| 5/9/2009 9:00:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| Switzerland County teacher Travis Martin has been awarded an $8,000 Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to visit minor league baseball parks this summer and study their marketing strategies. He then plans to implement those findings in his curriculum. (Staff photo by David Campbell) |
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‘Minor Leagues, Major Opportunities’
Switzerland Co. educator awarded Lilly grant to study minor league baseball marketing practices
Courier Sports Staff
With the school year winding down and warmer weather on the way, many teachers start thinking about their summer break.
Thanks to a grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, one area teacher already has his summer mapped out.
Travis Martin, a Madison resident and business teacher at Switzerland County High School, has been awarded an $8,000 Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant to study the marketing practices of minor league baseball.
His project, titled "Minor Leagues, Major Opportunities," will examine 20 different minor league franchises across the Midwest, Southeast, and Northeast. While visiting each team, Martin will be interviewing front office personnel and local fans.
Of course, he'll be taking in a lot of baseball, too.
"I love seeing baseball at any level, but the minor leagues are really special," Martin said. "The small ballparks, the players working towards a shot at the majors - it's a very pure environment for watching baseball."
In addition to watching games in places like Altoona, Pa. and Asheville, N.C., Martin is looking forward to learning more about how minor league teams operate behind the scenes.
"These franchises have been drawing crowds without the luxury of big name players or television exposure," Martin said. "It will be exciting to see first-hand the business strategies they are using to be successful."
The project, which covers nearly 5,000 miles, will also include stops at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. and the Field of Dreams movie site in Iowa.
Although the Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant is not designed to be a professional development program, he plans to turn his experiences on the road into lessons for his classroom.
"A lot of students love sports, but they don't necessarily realize that there are career opportunities in that industry," Martin explained, "As part of this project, I hope to show my students that they don't have to be able to hit a curveball or dunk a basketball in order to land a career in sports."
Martin will begin his summer sojourn shortly after school gets out in June, heading to the new minor league team in Bowling Green, Ky. You can follow Martin's trip through the minor leagues by visiting his online blog at www.travisrmartin.com and clicking on "Minor Leagues, Major Opportunities."
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On the web:
www.travisrmartin.com
www.lillyendowment.org
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