It’s A Small World After All – MLB Baseball Job in Asia
From Rush Limbaugh to the 2009 World Baseball Classic, we get up close and personal with Major League baseball Sports Executive Jim Small an executive with 24 years of expereince in the sport.
Name: Jim Small
Title: Vice President, Asia
Team/Organization: Major League Baseball
Years with Organization: 241. Describe your position and current responsibilities.
I am responsible for MLB’s sales, maketing and grass roots activities throughout Asia. MLB’s target markets in Asia are Japan, Korea, China and Chinese Taipei.
2. Tell us about your first job in sports.
I was an intern with the Kansas City Royals in 1982 and my main responsibility was to open player’s mail, make copies and get coffee for my bosses. One of my bosses was Rush Limbaugh, who was the promotions director at the time.
3. What was best advice ever received?
From former Chicago Cubs general manager Dallas Green: “Keep your highs low and your lows high.”
4. What sports memory are you most fond of telling to others?
“I worked for MLB in the PR department in 1988. I was standing next to the batting cage in the bowels of Dodgers Stadium late in Game 1 of the World Series. Kirk Gibson was hitting off a tee and asked a batboy to get Tommy Lasoroda, the maneger. When Lasorda arrived, Gibson (who could barely walk because of an injured leg) told him “I got one in me skip.” An inning later he hit one of the most dramatic home runs in baseball history. Pretty cool.”
5. Describe the area(s) of opportunity for growth in your business.
Baseball has a tremendous future in China and MLB will be part of that. The Chinese consider baseball an Asian sport and just as they want to lead Asia in business, culture and the arts, so to do they want to lead in sports, including baseball. We have been investing heavily in grassroots programs in China since 2001 and starting to see the fruits. There are now four players playing in our minor leagues with the Yankees and Mariners and at the Beijing games, China surprised the world by being Chinese Taipei and nearly beating eventual champion Korea. MLB games are shown on television stations around the country and we recently have opened 70 retail outlets selling MLB products…..so the future is bright for both MLB and baseball in China.
6. What are the biggest challenges that face your business today?
Like all sports, we look at the current financial crisis and realize we need to make sure that we are providing value for the dollar. I think baseball is well positioned to remain a viable entertainment choice around the world.
7. How is major League Baseball doing business differently in these economic times?
I can only speak about our Asia business. We have been fortunate to sell several news sponsorships in both Japan and China in the past few months. I think the key is providing value to our sponsors. While advertising budgets have shrunk, they have not disappeared. Companies are more careful about where they spend their money in Asia. In a place like Japan, we have found that companies are interested in spending their money in more established, well known and proven properties and I think that puts us in a great position.
8. How has this business changed in the last five years?
I think that Sports Merketing in Asia has matured greatly in the past five years. Sponsors, licensees and customers are more sophisticated and have a clearer idea of what they are looking to accomplish with their sports marketing programs. Again, I think that puts us in a great position.
9. What are the kinds of things do you look for when recruiting senior leadership?
As I am working in multiple business cultures — the Chinese, Japanese, Korean and American cultures are all unique — I look for people who can recognize cultural differences and still accomplish their business goals. In order to be successful in international business you need to be flexible, patient and tenacious. I think these are all things I look for in our staff.
10. Finish this sentence. If I had to do it all over again, I would start by…..
……learning a foreign language at 13 years old instead of 43 years old.
—————————–
If you are interested in learning more about MLB’s efforts in China, Click here
The league’s international web site is also here
World Baseball Classic Home Site Link
