Photo by Marc S. Levine.

Mark Fine, SOC/BA ’00, began his career in sports as manager of the AU men’s basketball team, and now he is senior marketing director for the New York Mets. “[My time at AU] gave me very good real world background. My first real internship was with the Baltimore Orioles’ PR department my senior year,” he says. “I look back at my senior year and that internship, and it was incredibly instrumental for me today.”

Mark is a Baltimore native, so interning for his home team while a student at AU was a fantastic experience, he says. Although he chose to major in broadcast journalism, interning for the Orioles convinced Mark that he wanted to “work for the team, not necessarily cover the team.”

“It was great to be able to… go to classes that supplemented my internship,” Mark says. He took a sports marketing class with Matt Winkler, now dean of sports management at Georgetown University, and co-taught classes with him a few years ago. “I made tremendous connections at AU that I still utilize today,” he adds.

As marketing director for the Mets, Mark is focused on ticket sales, building the brand, and expanding the team’s fan base – especially among kids. He is proud of the family-friendly programs the organization has planned for the upcoming season. Sunday afternoon games will feature kid-friendly giveaways, a “family fun zone” outside the park, and other fun activities for younger fans.

In fact, Mark believes no fan is too young to cheer for the Mets, so the team has also partnered with a local hospital to give Mets bibs and two free game tickets to each child born there during the baseball season.

Mark applied early decision to AU because of the strength of the School of Communication and, he says, “I loved that AU was in Washington, D.C. and it had a campus – that I could be in one of the world’s most powerful cities yet still have this incredible campus life.” His brother, Joshua Fine, CAS/BA ’06, is also an alumnus.

As a student, Mark was very involved in campus activities. Not only was he manager of the basketball team, but he also joined Delta Chi fraternity and served as vice president of the senior class. He fondly recalls the friendships he made, saying, “I had friends from all over the school. I didn’t feel like I was in one particular crowd; that’s what AU is – it’s a combination of so many different people from around the world.”