Rapoport, Pioli Discuss Need for Diversity
“We need many different faces and backgrounds around the table.”
That was the message Samantha Rapoport, Director of Football Development at the National Football League, and Scott Pioli, Assistant General Manager of the Atlanta Falcons, recently shared with nearly 40 undergraduates from UCF College of Business’s Sports Business program. Rapoport and Pioli were in town for the preseason game between the Falcons and the Miami Dolphins, marking the NFL’s first return to Orlando in 20 years.
NFL colleagues and friends, Rapoport and Pioli talked with students about their career paths, which started at the NFL’s bottommost rung, their mentor relationship and their shared vision of a more diverse leadership in the NFL that better reflects their players and fan base.
For their part, the diverse group of students—many of whom desire to work in the NFL or other major leagues—hung on every word, asking advice on how to break into the NFL and how to survive the demands of a low-paying internship or entry-level position while still paying bills.
“The path to getting there is so humbling,” Pioli said recalling how he lived on bologna sandwiches in his first NFL job as a scouting assistant for the Cleveland Browns earning $14,000 a year. “I would do it all again in a heartbeat.”
Rapoport agreed. An active football player in her own right, she oversees the creation and development of programming that helps develop and promote qualified female candidates into Football Operations positions with a focus on coaching, scouting and football administration. She sits on the Board of Directors of the first girls tackle football league in the country, the Utah Girls Tackle Football League, and serves as Chairman of the International Federation of American Football’s Female Football Development Board. Her Twitter profile simply describes hers as an “Instiller of female power into football.”
“Samantha and Scott provided students with timely and candid insight about achieving career-related goals and dreams through a combination of persistence, humility, enthusiasm, respect, risk taking and hard work,” said Scott Bukstein, Director of UCF’s Undergraduate Sport Business Program. “Our Undergraduate Sport Business program will continue to host industry leaders throughout the academic year for students to learn more about current sport business issues and strategies for career success.”
Rapoport’s advice for students—both male and female—who want to break into the uber-competitive world of sports business is to be confident, be yourself and find ways to stand out. That’s what worked for her.
The quarterback got her start in the NFL as an intern in the league office. She landed her dream gig by mailing a football along with her resume and a note that said, “What other quarterback could deliver a football accurately from 300 miles away?” The move got her noticed and the internship at the NFL’s headquarters in Manhattan. Hard work, long hours and a willingness to share a tiny apartment paved the way for a career on the rise.
When he started out, Pioli said he never really pictured himself in the NFL.
“My dream was that I was going to be the head coach of my high school football team,” said Pioli, who is entering his 25th season in the NFL having worked for five NFL teams in that time, including winning three Super Bowls in four years with the New England Patriots.
During the 2000s, Sporting News named him the NFL Executive of the Decade and ESPN named him the NFL Personnel Man of the Decade. Pioli is a member of the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship Advisory Council, which gives minority coaches opportunities to gain experience toward a full-time NFL coaching position. He also serves on the board of the Women’s Intersport Network for Kansas City (WIN for KC), which advocates and promotes the lifetime value of sports and fitness, while providing opportunities for participation and leadership development.
The man who helped draft Tom Brady knows a thing or two about talent and passion and he told students they would need both to succeed.
“Know your intentions and be true to yourself. Know what you’re passionate about,” Pioli said, “and don’t take too long to be a mentor for someone else.”