Sport Management Alumna Takes Her Experience to the RailRiders

Katie Mummert ’21, didn’t think that Sport Management was for her until she interned with the York Revolution professional baseball team. 

Studying Sport Management was never a consideration for Katie Mummert, ’21, until she was offered an internship with the York Revolution’s Client Services Department shortly after earning her associate degree from Harrisburg Area Community College. Mummert worked for Tylor Toll, then the Director of Client Services, who introduced her to the world of sport management.

“There’s so much more in the world of sport management than just sports,” Mummert says. “Tylor Toll put me on to client services.”

As she interned from March 2019 through the end of the professional baseball team’s season in August of that year, Mummert formulated a plan for what was next in her life. Then that fall, she was offered a job as the York Revolution’s (Revs) Client Services Assistant. She also enrolled at York College of Pennsylvania.

While initially a Business Administration major, Mummert quickly realized that wasn’t the path for her. She switched to Sport Management and decided to focus her career on that field.

“I grew to love it,” Mummert says. “Working with partners, learning the ins and outs. I knew this was what I wanted to do.”

An Unwelcome Change

While attending York College, Mummert worked for the Revs and served as the treasurer of the Sport Business Association, a campus organization that focuses on networking opportunities for Sport Management students. Then COVID-19 hit.

“In 2020, everything went downhill,” Mummert says.

She learned in June that the Revs wouldn’t play a 2020 season. Her hours were cut back, and in December, she found there was no longer a place for her in Client Services. Mummert was offered a job as the team’s Ticketing and Retail Manager and turned her attention to the First Capital Credit Union Team Store.

“It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed retail,” Mummert says, “but I knew that I wanted to progress in my career and I wanted to get back into client services.”

Mummert also began struggling with her mental health.

“I’m somebody who always puts in 110% into my job,” she says. “With COVID-19, school, work, and family, I had to discover what actually made me happy. I had to find the balance of what I love and what I do, and I had to prioritize myself a little bit more.”

She began to find that balance with a job offer from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. The team, a AAA affiliate of the New York Yankees, needed a Corporate Services Manager.

“My move to Scranton allowed me to be able to expand my experience a little bit more, to see more of the sports world, and to keep looking into what interests me,” Mummert says.

She especially enjoys working with the team’s partners, whether she’s making sure that giveaways are distributed, the ads in the outfield have the correct logo, or the pocket schedule is ready to hand out.

“It’s really important to grow your network,” Mummert advises students considering a career in sport management. “Make those connections, especially in the sports industry, and take as many interviews as you can. Basically, any team will hire interns. Just keep an eye out for different positions and get as much experience as you can.”