Day 1 (Mon, Jan 7)

Hello to everyone! We arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor last night around 8 and made it to our hotel around 11. This morning we went hiking up Camelback Mountain, a challenging but fun 2 1/2 mile round-trip. Naturally because we are in Arizona, over 1363 miles away from the snow back home, it rains down here as well as scattered snow around certain parts.  None of it made it to us, thankfully.

Our first visit was to U.S. Airways Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns (NBA), Phoenix Mercury (WNBA), Phoenix Roadrunners (Minor League Hockey), and Arizona Rattlers (Arena Football League). We met with team employees involved in ticket sales, marketing partnerships, public relations, community relations (which involves more interaction with actual players and the running of an event as opposed to putting information out about an event) and activation (which involves actually following through with partnerships formed with businesses). We were able to learn a lot from the speakers about the business side of the NBA. They went through their typical days and job descriptions as well as some information on how they got the position they were in. The main piece of advice was networking and taking any opportunities in sports that become available to put on your resume.

After our meetings, we were given a tour of their spectacular newly-renovated arena. We had the chance to go down behind the scenes to just about everywhere except for the locker rooms (the teams were in their prepping for the game that night. After a quick bite to eat at Majerle's (excellent food) we headed back to the arena for the Phoenix Suns vs. Denver Nuggets game. This was my first NBA game, and the entire experience was new and exciting. We enjoyed all of the people sitting around us, especially "High-Five Guy" who decided after nearly every Suns basket or play he dubbed "worthy" would stand and yell then proceed to high-five the first ten or so people he saw. Another highlight for me was the chance to witness the Hall of Fame Phoenix Gorilla, the mascot of the Suns. His enthusiasm and athleticism (many of his dunks have been shown on ESPN) is truly a one of a kind experience! I also decided to show my spirit by having my face painted with a nice big Suns Logo. The game was a high-scoring affair with five different players scoring over 20 points and the Suns having 78 points at halftime. The Suns won the game 137 to115.  We also won coupons for free large fries from McDonalds since the team did well. All in all, it was a great first day which gives me high hopes for the rest of the trip.

Day Two (Tue, Jan 8)

Today was our trip to the offices and training facility of the Arizona Cardinals. We met with some members of the Arizona Cardinals business staff. When we arrived at the facility, we were taken on a quick tour and then down to the press conference/team meeting area. One of the big topics we discussed with them was what it's like to move stadiums. The Cardinals made the transition from Sun Devil Stadium into their own facility to help increase revenue as well as update the look and feel of the Cardinals organization. After the meeting, we stayed and discussed more issues with the individuals involving their specialized areas. We also ran into the owner of the Arizona Cardinals, Mr. William V. Bidwell. When the meeting was over, we decided to make the journey up another mountain. This time the journey was a bit over a 2 hour round-trip. That evening we hung out at the hotel in the pool and hot tub.

Day Three (Jan, Wed 9) 

Today was one of the days I was most looking forward to-the trip to Arizona State University. First we met in the ASU Hall of Fame, which is attached to Sun Devil Stadium, where we went over a brief history of ASU Athletics. After that we toured the athletics building, which houses all the offices, weight room, medical, and football facilities. The next building we toured was the Wells Fargo Arena (home of Sun Devil Basketball), then the baseball field, track and field stadium, and the tennis complex. After we visited all of the facilities, we hiked another mountain. Once we got back, we went downtown and spent some time at a mall. Unfortunately, we were unable to get tickets to that nights Arizona-Arizona State basketball clash.

Day Four (Jan, Thur 10) 

This morning, we went to Karsten's Manufacturing, the home of Ping Golf. We toured the manufacturing facilities, which produce irons, woods, putters, and Rockwell putters. After the tours, we went to the main offices and sat down with three members of Ping's marketing team. We discussed how a more premium brand can compete with some of the bigger names. We also talked about how an engineering-first company with one of the smallest marketing teams in the industry target certain customers. After the tours, we went hiking up another mountain to view the city from the top.