Fourteen students will be leaving Saturday for the Dominican Republic to study baseball management as part of a hands-on GW School of Business program.
Lisa Delpy Neirotti, the associate professor of tourism and sport management who organized the eight-day trip, said about 20 percent of major league baseball opening rosters are from the Dominican Republic.
Accepted applicants read articles, listened to lectures and watched documentaries about the Dominican Republic to gain general knowledge in preparation. Each student conducted individual research and wrote a term paper about a specific topic or issue on baseball in the area that they wish to explore further on the trip.
By focusing on the presence of baseball in the Dominican Republic, students will investigate how sports can contribute to the economic and social development of an area, Neirotti said.
Senior Kara Clauss said one issue she hopes to learn more about is the lack of education many young boys receive when training to play baseball.
“By going down there and actually seeing what’s going on, I think that’s going to bring a lot of awareness to the situation,” Clauss said.
The students will meet with six major league baseball academies, as well as various players and members of the communities. Students will also meet with tourism agencies to create tourism and marketing plans.
Chris Watts, who completed his first year of the accelerated MBA program with a concentration in sport management, said he looks forward to learning first-hand how players and teams with different backgrounds and skills are able to relate to one another.
“What I would really like to get out of the trip is a better understanding of how baseball teams coordinate with the minor league and major league on an international setting,” Watts said.