Perfect Game: Human Resources in a Baseball Organization
Brian Siguenza
Tiffin University: MGT-522
October 7, 2018
Perfect Game: Human Resources in a Baseball Organization
Introduction
The road to the World Series doesn’t begin in October, nor with spring training a few months prior. It starts before the minor leagues and even college, with youth and high school baseball. The people of Perfect Game understand this. Headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, just over an hour’s drive from the diamond where Field of Dreams was filmed, the scouting agency aims to help turn baseball players’ dreams into reality.
A number of the biggest players in the professional game today worked with Perfect Game as amateurs: Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, Mike Trout from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Javier Baez with the Chicago Cubs, and the list goes on (Dahn, 2018). “If you’re a talented baseball player or you want to learn more to become (a talented player or) get better, be seen by scouts, we’re kind of the place to go,” said Becky Lain, human resources director at Perfect Game (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
From the perspective of an outsider, baseball is an enjoyable and stimulating game to watch. But behind the scenes, it’s still very much a business operation requiring personnel to achieve its goals both on-and-off the field. This report examines the role of human resources in that effort, and its similarities and differences from other organizations and industries.
General Duties
Human resource is identified as one of the key components to the business of sports, right up there with financials, scheduling and activity. In fact, the workings of an organization are dependent upon having the right people and the right set of standards (Weerakoon, 2016). At its core, effective management of human resources in any organization, sport or otherwise, requires recruiting, training, paying and keeping staff; ensuring the business is compliant with state and federal regulations; and that policies are in place to protect the business from threats of damaged reputation (University of Minnesota, 2016).
Based on the conversation with Lain, many of her duties fall in line with that principle. She develops policies and procedures for the business, acts as a liaison on personnel matters, works with onboarding employees and enrolling them in benefits, and coordinates trainings on topics like sexual harassment and safety. Where she differs from many HR professionals is in recruiting. Lain doesn’t have to do too much of that because “in the baseball world…they kinda know each other and so a lot of times, they hire people that are already involved like from colleges or we have an internship program that we do every summer” (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
Current Issues
Perfect Game employs an equivalent of 80 full-time staff, according to Lain, plus more than 2,000 independent contractors who serve as umpires or scorekeepers at the organization’s events, held in 20 different states. A reach that wide presents challenges for Lain, who is the company’s lone human resources agent. For one, the laws “are different in a lot of states,” she explained. “You have to keep on top of all that and make sure that we’re following the regulations the way they should be.” Lain also mentions that having employees spread out can be difficult for communication (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
The business itself is also facing a recent transfer of ownership. Lain said any kind of transition can be difficult, even when positive in the long run. The new owners are “helping us to make some of the changes…that we need to make,” she indicated (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
Meanwhile, the game of baseball has long been promoted as a sport for men. Sporting goods businessman Albert Spalding decreed as much in the early part of the 20th century when he suggested that the female sex could not handle playing the sport. Women have since struggled to find acceptance in the sport, even as they display talent good enough to make varsity high school and collegiate teams (Ring, 2015).
This barrier extends off the field as well, with women holding less than a quarter of the senior roles in Major League Baseball (MLB). In general, control and machismo are qualities of a culture dominated by men, making the workplace more susceptible to inappropriate behavior such as sexual harassment and bullying (Taylor & Hardin, 2017).
Perfect Game is looking at ways to be more inclusive of people from different walks of life in their business. “Baseball is mainly a male sport, and we have mostly males who work for us,” admitted Lain. “But we also have females and the workplace is evolving, the environment, so we need to make sure that we are making it a work environment that’s inclusive of everyone” (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
A social media effort known as #MeToo began to gain steam soon after reports surfaced of entertainment executive Harvey Weinstein engaging in sexual misconduct. Originally intended as a show of support toward victims of sex crimes, it grew to an awareness campaign of how prevalent such acts remain in everyday life (Bhattacharyya, 2018).
In response to the incidents which led to the rise of the #MeToo movement, Lain planned travel for a companywide presentation on sexual harassment at the time of the interview. Perfect Game does hold trainings via Webinar, but “this one we’re going to the site just because it’s a little more involved,” she said, adding that awareness of examples and policies regarding sexual harassment are methods the company is taking to further address the issue (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
Future Issues
Safety will be a critical element for Perfect Game in a decade’s time, believes Lain, particularly as they deal with athletes under the age of 18. “We don’t want people who have history of anything being in a situation with a minor that could potentially put them at risk,” she said (personal communication, September 13, 2018). Her comments come in the wake of two major athletic scandals that involved the sexual abuse of minors, with former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky being convicted on 45 counts of inappropriate contact, and physician Larry Nassar sentenced to between 40 and 175 years in prison for his acts on female gymnasts who saw him for treatment (Associated Press, 2017; Hobson, 2018). This type of behavior where a coach exerted their authority over a pupil in a sexual manner has existed in sport prior to #MeToo becoming a major phenomenon, writes Hogshead-Makar (2018).
Staff retention and benefits are other factors that Lain identified as keeping focus on as well, specifically pointing to competitive pay and healthcare. According to Lain, the benefits have to be affordable and meet the needs of employees, along with any regulatory requirements. “It’s important in drawing staff or having people stay…making sure they’re happy with that kind of thing, and that their expenses aren’t getting out of hand,” she said (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
Human Resources and Change
Change is as inevitable as death and taxes. The priorities of today will not be the same as later. If we as individuals or a group are to survive, we must be able to adapt to our changing surroundings (Coyne, 2014).
This holds true for the world of human resources in the eyes of Lain, who said, “the benefits, regulatory requirements, etc. (are) always changing. The workforce is constantly changing, so whether you’re in a position where you recruit a lot or what not, you constantly have to be aware of those changes (so) that you can do the right job for your company” (personal communication, September 13, 2018).
Her sentiments echo those of Weerakoon (2016), who writes that human resources is about handling change and preparing to recruit and train employees among other things in order for the business to stay ahead of the curve.
Analysis
As hard as it may be to believe for an organization like Perfect Game, it didn’t even have a dedicated human resources person before Lain arrived five years earlier (personal communication, September 13, 2018). It is quite apparent that she has played a crucial role in bringing Perfect Game’s human resources up to the level of other firms. Many of the themes covered by Dessler (2013) are major focuses to Lain: attracting a diverse pool of workers to Perfect Game and keeping them, making sure they’re properly onboarded and trained, the prevention of a hostile work environment, protection of the baseball prospects who attend their programs, and covering employees through benefit programs. That she also identified these as challenges is a testament to how important she feels human resources is to the organization.
With the company sitting at 80 full-time equivalent employees, and Dessler (2013) stating the generalization that firms have one human resources professional for every 100 employees, Perfect Game is right where it should be now. Should it grow and add more staff, it would be worth the owners’ while to bring in an additional HR representative to reduce the workload of Ms. Lain or whomever happens to be in the position at the time.
Perfect Game also appears to be in good shape as far as recruiting is concerned, making its hires through people it has had dealings with. Indeed, recruiting from within is thought to be the most ideal method of filling a position (Dessler, 2013). However, as it looks to diversify its workforce and make itself more well-known—“A lot of people don’t know about us here in Iowa yet,” said Lain (personal communication, September 13, 2018)—consideration should also be given to candidates who may not have already established a connection with Perfect Game.
Conclusion
As suggested in the introduction, sports such as MLB, college football and the Olympics can be a thrill to watch as a fan, but in the end, they are still businesses that need to make money in order to put these events on for millions of consumers’ enjoyment. Perfect Game may not be quite on that level, it does deal with amateur players, but its relationship with MLB gives it instant credibility within the baseball community.
This interview and report have offered a fascinating window into what it takes from a human resources perspective to run an operation that aims to work with young athletes on their dreams of getting to the big leagues one day. The information presented by Lain is useful not just in a sports setting, but in any type of industry. Furthermore, it provides the blueprint for a formula of general success in the workplace, which is the true purpose of human resources.
References
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Appendix A
Interview Contact Information
Becky Lain, HR Director, Perfect Game USA,
850 Twixt Town Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402.
Contact: 319-298-2923 (telephone), 319-298-2924 (fax), becky@perfectgame.org (e-mail)