side of the equation. The more I learn and grow, the more fascinating it all becomes.

4. What challenges have you faced being a woman in the sports industry?

This is a tough question to answer. It’s like this thing that always hangs over you, and you know you have to prove yourself, fight through any doubts, and in many ways command the attention you deserve. I’ve been lucky to have a lot of supporters in my corner over the years, many of whom were male bosses. And I think that is a very helpful component to being able to grow and move forward. That said, for most of my career I have definitely been the only woman in the room, and at times that can feel daunting. I feel like overall, I’ve been respected in almost all the places I’ve worked. But I’ve worked hard to make sure of it.

I learn every aspect of a company I’m at to make sure I am knowledgeable in how the business works as a whole. I stay strong in my opinions and solutions, confident when I’m presenting and speaking, and I’m not afraid to speak up if I’m feeling disrespected or put off. It was a struggle sometimes in my younger years to figure out how to “fit in” to the boys club, without feeling like I lowered my standards or was part of the problem. I quickly figured out how to stay true to myself and gain respect based on my work, my ethics, and the importance I put on culture in the spaces I worked. I’m a big proponent of education and speaking up and most importantly being a mentor for other women in the space and to hold them up and help them grow. After all, we are in this together.

5. What would you like to see in the future of the sports industry?

In terms of women in the industry, I’d like to obviously see more equality, more opportunity, and hope we get to a point that it’s not considered a “male-dominated” industry. I think it starts with leadership and getting more women in executive positions. We need to make sure that women have the spaces they need to grow, to get more opportunities, to have a voice, to educate others, and to not feel like they have to work harder than their male counterparts for the same benefits. There is a good trend going with women being hired into those positions, but we definitely have a lot farther to go. It’s on both the men and the women leaders to uphold a culture within the organizations that supports, mentors, educates, and provides those opportunities.

6. What advice would you give to women who want to work in the sports industry?

Just do it! It’s a great industry to be in and has so many amazing opportunities. I could talk forever on this topic alone. To start, have conversations with everyone and anyone you can. Find some women-led sports groups, network, and find some mentors that can help guide you through your path. Not only does that help connect you to potential opportunities, but it also gives you a person to talk about challenges with, figure out solutions, and make sure you’re in the right place.

The next thing that I tell everyone who want to be in sports is there are so many ways to get into the industry. You don’t have to start as an entry-level inside ticket sales rep at a team (unless you want to!). Look at media companies, agencies, brands, digital tech companies, retail. Sports cross over almost every other major industry and there is likely a sports component within one of those companies. Figure out what you are passionate about and be open to starting your path in an unconventional space.

I’ll leave everyone with my entry into the sports space (after my internship). I interviewed at a sports hospitality company and told them I wanted to be on the side that creates and executes the hospitality programs. They told me there’s no money in that, you should sell the programs instead. I went through two days of sales training before they handed us a binder full of cold contacts and said go practice. I remember cold calling someone like the executive assistant to a c level person at Coca-Cola, obviously not getting through. This was not what I wanted to be doing and I wasn’t willing to make it work, just to get stuck in that side of the business. I packed my stuff and walked out. A week later I got an interview for the startup with The Dan Patrick Show, and that was where I stayed for the next 7 years. It’s okay to say something isn’t right for you. Passion, drive, and feeling confident about where you are will make you so successful.

I love talking about the industry, and if anyone is looking to talk more, don’t hesitate to reach out! I love supporting other women in the space, and want to be a part of the equality solution and help others grow their careers and feel great doing it!