William Fralia grew up playing and watching sports, but it wasn’t until after he started college that he decided to make a career out of it.
After enrolling at the Â鶹AV as an engineering major in 2019, Fralia quickly realized that engineering wasn’t the career path for him.
So, he pivoted toward his passion: sports.
Through the University’s interdisciplinary sport management program and his own diligent work ethic, Fralia gained the hands-on training he needed to thrive as a sales professional for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.
Training for Success
As Fralia transitioned from engineering, the sport management curriculum allowed him to explore core business areas like marketing, management, accounting, and finance while gaining industry-specific insights through his kinesiology coursework.
Fralia’s favorite course of his college career was MKTG 457: Advanced Professional Sales.
“There’s no question about it,” Fralia says. “The class got me out of my comfort zone, and it helped me prepare to do what I do for a living today, which is making sales calls and talking to strangers.”
“The professor, Dr. Geoffrey Stewart, was a mentor to me. He really helped me as a sales professional.”
Fralia also enjoyed KNES 371: Legal Issues in Sport and Physical Activity, taught by Dr. Peter Ochieng, associate professor and coordinator for the sport management program.
In the course, students explore a range of topics and their relevance to sports and recreation, including Title IX and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, employment law, and anti-trust law.
“We also learned a lot about contracts and how they work in sports,” says Fralia. “I’ll walk past Saints or Pelicans players here, and it’s pretty cool to think about how somebody had to negotiate their contract to get them here to play.”
“My dream job is to be a sports agent and be part of that process.”
From the Classroom to the Big Leagues
While earning his degree, Fralia made every effort to ensure he’d be ready to hit the ground running after his graduation. He served as a student equipment manager in the University’s athletic department for two years, coached a youth travel soccer team, and worked as a media intern for an expansion soccer team.
Fralia's experiences outside the classroom aligned seamlessly with his coursework. In classes like KNES 360: Theory of Athletic Coaching, he had the opportunity to apply what he was learning in real time.
“For one of our projects, we had to develop a coaching plan,” Fralia says. “It fit perfectly with my role as a soccer coach and helped me plan for what to do in certain situations, like if one of my players passed out in the middle of practice or a game.”
Fralia’s hard work paid off: shortly after graduating, he landed a job as an inside sales consultant for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. Nine months later, he earned a promotion to season ticket account executive.
In his role, Fralia builds and maintains relationships with season ticket holders, driving sales through personalized outreach.
“I make a ton of cold calls and send a lot of cold texts and emails every day,” he says. “Really, my job is to get people who live around New Orleans excited about our NFL and NBA teams.”
And as Fralia has gained experience in the industry, he’s seen firsthand the importance of professionalism.
“If I could tell my younger self anything, it’d be to dress better and be more professional,” he says. “In sales especially, first impressions are a very big deal. I was surprised to learn how strict the dress code can be, even in sports.”
His advice to students studying sport management?
One word: hustle.
“At the end of the day, if you want a career in sports, you’ve got to be a hustler. It’s 100% going to come down to you and your networking,” he says. “Go out, find a way to get your foot in the door, and build the career you want for yourself.”
Kick off your career in sports by earning your bachelor’s in sport management online from the Â鶹AV.