Alumni roundtable on sports industry

Passion, hard work and ambition is what gets you to the top of the sports industry.
This was the message of a recent roundtable discussion held at Queens College featuring three renowned alumni from the world of sports.
The alumni included Howie Rose, announcer for the New York Mets and Islanders, Frank Supovitz, senior vice president of events for the NFL and Matthew Higgins, executive vice president of business operations for the New York Jets.
“The one thing we all have in common is Queens College,” said Rose, class of ’77.
Each spoke of the opportunities Queens College provided them and how their time there prepared them for entering the “real world.” However, they all mentioned how opportunities mean nothing if they aren’t backed up by desire and hard work.
“You have to ask yourself, what can I do in this job to make myself indispensible,” said Higgins.
Higgins, born in Bayside, majored in political science at Queens and was named the youngest press secretary in New York City’s history when Rudy Giuliani appointed him to the job at age 26. From there, he became vice president of communications for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation before landing with the Jets.
While still in school, Rose said, it’s important to find your ambitions and “chase them as aggressively as you can.”
Rose, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communications, counts Marv Albert as his inspiration for wanting to become a play-by-play announcer.
“I became the president of the Marv Albert fan club,” said Rose.
He was able to get to know Albert through the fan club and credits Albert with helping him become the broadcaster he is today.
“I used to have season tickets to the Rangers when Marv announced the games and he would stop by sometimes and give me the media notes for the game,” said Rose. “And I would sit there in the last row of the Garden and announce the game into my tape recorder.”
Albert would listen to some of these tapes and offer constructive criticism that helped Rose hone his skills. This is some of the “practical experience” that Rose explained is vital to breaking into the industry.
“You have to get involved, absorb everything,” said Rose.
He said that if you want to write, get down to the newspaper or if you want to broadcast, find the radio station and “live there.”
Supovitz agreed saying, “Don’t go home. Stay involved, ask questions, learn, be seen.”
Supovitz, “one of the great party planners of our time” according to Rose, majored in biology because of his fascination in how the body works. He never stopped being fascinated by the workings of things; he just “transferred [his] fascination from the body to the media.”
And his fascination includes overseeing many NFL events, including the Super Bowl’s halftime show, the NFL draft and their international games.
While these men all have risen to the top, they explained all climbs aren’t without setbacks, professional or personal, and it is the handling of them that will ultimately determine your lot in life.
Rose recalled a professional stumbling block when the radio station he was the sports director for decided to eliminate the sports department.
“You can think you’re where you want to be, but you can’t get complacent,” said Rose. “I wasn’t as hungry as I should’ve been. You should never take your place or job for granted.”
Higgins’ setback occurred in his personal life when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
“At the moment my whole world came to a complete stop,” said Higgins.
Fortunately, he was able to get treatment and eradicate the cancer. Higgins said he doesn’t for a moment regret getting sick because it made him realize “the things that really mattered.”
He explained that with experience and hard work there really aren’t any setbacks in life.
“No matter what is happening, good or bad, there is always something you can learn from it and build more confidence.”