Baldwin Wallace University sport management students added another major sporting event to their resumes, as many students worked at different events that took place in Cleveland for the NBA’s 75th anniversary All-Star Weekend.  

Students had many different opportunities to gain experience at different venues across the city. Kamaria Montgomery, a sophomore student studying Sport Management, worked a hospitality mini-internship with Quint Events, a company that held different events in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as well as across the street at the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field. Montgomery helped to collect tickets, direct guests, and check COVID-19 information for guests.        

Montgomery said that she was able to use this experience to gain useful connections in the industry, as well as within the sport management program.  

“I was able to connect with many of the employees at Quint who helped teach me the ins and outs of a career at Quint,” Montgomery said in an email to The Exponent. “I was also able to connect with my classmates and make memories working the All-Star game.”   

While she said she enjoyed what she did as an intern for Quint, Montgomery’s favorite part of the experience took place afterwards.  

“We had the opportunity to watch the skills challenges and actual game, and it was amazing,” Montgomery said. 

Montgomery said that she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to gain as much experience as possible in the industry, in addition to the fact that this mega-event took place right here in Cleveland.  

“This was something I couldn’t pass up,” Montgomery said.  

Peter Petri, a senior sport management student, worked a variety of events during the All-Star weekend. The first was a “Bleacher Report Verzuz” showdown that featured NBA legends Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. Petri’s role included helping to facilitate a basketball shooting contest for fans.  

Petri said he was in awe of the opportunity to meet a childhood hero. 

 “This was a surreal moment for me as Iverson was a huge reason why I fell in love with the game of basketball,” Petri said when reached via email. “At the event, Iverson saw me with a jersey of his and he asked if he could sign it. Everyone went crazy including myself, and it was the highlight of my night.”   

Petri also worked the same hospitality internship as Montgomery with Quint Events on Saturday and Sunday and was able to attend the skills competitions and game that followed his shifts both days.  

Petri took full advantage of this opportunity to network with NBA executives, as he said he had “a conversation with [NBA commissioner] Adam Silver and Masai Ujuri, who is the President of the Toronto Raptors.” Petri said he was even offered a future job within the Raptors organization.  

BW students will have many more opportunities like this in the future, as the Sport Management Club will be taking students to Miami for the F1 Miami Grand Prix Series, the Kentucky Derby, and others.