Having studied across international waters in Belize and the Dominican Republic, and having worked on Florida’s southern shore, Alex Johnson, a 2019 School of Kinesiology alum, now finds himself back home in Wisconsin working for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Johnson graduated with a sports management degree, complemented by minors in Spanish and Leadership. After a UMN Freshman course in Belize over Spring Break 2016, Johnson sought out a personalized study-abroad experience and chose to finish his Spanish minor with a full-immersion program in the Dominican Republic in the Spring of 2018. The choice of location was partly due to the presence of MLB development facilities for Latin American players along the southern coast of the country. With the help of this program, Johnson was able to work at one team’s academy and boost his intrigue with the power of culture within baseball.
Pandemic creates unique opportunity with Minnesota Twins
After finishing courses in December 2018, Johnson was fortunate enough to obtain a full-time internship role with the Minnesota Twins in Minneapolis, MN for the 2019 season. Following that, he took an additional role with the organization in 2020 at their facility in Fort Myers, FL, where he helped support minor league development, Spring Training, and Spanish-speaking players and staff. When the COVID-19 pandemic shook the industry, Johnson flew home to Wisconsin and was able to switch gears and transition into a role with the Twins’ Education team.
“I helped build out English language programming for our Latin American staff members and led classes via Zoom. It was a challenging time with all the uncertainty in our world and in sports. Yet, I am so glad to have been able to tackle this unique transition and help my colleagues with major development goals, such as English language and computer literacy in the remote work period.”
After his time with the Twins ended at the end of 2020, the state of the industry created a difficult job search and Johnson had to adjust his approach.
“There wasn’t much out there, and I had to realign my priorities. I shifted focus from being specific to international baseball/player development opened up to more general business operations.”
Joining the hometown team
His luck turned, however, when a role opened up with his hometown Milwaukee Brewers and he was able to leverage his previous experience to secure the position. Currently, Johnson has been the Coordinator of Partnership Activation and Events for the Milwaukee Brewers since June 2021. In this role, Johnson manages a portfolio of sponsorship accounts and has also taken the lead in analyzing media valuation for sponsorship exposure and performance.
“Baseball is a passion for me and being able to work within this level of the game is inspiring. And, for the cherry on top, the Brewers are my hometown team. I grew up as a Brewers fan in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, and it excites the kid in me every time I walk in to work at a stadium I got to know as a kid.”
A new perspective
So far, Johnson’s favorite memory from working with the Brewers was the moment he officially turned from a fan to an employee.
“The first game that the stadium allowed 100% fan capacity since the pandemic was also my first game as an employee. My family planned a surprise outing of at least 20 people, who all showed up for the game. While I was attending a sponsor location, I got a text that read ‘Look up to Section 433’—and there they all were!”
Even though Johnson switched his career focus, he still finds ways to pursue his interests in international baseball and keep up with his Spanish.
“I still maintain my Spanish language and am looking for opportunities to continue learning about different cultures (such as joining the newly formed Brewers Unidos Employee Resource Group). I hope to work other opportunities into my role where I can help promote the connectivity of baseball; the power that the game possesses to translate across regions and languages.”
Be ready and flexible for anything!
Johnson’s advice to students looking to pursue sports management is to use your network.
“Your network, personal and professional, is your lifeline. And if you cultivate meaningful relationships, then people will go out of their way to help point you in the right direction.”
Johnson also recommends students be prepared and flexible. To secure his position for the Brewers, Johnson took an unexpected final phone interview a mile and a half into the Mist Trail at Yosemite National Park while on vacation. The next day, the job was his.
“You never know when or where you will be asked to sell yourself to earn an opportunity—such as standing on a rock in a National Park to get reception for a phone interview.”
