From his childhood in Venezuela through his high school days in Broward County, Rafael Cabrera was a passionate sports fan. In college, he turned his passion into a career.
After earning an MBA at the Universidad Europea – Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid, Cabrera leveraged what he learned into a job as senior manager of communications and content for Inter Miami CF, South Florida's Major League Soccer franchise.
And while he's still a fan, Cabrera stressed that it takes more than love of a team to succeed in the competitive business side of sports. Skill development, a passion for networking, high-level education and a knowledge of what you can offer to an organization are all key to a successful career.
"It's fun, but it's also a business," he said. "We have to be able to sit down with a player or coach and explain the business purpose of everything we do."
Cabrera shared his story, as well as his thoughts on how to build a career in sports management, at a talk presented by FIU Business, its Professional MBA Online in Sports Management program and the partnership between FIU and Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea over the summer.
"We have to be able to sit down with a player or coach and explain the business purpose of everything we do." - Rafael Cabrera
The Real Madrid sports management graduate program was, in fact, an important stepping stone in Cabrera's career. He opted for the Real Madrid MBA program to gain a European business perspective, experience Spain's passion for the sport, and learn directly from team leaders.
"It wasn't just sitting down and reading a book about partnerships," he said. "It was learning about how Real Madrid closed a deal and speaking to the partners who did it – that real-world, in-the-moment experience."
Cabrera shared advice for those starting out in the field: volunteer for a low-level job, show your work ethic and talk to those you meet about their jobs. If you're applying for a position, he said, look to LinkedIn to make connections with employers and ask questions about the skills they're seeking.
"The biggest thing for me was understanding what people do day-to-day, to see if I would like that job," he said. "If you can do that with different departments and different clubs, you'll have an idea of what you want to do."