Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals, is a mere 15-minute drive from Webster University’s main campus. But two members of the Cardinals organization have brought the team even closer, bridging the gap with insider access to behind-the-scenes opportunities.
“This past week, I brought [my class] to a Cardinal’s game, and we all got to see Wainwright’s 200th win,” Webster Professor and Cardinals Creative Production Coordinator Michael Langston said. “We went on the field, we went into the radio booth, we saw everything and talked to as many people as we could.”
Langston started his teaching career at Webster this fall in sports communication and plans to bring students out of the classroom and into professional environments. He hopes to show students what goes on behind the scenes from a literal and technical standpoint.
“As you get more into this [field], there is more tech put into it because it is more professional and there’s more money,” Langston said.
Langston worked as a radio booth assistant for the Cardinals as a student at Webster. He majored in political science and competed with other sports and communication students for the job.
“There is a very finite amount of jobs [in the sports industry] and an exorbitant amount of people doing it,” Langston said. “It is not easy and the people that do this professionally come from any and every walk of life.”
Michael Schaefer, a sophomore at Webster, also works for the Cardinals. Unlike Langston, Schaefer’s journey with the team began on the field, with his position as a bat boy.
“I will typically arrive three and a half hours before game time to set everything up,” Schaefer said. “This entails cleaning the players’ helmets, setting up water for fridges, making sure sunflower seeds and bubblegum are stocked up and cleaning the players’ cleats after batting practice and throwing.”
In tandem with the ball boy, Schaefer plays an essential role in making the game run as smoothly as possible for the players.
“My favorite part is easily getting to interact with the players every day and being on the field during the game,” Schaefer said. “We really have the best seats in the house.”
Langston mentions connections allow individuals to stand out, and those connections are something you can find at Webster University.
“If you keep putting your hat in the ring, somebody is going to know who you are … But it is 100% an industry based on putting yourself out there at the right place, at the right time and getting the right person to see it,” Langston said. “Webster has 5,000 students on campus, but the people you want to know are not hard to meet.”
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