Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience is back with another episode of our “SBC Alumni Takeover Series” with Andrew Crookes. In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Eric Hirschbein-Bodnar, Octagon Baseball agent & Owner/President/General Manager at Ocean State Waves, a team of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. Eric is the ultimate swiss army knife with over a decade’s worth of experience in the baseball industry.
In this episode, Andrew and Eric discuss:
- The important lesson Eric learned from his mentors
- The transition from coaching to working as an agent
- His time spent with the Ocean State Waves
- What separates good from great in sports history
- The future of baseball
Hirschbein-Bodnar graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2014 with a degree in Political Science and History. During his years as an undergraduate, Eric interned with the school baseball team under Head Coach Jim Foster and specifically under Matt Finlayson, Director of Baseball Operations and former Wave’s President. Eric and Matt Finlayson have established a 7-year strong relationship and Eric considers Finlayson to be his personal and professional mentor.
In addition to his undergraduate degree, Eric completed his Master’s program in Public Administration with a focus on Athletic Administration and Non-Profit Administration at the University of Rhode Island in 2017.
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SHOW NOTES
- Introductions (2:10)
- What first made Eric fall in love with the world or sports? (2:50)
- Eric talks about working as a US Open ball boy as a kid (5:00)
- How Eric is the ultimate Swiss Army knife /New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) (7:57)
- Eric speaks on the undervalued pieces in the industry, and how they make an impact in his organization (12:07)
- What are some of the most important lessons that stick with Eric from his mentors, and the athletes he mentors? (15:01)
- How do you recommend listeners find mentors without bothering people? (20:48)
- What resources does Eric recommend to listeners? (23:45)
- What does it mean to Eric when he thinks about the guys he impacted who are chasing their dreams? (28:10)
- How does Eric wind down from work? (31:20)
- What separates good from great working in sports? (32:50)
- Where does Eric recommend listeners get started if they want to work in the sports industry? (34:49)
- Out of all of Eric’s past rules, where does he feel the most at home? (39:00)
- Eric talks about what the transition from coaching to working as an agent (40:42)
- What is Eric’s process of searching for and obtaining new clients? (43:15)
- What are Eric’s goals when attending spring training? (45:45)
- What is the future of baseball? (28:14)
- Where does Eric see himself in 5 years? (52:17)
- Who is Eric’s all-time “GOAT” player? (54:00)
