Communications Students Fill Jobs at MLB Network

Hands-on broadcast experience and internships prepare students for meaningful careers

Sacred Heart University students in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts (SCMA) have been landing jobs steadily at the Major League Baseball (MLB) Network, and now the baseball news outlet is one of the University’s top recruiters.

MLB’s cable television network has hired about a dozen SCMA undergraduate and graduate students for positions such as broadcast associate and video logger this year and several the year before through SHU’s Center for Career & Professional Development on-campus interview program.

“Having a leading sports organization like MLB come to Sacred Heart and hire our students speaks to the quality of our program,” said Lori Bindig Yousman, associate professor and department chair of communication studies. “Our integrated curriculum fosters technical and creative skills, along with the historical and cultural knowledge of sports media, which prepares students to meet the demands of an ever-changing industry.”

Bindig Yousman said SHU’s undergraduate and graduate sports communication and media programs provide students with unique opportunities to gain hands-on experience working on the University’s Division I athletic broadcasts in professional studios. Students also gain experience through internships at nearby sports media companies like ESPN and NBC Sports. Faculty, who are media professionals and scholars, bring a wealth of knowledge, as well as their professional network connections, to Sacred Heart. “The fact that MLB Network not only comes to campus, but has hired so many of our students, goes to show there is no better place than Sacred Heart to study sports media,” Binding Yousman said.

Andrew Miller, associate professor and director of the graduate sports communication and media program, said the University’s relationship with MLB Network started several years ago, when the SCMA started hosting network executives on campus. That led to MLB interviewing and hiring students.

Miller said MLB Network representatives returned this year and offered jobs to SHU students. “It is clearly a testament to the strong sports communication and media programs we have at SHU and the success of SHU alumni currently working at the networks,” Miller said.

Brianna DiMaggio ’19, of Wilkes-Barre, PA, earned her master’s degree in sports communication and media in 2019. She is a broadcast associate for MLB Network, producing and editing clips from baseball games for shows, social media, team and websites.

“My family members are diehard Yankee fans, going back generations,” said DiMaggio. “So, baseball has been ingrained in me since birth. I grew up watching and loving baseball, and I played softball from when I was a child and throughout college.”

DiMaggio, 24, said she enjoys working at MLB Network. “They give us creative rein to produce pieces however we want. Everyone strives to help each other out and make one another better employees.”

DiMaggio credits Sacred Heart with providing her the tools and knowledge to succeed and allowing her to test her abilities during live broadcasts. “I felt as though I was working in the industry before I even graduated. If it wasn’t for those integral, hands-on experiences, I truly do not believe I would be where I am today,” DiMaggio said.

Christopher Rzasa, 24, of Ansonia, is a freelance broadcast associate for the network, editing and cutting baseball highlights for use on air. The graduate student, is earning his master’s in sports communication and media, said he plans to work remotely until he graduates and then will likely relocate to the network’s Secaucus, NJ, site.

“I grew up loving baseball, thanks to my dad,” Rzasa said. “Something about the feel of watching a game on a summer night can’t quite be matched by anything else. There’s a quote from the movie Moneyball that says, ‘How can you not be romantic about baseball?’ I’ve always dreamed of working in baseball. I always wanted to make the experience better for kids like myself that grew up loving the sport, but maybe didn’t have a chance at a career in the game itself.” 

The SCMA’s graduate program not only connected Rzasa with MLB Network, but it also taught him how a television show is put together. “I knew going into this job that deadlines had to be met, and it would be high pressure,” he said.

Rzasa suggests students like him who are looking for jobs in broadcast media after graduation should start getting experience now. “Do as much work as you can that can be published. Get internships, do freelance work, create your own videos to post on YouTube, because from my experience, companies love seeing what students have done outside of just their classwork.”

James Yevin, 25, from Avon, is a graduate student earning his degree in sports communication and media with a focus in sports broadcasting. He is a freelance broadcast event logger for MLB and is responsible for watching games and logging the highlights. Like Rzasa, he is working remotely and plans to move to the network’s New Jersey location after graduation.

“I love baseball,” said Yevin, who developed his passion through his family. “I was heavily influenced by my late grandfather, and I love how the game is like a chess match I knew when I started watching baseball that it was something I wanted to be a part of in the future.” He said sports broadcasting makes him feel like he’s part of the game, and he enjoys it all, from setting up the broadcast to interacting with on-air talent.

Yevin participated in many Sacred Heart broadcasts and learned important lessons that prepared him for the MLB job Network. “The only way you learn with this major is by doing,” he said. “Do as much as you can.”

Yevin admitted he initially was a “little weak” as a camera operator, but after he spent time with the equipment, he became so skilled that his professor described him as part of the “camera dream team.”

“Don’t expect to be perfect the first time,” he said. “I know from experience how daunting it can be at first, and you feel bad if you don’t do a great job. Once you start to get into a rhythm, you can actually have fun with it and you’ll improve on your skill set. The biggest thing is to help your peers out. It is important to work as a team, especially in sports broadcasting.”

Sacred Heart graduates working at MLB Network said they are proud of their SHU experiences and pleased their hard work paid off and landed them at a prestigious company. Their professors said SHU is the place to prepare for these media jobs.

“MLB Network could have gone anywhere to virtually interview and hire students during this pandemic year, but the fact that they chose SHU as their destination university for their interviews and subsequent job offers demonstrates how the communication programs at SHU have developed a well-deserved, national reputation for excellence,” Miller said.

From left are James Yevin, Brianna DiMaggio and Christopher Rzasa