Some people turn their dreams into reality. Matt Baker ’10 is one of them.
Sports and Pirate blue are in Baker’s blood. His grandfather is a Seton Hall graduate, and Matt grew up supporting the Pirates and working at golf courses. In 2006, he applied for early admission to Seton Hall — the only college he wanted to attend.
What attracted him to Seton Hall, in addition to family ties, was the proximity to his hometown and the University’s sport management program. Entering with an interest in a front-office career for a team, Baker completed sports marketing and management classes in addition to regular business courses. Taking full advantage of the opportunities the Stillman School of Business offers, he completed two internships, one with the New Jersey PGA and the other with a local golf course.
Baker’s hard work paid off, as he moved into a year-and-a-half long internship with the Somerset Patriots baseball team’s front office. After this he transitioned to a researcher position with the baseball channel MLB Network, where he has been for 10 years.
As a researcher, Baker gathers information for the network, telling the staff of MLB Network shows what they need to know about goings-on in the sports world. Baker works with on-air talent, helping write one-pagers on every game, sitting in the control room during broadcasts, and feeding broadcasters information during shows through their earpieces.
Baker was surprised at how swiftly he adapted to the fast-paced environment at MLB Network, citing its role in his success. He is not the only long-tenured employee at the sports channel, which was founded in 2009, and he points to the close-knit environment there as the key aspect of the job’s enjoyability.
While Baker likes research, with the support of his superiors and peers he has recently explored production work, observing as well as having a chance to produce several hours of shows.
“I’ve been very lucky to be given the opportunity to go to a school with a program I wanted,” he says. “Not many people have the chance to make their passion their careers.” | Franklin J. Shobe
