Someday, when he’s rich and famous, sport management major Alex Suskind will probably look back fondly on one of his earliest experiences in the profession—that of being ball boy for  the NBA’s Washington Wizards. In fact, he already does. “You know the guy at basketball games who, whenever a player gets up off the floor, comes over to mop up the sweat? Well, that was me,” he says. “It was right before college, so unfortunately I couldn’t stay on and work my way up to locker room attendant!”

 

His job with the Wizards was just one of several sports-related jobs and internships Alex has held during his high school years and as a Syracuse University student, including coaching a team of 8- to 10-year-olds at Jim Boeheim’s Big Orange Basketball Camp. Last summer, he worked with the Washington Redskins, helping to set up an interactive TV channel on their web site, for which he also did some filming and scheduled press conferences. “I’ve had some pretty diverse experiences already,” says Alex, who is also a manager with SU’s men’s basketball team. “It can get hectic, but it is a lot fun.”

 

As president of Sport Management Club, Alex also oversaw planning for the organization’s charity auction, held in the Carrier Dome to benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of Syracuse. Sports agent David Falk ’72 spoke at the event, which featured a sports memorabilia auction and sports celebrity autograph signing sessions.

 

Alex was also involved with his fraternity, Psi Upsilon, in organizing a sporting event to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. “We chose this organization because I have Crohn’s disease,” says Alex, who has been on medication for the digestive system disorder since fifth grade. “I sometimes have relapses, but mostly just need to be careful about how I eat. I never let it hinder what I’m doing.”

 

Although he isn’t yet sure what aspect of the sport management field he’ll enter after he graduates, Alex enjoys sports writing and often seeks opportunities in that area. “I’ve helped do some writing for the Potomac Almanac, where I covered a lot of high school sports and wrote my first feature story,” he says. He has also written for such SU publications as Healthy You, Orange Exclusive, and The Daily Orange.

 

Alex also plans to participate in the Syner-Cuse program developed by SU athletic director Daryl Gross, in which sport management majors serve as general managers for different sports teams on campus, gaining experience in such areas as working within a budget and handling promotions and advertising. “I’m just exploring all my options while I’m here so I don’t miss anything,” he says. “And I really do enjoy it all.”