We're here at the home of the Atlanta
Braves truest park. From the people who
keep the field looking major league
ready to the creative minds designing
what players wear to the planners
bringing that ballpark energy and
leaders making a difference in the
community. Today we are stepping behind
the plate with the team behind the team.
Let's go.
>> Turns out a path to a career in
professional sports doesn't have to
include scoring goals or hitting homers.
It can go through science, art, music,
community work, food, and more. Pro
sports teams create a micro economy full
of hundreds of amazing people working
amazing careers. And today we're
rounding the bases with some of them in
this 10-minute special. Meet Insung Kim,
vice president and creative director of
the Atlanta Braves. Some careers in
sports start with a sketch and end up in
the hands of fans around the world.
>> I have one of the coolest jobs in the
world because I get to design things.
And the players and fans in one of my
favorite sports, they get to wear it and
they get to keep it. So, it's really
fun.
>> From jerseys to bobbleheads, creativity
is key.
>> This is the Outcast bobblehead. So, we
got Big Boy and Andre 3000 over here.
and play your lipstick Cadillac funky
music.
>> And for Mr. Kim, a little nostalgia from
his childhood inspired some big ideas.
>> So, this is a new game used store here
at Truce Park called South End Trading
Company. We wanted to remind you of kind
of the baseball card shops that you and
I went to growing up. We you can
actually come here and buy a baseball
from the game that you watch today. So,
we have a neon light outside the store.
So once all the uh baseballs from uh
today's game are brought over here um
the light goes on and you come in the
store and you can say you know what uh
this is this is my first baseball game
so I want to make sure that I get a
baseball from today's game.
>> Who is a teacher out there who impacted
you on your journey?
>> So I want to give a shout out to Miss
Spencer my uh my art teacher in seventh
grade. Without her I never would have
pursued art. She was the one that that
encouraged me and told me, "Hey, this is
something that you're really good at.
Maybe you should continue to u follow it
because she saw something in me and I
and I'm so grateful to her for that."
>> Amazing. Impacting the next generation
teachers out there. Keep it up.
>> This is Scott Beam, director of field
operations. Long before fans fill the
stands and players take the field, work
on the field is well underway. We're
here 24/7 pretty much from March until
October. So, there's a lot of demand,
but from fertilizing to cutting um to
dragging the infield to to managing
moisture, um there's a lot that goes on
into making this thing playable every
day.
>> Keeping a field looking major league
ready takes serious skill and science.
For the next generation out there, if
they're looking to maybe get into this
kind of career path, what sort of skills
or studies should they be working on? I
got you. Science is big for us. Um,
obviously we're watching um disease
control. Uh, we're fertilizing, so
knowing rates of fertilization. I
graduated from Penn State with my turf
degree. I mean, that's a good program to
get into to be able to to learn this
stuff and to to do a career like this.
>> While players study the playbook, this
crew studies soil, weather patterns, and
more to make sure the field is game
ready.
>> The biggest thing for us is weather. Um,
especially down here, we're not a dome
facility. So, you know, I'm always
watching the weather. Tarping is of
utmost important on this field. I have a
system underneath the field that I can
pump 102,000 gallons of water in an hour
off of this field. I mean, that's that's
what we care about is the player safety.
Um, and then, you know, obviously want
to look good, but if it has to take a
seat back to look good, we want to make
sure it plays good.
>> You hear that? Preparation, preparation,
preparation, and attention to details.
He didn't say 100,000 gallons of water
off this field. He said 102,000 gallons
of water he can pump off this field.
That's awesome.
From the field to the front row seats,
meet Katie Hearn, manager of game day
staffing and administration. If you like
meeting, greeting, and making people
smile, you can make a career out of that
as well. Katie, you help manage the
people that fans interact with most at a
ballpark. What makes a great employee?
>> Being a good teammate. I tell people who
come to work for us the the importance
of being a good role player. If you
coming from playing a sport, you know
that the person who passes the ball is
not always going to get the limelight,
but they are so important to the game.
And so we all work together as a team.
It's a team sport on the field and off.
So we tell people know your role, get
excited about your role, get excited to
do your role every day, and you're going
to have a great time.
>> Katie always says one thing. What is the
most important part of your uniform? And
it's the smile. If you can come to the
ballpark, give a warm and sincere
greeting with a smile and it's got to be
sincere. Uh, anticipate the fan needs
and at the end of the night we give them
a bond farewell and we make sure that
they enjoy theel at this ball park
create memories that they'll ever forget
and relationship that they'll always
have for the rest of their life.
After landing your dream job, your life
changed in a major way. Tell us your
story and what kept pushing you through
it.
>> I started with the Braves in 2016 and
then I suddenly lost my vision in 2017
and I really wanted to continue working
because of the passion I had built for
our guest and for our staff. And so the
Braves were really supportive of that.
We had an accessible advisory committee
at the time that were really helping us
decide what we were going to put in
truest park. I was lucky enough to be a
part of that in my very first year.
Right now, we're standing in section 39,
which is front row accessible seating. I
want to make sure that this ballpark is
the most inclusive place that you can go
watch a game or any type of
entertainment. So, that is what keeps me
here, and that's the passion that I
continue to to hold every day.
>> Next up, Danielle Badassi, VP of
community affairs and executive director
of the Atlanta Braves Foundation. If you
dream of creating positive change in the
world, you can do that far beyond the
field. How does your career show that
having a career in sports can impact
people far beyond the playing field?
>> Oh my goodness. Well, first of all, I
like to say that I have the best job in
baseball um because I get to use this
whole stadium, all of our players, our
teammates, all of our fans, and I get to
go and do good things for our community.
So whether that's um supporting youth
baseball, um building baseball fields,
it's going out and doing food
distributions, I get to build community
through baseball every day and it's fun.
>> And beyond the ballpark, the impact
keeps growing.
>> We uh honored one of our Braves heroes
uh Hank Aaron with the establishment of
the Henry Lewis Aaron Fund. And through
that, this past year, we've been able to
announce a project called the Hank Aaron
Diamonds. The Hank Aaron Diamonds are
going to put a brand new baseball and
softball infield at every Atlanta public
school high school over the next year.
So, um, we've already opened four, uh,
baseball fields opened in February on
Hank's birthday, which was a really
special thing. And now we're in the
process of of building the four softball
fields. So, we're going season by
season. Um, so when we're done, we'll
have 16 brand new Hankar and Diamonds
across all of Atlanta public schools.
And that to me feels like a love letter
to our kids in Atlanta that that will
have an opportunity to to play on a
hankaren diamond to to feel like they're
a part of the Braves. And and that's
really what this all about.
>> For many, that's what makes the job
truly meaningful.
>> This can change lives. What I do every
day gets to change lives. whether it's
just giving someone a moment um
extending the life of a child and and um
creating opportunities and and that's
the privilege of all of this.
>> So whether it's science, design,
entertainment, or simply showing up with
a smile, these careers prove you don't
have to be on the game day roster to
work in professional sports.
>> Did you notice how everyone said that
they have the best job? Well, it may be
hard to compete with Jeffrey Schmidt,
senior director of entertainment and
events, and he had a surprise for us.
>> Oh, man. It is so good to see you, Cory.
You, too.
>> Listen, you're in Braves country. You
got the hat. You're looking good. But
you know what? If you're going to take
in the experience, I I got I can't let
you go without a jersey. But check it
out.
>> Oh, yeah. That is just for you right
there. Check that out. We got to do this
in style. I need to wear this. Yes.
For those of you who love music and
performing arts, did you ever think you
could join a pro sports team and bring
some positive vibes, baseball season
typically runs April through the end of
September into October if you make the
postseason, but this is a year- round
operation. It takes us all year to plan
these experiences. I have a team of over
100 people that help put on the game day
experience just for the live
entertainment element. So, between our
drum line and our our tomahawk team and
our mascot team and all the live
entertainers and variety performers that
come out, you don't just have to be a
baseball fan to come to a game like
this. You just be an entertainment fan.
>> Jeffrey's path to his career might not
be what you'd expect.
>> So, I wanted to be on Broadway. Musical
theater was my passion. That's what I
wanted to do. So, for a brief moment, I
went to a theater school in New York
City. Um, but I realized quickly that I
kind of I love the passion of being in
the live experience. So, I ended up
after college going into theme parks. I
worked in theme parks for 14 years
creating consumer events and also uh
I've been all over the country. Did that
for 14 years. And now this is my 14th
year in Major League Baseball. Turns out
the path to a career in pro sports
doesn't have to go through a game day
roster. It can go through arts, music,
science, community work, leadership, and
good oldfashioned teamwork. Thanks for
learning with me and playing ball today.
I'm Koi Wire. We are CNN 10. I'm out of
here.