Photo by: ELLIAN RAFFOUL
L
aura Froelich grew up as a rabid New York Jets fan. Her father and his best friend from third grade have been season-ticket holders for more than 50 years.
Laura Froelich
Twitter // Global head of sports partnerships
“To have brought ‘Thursday Night Football’ to Twitter and to have the first game that we streamed be the Jets versus the Bills — and with the Jets ending up winning, which was not something you could count on last season — it was just a really emotional and incredible event,” Froelich said.
The streaming rights for “Thursday Night Football” may have put Twitter’s sports ambitions on the map. But Twitter has relationships with every one of the top sports leagues.
And the company recently tapped Froelich to expand her responsibilities to international markets, taking her to far-flung markets like Sydney, Melbourne, Mumbai, Dubai and Tokyo.
“My frequent-flier and hotel-point status has definitely changed, as well as my professional responsibilities,” she said. “It’s phenomenal to take what I’ve gleaned from our partners in the U.S. and seeing how we can apply learning elsewhere. There are some really creative things being done all over the world and I want to make sure that we maximize that.”
- Where born: New York.
- Education: Brown University, B.A., international relations.
- Attributes I look for when hiring: Passion for the company’s mission and product, and a clear vision for how he or she can contribute to our success.
- Networking tip I’ve learned: Be as helpful as you possibly can, because someday you may be on the other end of that request, and I believe in karma.
- Best advice I’ve received for career development: “The best path to your next job is to do a great job in your current one.”
- Sports business industry can foster a healthier work-life balance by: I don’t think most people get into sports business looking for work-life balance, because that’s inherently antithetical — most events happen when fans aren’t working. The upside is that one of the reasons you do get into sports business is because you love sports, so the work is work that you love.
- Woman in sports business I’d most like to meet: Billie Jean King, for everything she’s seen in her legendary life, and what she’s done for women both on and off the court.
- Is discussion about challenges women face working in sports necessary or played out? It’s definitely necessary. If the industry is going to continue to grow, it needs to reflect the diverse fan base it serves.
- Cause supported: Girls on the Run builds self-esteem in young girls by giving them access to mentors and training them to run a 5K race. I began fundraising on their behalf by soliciting donations for running a race every month for a year. I haven’t been willing to break the streak so I’ve kept it alive for 11 years and counting — marathons, half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks and triathlons. It allows me to support this terrific cause while giving myself a sense of accomplishment on a regular basis.
