Tour of the IMG Academy & McKechnie Stadium

Another day, another fantastic experience for the Baldwin Wallace University Sport Management program as their College Football Playoff Experiential Learning opportunity continues.

In a seemingly never-ending stream of events and activities, the BW Sport Management students visited McKechnie Stadium and the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL on Friday, January 6th.

McKechnie Stadium, which houses the Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training games and the Bradenton Mauraders, the Class A affiliate of the Pirates, was first of the list. The tour was led by Nick Long, the Coordinator of McKechnie Operations for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bradenton Mauraders.

Long met the students ushered the students into the complex and showed them the Clubhouse for the Big League team, when they have games at McKechnie, and the Mauraders clubhouse. When asked why the difference in amenities Long explained that the Pirates want the minor league players to earn the amenities in the MLB Clubhouse and not simply be handed them.

As the tour progressed, Long showed the students the Performance Center, training room, stadium boardwalk, and the side practice fields. Long also told the students the team will be installing a 25 foot x 40 foot videoboard for the coming minor league season, which should be installed before Spring Training starts. Finally, Long took the students onto the field and answered any questions they had about the complex, his job, and his journey to Bradenton.

Following the tour of McKechnie, the group headed over to the IMG Academy where they were greeted by Golf Program Tournament Coordinator Aaron Westlake and Student-Athlete Advisor, Golf Matt Kies. Westlake and Kies divided the group and introduced the students to campus.

The IMG Academy tour included all of the newer facilities on campus, including: the Performance & Sports Science Center, the Academic Center, the IMG Academy Football Field, the IMG Baseball Stadium, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, the Golf Academy Driving/Practice Range, the student dormitories, and the Campus Dining and Health Center.

  

Following the tour of what can only be regarded as the greatest sport facility for high school athletes in America, if not the world, the students engaged with Westlake, Kies, Group & Team Sales Manager Jason Puckett, Director of Golf Neil Coulson, and Baldwin Wallace alum and Sales & Outreach Manager, Private School Jason Elias (’03).

The group of five IMG staffers explained the ins and outs of the Academy, its growth process, how students are admitted, what life is like on campus, and various other aspects relating to the operation and administration of a wholly unique institution. As the Q&A concluded, the IMG employees engaged in one-on-one and small group conversations with the students.

With the College Football Playoff Championship Game and surrounding events beginning on the evening of Friday, January 6^th, the students finished their facility visits and began to prepare to work that nights events, which included the Eric Paslay Concert and the ESPN/College Football Playoff Fan Central.

For more information on the Baldwin Wallace University Sport Management program, please contact Asst. Professor Dr. Charles Campisi at ccampisi@bw.edu or visit https://www.bw.edu/academics/undergraduate/sport-management/.

Baldwin Wallace University Sport Management: Experiential Learning from Day One!