The next feature in our Women in Baseball series profiles Andrea Larson, Corporate Communications Manager for the Minnesota Twins.
Andrea Larson, the Corporate Communications Manager for the Minnesota Twins, has always been a baseball fan. Growing up in the Twins Cities area, Andrea has been a Twins fan since birth. She calls her parents “obsessed fans.” In fact some of her favorite baseball memories come from attending World Series games in 1987 and 1991 and several Breakfast of Champions events in the community where she would meet players get autographs as a child. Her parents actually went to all seven games of the ’87 series. Though she shares her passion for the game with her father (pictured below) and brother, the Larson family women know their baseball too. Andrea’s 89-year-old grandmother is also an avid Twins fan. “My Grandma is probably the biggest Twins fan I know, besides my mom. My Grandma still talks about the Twins all the time.” In such a dedicated family, it seems natural that Andrea would be raised a true baseball fan.
Andrea’s journey into the Twins Organization started after she graduated from the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She then earned her MBA in Sports Management from the University of St. Thomas. Andrea started her career at public relations agencies like BSMG World Wide, and later Fleishman Hillard in Minneapolis. After a brief stint at United Health Group, Andrea read in the local paper that the Twins public relations manager was leaving the organization. “I thought that there might be a job opportunity and I applied. I heard there were 300 resumes or something like that, I didn’t know anyone or anything like that, but somehow I guess I had what they were looking for.” The 2008 season will be Andrea’s third season with the club.
A typical day for Andrea includes managing all media and community relations off the field, “the business side of things” as she calls it. She handles the promotions and plans events. In addition, Andrea is in charge of maintaining the Twins website. This season Andrea and her colleagues are all pretty busy with plans for their new ballpark, which opens in 2010.
Andrea feels lucky to be doing her dream job. She knew working in baseball wasn’t always glamorous, but it was a challenge she was ready for.
“This is what you sign up for when you work in baseball. It was no secret when I signed up here, and they made it very clear, that it’s long hours and a lot of work. It’s fun but you spend a lot of time at it and you are very busy. It was definitely a challenge I was ready for.”
But that’s Andrea, a young woman who quietly works hard and gets the job done without focusing too much on the challenges. “You know I don’t really focus on the fact that I’m a female in the industry. I’d like to think that there aren’t issues, and if there are, I don’t pay too much attention to it. The people here are very fair and diplomatic.” Though Andrea hasn’t experienced many challenges in the baseball world, she still looks up to women that have had success in the industry, like Dodgers president Jamie McCourt.
As a female baseball fan herself, Andrea often considers the female demographic when planning events and promotions for the Twins organization. “Women I think appreciate the finesses of the game. It’s not a violent sport, it’s a structured game, and it’s fun to watch and cheer.” The market for the female baseball fan is continually growing and the Twins are trying hard to capitalize on that growth. “We are really trying to focus on that market. Baseball is very popular with women and I think it’s a market we can capitalize on even more.”
Because the Twins are such a big part of the fabric in the twin cities area, Andrea’s favorite part of her job is sharing the team’s community focus with the media. “I mean people are obsessed with the Twins, at every level, so it’s fun to be able to share that information via the media with all of the public.”
Some of Andrea’s favorite community events geared to women include the Mother’s Day festivities and the special Wine, Women and Baseball events. Mother’s Day is special for Andrea, not just because of the pink bats. “The Mom’s and wives are very involved in the community. It’s a very active organization.” This year, more than 35 of them participated in the Susan G. Komen Walk for a Cure, including breast cancer survivor Jan Guerrier, mother of Matt Guerrier.
The Twins will also hold eight or nine Wine, Women and Baseball events this season. The events are open to women only and include a pre-game happy hour and then tickets to that night’s game. “We have a tent and women come in and they get manicures, they can drink wine, they can have food and get their makeup done. We always have a special guest, either a Twins’ wife or someone from the community, that does a little Q&A with them. They are really fun; no boys allowed. It’s been a very popular event.” These events are so popular that the 250 available tickets always sell out fast.
Andrea counts herself lucky to be able to work for the team she grew up cheering on. She was working at various jobs for eight years before joining the Twins. Her advice to others is heartfelt,
Go for it, chase your dreams, but know you have to work hard. Just be patient and you will eventually find your niche… Don’t think just because you are a female it would be difficult for you; it’s something I don’t even think about.
A special thanks to Andrea for taking the time to speak with us, despite her busy schedule.
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