Business at the Ballpark: New Networking For Women Entrepreneurs

Sitting in the sunshine in a brilliant blue sky, 39 degree day with 8,800 other people including 2 fabulous female entrepreneurs put me in the perfect mood on the April day. It was a bucket list type of day for me finally attending an opening day at a ballpark even if was the new Syracuse Mets a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and a Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, my 85 year old Aunt’s favorite team. I always imagined taking the day off of work to sit in the stands, soak in the energy of a new baseball season and enjoy it with others. Why not, it is an iconic American pastime.

Our seats were in Left Field, second row from the infield so we had a perfect view of Tim Tebow, new Mets player, someone I admire for his charity work, faith and athleticism. Sandwiched between my feminist friend Roseanne and other woman entrepreneur Amanda, we chatted with the friendly guys around us in tight quarters enjoying $1 hotdogs, $2 beers, cotton candy and Carmel corn. The sun beamed down on us, the air was nippy, the crowd loud and the view out of the movies.

I had left my accounting work behind me preparing for my annual tax appointment. My sophomore year in college I learned ledgers, credit and debit recording wasn’t the best use of my outgoing personality so it made perfect sense I would abandon doing the books to head to the baseball field to break up the monotony. Graced with an outgoing personality and talkative spirit, the stands provided the perfect setting to enjoy two other business women chatting about our business and personal lives.

Men have been doing business on the golf course and in the ballpark for years. For the most part, women have shied away from this unique networking and bonding experience. Six years ago, I decided I needed some girlfriends with me on sporting activities and have found a unique niche for us to bond in different settings – high in the trees on a rope course, on the pavement in 5K races and in the stands at basketball games. Today, we took our business to the ballpark.

It took about 2 minutes after posting the invitation on my Facebook page to have these 2 women pick up the tickets and join me. I think that says a lot. I “sold out” the networking experience in 120 seconds. As women in sports and female athletes gain the attention they so deserve, I believe I’ll have more female friends joining me on the roads, zip lines and trails, not to mention in the stands, as women find a cool, new, productive way to create connections.