Q&A by Preston McClellan '14 and Carson Reider '15
Today, we feature a Q&A with Michael Braunstein ‘08, Fundraising Consultant for Adrenaline Fundraising. Michael discusses his career path, the challenges of balancing work and football, and the benefits of the Ohio Sports Administration alumni network.
Why did you originally come to Ohio University and the Sports Administration program?
I had to transfer for my final year of eligibility in football and enter into a postgraduate program. My final two choices for a football scholarship were Virginia Tech, which had the best special teams in the country, or Ohio University, which has the best MSA program in the country. I decided to go with education over football as it would be better for me in the long run. As this program is extremely hard to get into, I had a way in due to football. After meeting with Jim Kahler I knew this was the perfect program for me and I would fit right in.
How has the Ohio Sports Ad program helped you?
In running my own company, I have to manage many parts of business: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Strategy, Stats, Customer Service, etc. We learned all of that while in the program. There have also been many projects on the association side that I have headed up and integrated some Ohio Sports Ad connections. I am one of the top people in this industry, and partof that is due to the education I received here.
You started your own company. Is that still going and how is it going?
I was hired by a company in October, 2008 to raise money for high school athletic programs. Three months after I started, the company filed for bankruptcy. After the court proceedings I ended up being able to own my own company and be a part of an association of old reps called Adrenaline Fundraising. Our association started with 20 and now is over 120, so it's going great! I am completing my fifth year in business, and my sales were over 1.7 million with a 12% total growth (our products sell between $15-$20). I originally wanted to be a president of a professional sports team, but the movement around the country as well as climbing the ladder was not something that was the right fit for me. I am very happy of where I am today. My advice for any student coming out of the program: You never know what opportunity might be out there keep an open mind. I never thought I would be raising money for high school athletes for a living. However, it is very financially rewarding and I get to go to work in sweats every day.
Are you putting your professional career on hold now that you're in the Arena Football League, or are you continuing to work?
With the company doing very well and having employees taking care of a lot behind the scenes, I have the opportunity to play again. All of my time is focused on running my company and playing professional football. This spring season has been the most successful so far in my career for my high school baseball and softball teams! I have not missed a beat by playing. Practice is from 1130-130 everyday, which I can make because our sales do not operate until after the kids get out of school. In the morning before practice, I am in the office or in schools seeing clients, then it's off to practice, back home for a shower, and off to run fundraisers the rest of the day. For our games, I block my calendar off for fundraising activities. Those are the only days I don’t necessarily work. In addition to kicking, I am also helping the front office out at times with their business operations.
What's your favorite OU memory as a player?
Kicking a field goal on Senior Night to put the game away versus our rival, Miami, Ohio.
What was it like to balance being an Ohio athlete and being in the MSA program?
It was very challenging in the fall with practice and games. Many times I was unable to participate in a project due to practice or a road trip. After classes I had to go straight to film and practice, so my nights were a lot longer with studying. It was an honor to be one of the very few in the country that was working on a postgraduate degree while playing.
How did you come across this football opportunity after being 5 years removed from playing?
When I was hired in 2008, I figured my playing days were behind me as I needed to focus on the company, starting a family, and stop chasing the football dream since no NFL team was beating down my door. After not playing for five years, the AFL Portland Thunder came into town. I told myself the only way I will ever play again is if a team came to Portland. I contacted the coach and I was invited to a private workout and beat out 30 other kickers to secure the job. I trained for a few months prior to get back into shape.
Want to reach out to Michael?
You can contact him here. Check out his player profile on PortlandThunder.com!
