Tyler started at IMG Academy during the Summer of 2016 in Operations with Athletic and Personal Development. Prior to IMG, he spent 6 years with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and two years as an Athletics Ticket Office Operations Representative at Florida State University.
Side Note: Tyler helped show me the ropes my first year in the FSU Ticket Office. His professionalism and maturity is something that I always took note of and am grateful to have met him early on in my days as an intern.
Sports Industry Journey:
Education
Associate's Degree | State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota
Bachelor's Degree | Sport Management & Business Administration
Career
Bat Boy/Clubhouse Staff | Pittsburgh Pirates
Clubhouse Manager | Bristol Pirates
Athletics Ticket Office Operations Representative | Florida State University
Athletic and Personal Development Operations | IMG Academy
Basketball Operations | IMG Academy
Program Manager, Basketball | IMG Academy
Twitter: @TylerShirey31
LinkedIn: Tyler Shirey
What is the book (or books you’ve given most as a gift) and why or what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?
The Like Switch – Jack Schafer
Really gives you insight on how the smallest communication skills can give you an advantage in any situation. Coming from a former FBI investigator, he identifies things that are no-brainers and that can be easily applied in our everyday life.
Outliers/The Tipping Point – Malcom Gladwell
I’m going to double dip on this one. Malcolm Gladwell is one of the easiest non-fiction authors to read in my opinion because I find his subject matter very intriguing.
In his book “Outliers” he looks into what really influences success, and what is the common denominator. Do things like opportunities, timing, culture have an effect on this? Probably one of my favorite books that I highly recommend.
In The Tipping Point, I found it very interesting learning about how the smallest actions can turn into something great once it reaches the “tipping point”.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?
Sous vide cooker. I’m going to cheat on this one because we actually got this from my mother in-law for Christmas, but it is under $100 and it has positively impacted my life for one simple reason; TIME. I average 10-12 hour workdays during basketball season, and it often doesn’t stop once I get home.
We found that this cooks meat to the perfect temperature by placing it vacuum-sealed in a pan of water and that is it. It turns out great and it is super simple, gives us more time together and I actually get to still eat healthy while I'm busy during the season.
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure” of yours?
I worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates during high school and my first two years of college while getting my Associates Degree. My first three years were in Bradenton, Florida working spring training and then with their minor league team over the summer. I then had the opportunity to work in the big leagues in 2013. What an experience, it's something I’ll remember my entire life.
When the next year rolled around, I could not work in Pittsburgh because I was going to be enrolling at Florida State. In the moment, I felt like that was failure after being at the highest level [working in the major league] and not being able to return. But making that choice led to an opportunity to run a clubhouse in the minors in Bristol, Tennessee, where I could still make it to Tallahassee for classes. [While in Bristol] I was able to gain management experience, learn a lot because it was outside my comfort zone, and meet a lot of great people. One of which I was able to convince to marry me five years later.
What are some tips you have for building and maintaining relationships in the sports industry? (It could be with a mentor, client, donor, co-worker, etc.)
It is so easy for us as humans to be selfish, it is a trait that we all are born with. When looking at others, so many people just think, “what can they do for me?” but in reality, it should be “What can I do for them?” or “What can I learn from them?”. Behind every person is a story; whether it's how they got to where they are, what sacrifices they've had to make, where do they dream of ending up, etc. All of these are questions that we should be asking our co-workers or even people we meet along the way. Anyone can talk about the weather [or surface-level topics], but when you show true interest in a person, you’ll be surprised what you get back.
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere in the world with anything on it – and you could get a message out to millions or billions – what would it say and why?
Philippians 2:3-4
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)
I think the best investment I made was in myself. Coming out of college I had a few offers to work in ticket sales, but I knew that was not what I wanted. I chose to take a chance and invest in myself by taking an internship at IMG Academy. It’s so easy to pass up opportunity because it isn’t safe or guaranteed. In this industry, and probably applicable for most things in life, that is what you have to do to succeed.
What are your morning rituals? What do the first 60 minutes of your day look like?
The first thing I do every morning is get out of bed and turn the fan off in our room and the heater on in our bathroom for my wife. It motivates me to get up, because I know it will help her get out of bed and be on time for work. I’m currently going through Kingdom Man by Tony Evans with my small group, it’s a daily devotional that is great to start my day with. I then spend time with my wife.
Is there an idea, belief, or trend in the sports industry that you feel strongly about, that others may not agree with and think you are crazy for thinking/saying it?
“The easiest way into sports is sales”. This is true, and I believe everyone should have sales experience at some point in their career, because whether you like it or not, you are always selling yourself. With that being said, I have seen a lot of people take that route and succeed. I have also seen a lot of people go into sports sales and it ends up not being what they wanted, being miserable, and getting out of the field. I fully back getting your start in sales if that is what you want to do, but if it is not, you are just wasting time when you could be getting more valuable experience in your top area of interest.
What are bad recommendations you hear in athletics or in your area of expertise?
Not knocking anyone who has taken this path, but I hear a lot of “I don’t know
what I want to do, so I am just going to get my masters”. As a hiring manager, I do value a Master’s degree. But if it is going up against someone who has actual experience that is more applicable, there’s a good chance I go with experience. Now there is no one size fits all. I just believe that there are so many different avenues out there, that it’s good to keep searching for your niche before just going back to school if that is the backup option.
What are three to five tangible skills/qualities young people in the sports industry should develop/have to be successful?
Hard work/self-motivated – Have to be willing to roll up the sleeves and do what the next person is not. Also not having to wait to be told what needs to be done.
Know when you’re wrong and learn from it – There should always be an intent to learn, and if that fire is out, there is no motivation.
Know how to network, not badger – There are correct ways to expand your network, remember not to hide behind technology or be too pushy. We all put our pants on one leg at a time.
Ability to communicate – Every day we communicate with someone. Whether it be by phone, email, text, and especially in person. Each of these forms has a professional realm where it is important we separate from the personal level.
Decisiveness – Being able to make a decision that is in the best interest of the company. Someone that can identify the problem, weigh the options, and take action on how to resolve is a great quality.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your 20-something year old self?
A conversation I was just having with someone about college, is how they can’t remember content from classes, but they could remember the relationships they built in the classroom. I think relationships are so important, especially while in college. How often are you surrounded by hundreds of people around your age with the same desire and interests?
I will always look back to my college years as a huge asset to my career, but I do sometimes wish I would have done more. I was very involved in my area, but there are so many other parts to the athletic department at a major university. I do wish I could have advised myself to put more effort into learning more about each spoke in the wheel.
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