Stadium Operations for the Miami Marlins with Shane O'Brien

Meet Shane O'Brien.

Shane grew up in Connecticut loving baseball and football, eventually earning an opportunity to play Division III football at a college in Massachusetts. He planned to study sports management, but after his first year, things hadn't gone as expected, and Shane found himself back home wondering what came next.

He tried personal training, earned his certification, and even interned at a facility working with college hockey players, but, unfortunately, he quickly discovered that personal training required quite a bit of selling, which wasn't exactly his strong suit.

So Shane returned to school at Western Connecticut State University, earned a communications degree, and spent the next few years bouncing between Boston and Nashville while trying to find his direction.

Eventually, he landed his first corporate job with Ricoh in Nashville, providing office services to corporate clients. His responsibilities ranged from printing and shipping to receiving deliveries and setting up conference rooms. Not particularly glamorous, but it did come with a cool perk… one of the offices he worked in overlooked Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans. It was a consistent reminder of what he was working towards.

After a couple of years at Ricoh and a short stint working directly for one of its clients, Shane was ready for something different.  Working in sports was still on his mind, and since he had grown up a New York Mets fan, Shane figured he'd take a look at their careers page.

To his surprise, he found an opening with responsibilities that sounded almost identical to what he'd been doing in Nashville. He applied, made it through the initial interviews, and started thinking he might actually have a shot at working for his childhood team.

Then came the rejection email.

Shane was disappointed, but rather than delete the email and move on, he decided to respond. He thanked the recruiters for their time, told them how much he appreciated the opportunity, and expressed interest in future positions. To his surprise, they wrote back and offered to personally recommend him if another position opened up that matched his experience. 

That’s a line that is commonly shared, but often doesn’t amount to much. So you can imagine Shane's excitement when, a couple of months later, he got another email from the Mets. A position had opened in ballpark operations, and the recruiters wanted him to apply.

He went through the interview process again, and this time, he got the job.

In September 2022, Shane joined the Mets as Coordinator of Ballpark Operations. He was suddenly responsible for helping keep Citi Field running, coordinating vendors, managing smaller facility projects, processing invoices, and ordering materials for the electricians, plumbers, and engineers working throughout the stadium.

To no surprise, he absolutely loved it. Even the commute couldn't change that. Living in New Jersey, Shane sometimes spent two and a half hours each way getting to Citi Field, taking as many as three different trains just to get to work. It was exhausting, but he was working for the team he'd grown up cheering for, and he couldn't imagine it any other way.

Then, during the 2023 season, Shane met his future wife, a travel nurse from Louisiana. As their relationship developed, she began missing home, and the couple eventually decided to move closer to her family.

Shane loved the Mets, but he understood that there were bigger things to consider.

He began exploring opportunities at LSU, hoping to continue working in sports. He interviewed with both the athletic department and the university’s broader facilities team, leaving him with a difficult choice: continue working in sports, or take the general job and make roughly $10,000 more.

Thinking about their future together, Shane took the higher-paying job.

At LSU, he helped coordinate construction projects across a university with hundreds of buildings, managing contracts, invoices, and the administrative work required to keep projects moving. It was valuable experience, but a far cry from the environment he'd grown to love at Citi Field.

Instead of walking around a ballpark dealing with something different every day, Shane was spending most of his time behind a desk. After a couple of years away from professional sports, he was starting to wonder whether he'd ever make it back.

That's when the Miami Marlins entered the picture.

Stadium operations is the work that goes into keeping sports venues running safely, efficiently, and ready to host events. From professional stadiums and arenas to college athletics facilities, operations teams oversee everything from routine maintenance and repairs to construction projects, vendor coordination, building systems, and event preparation. They work closely with electricians, plumbers, engineers, contractors, and other departments to make sure the facility meets the needs of athletes, employees, and fans.

Working in stadium operations can look very different depending on the day. During the season, the focus is often on preparing for events, responding to unexpected issues, and keeping everything running smoothly. During the offseason, teams may turn their attention to renovations, major repairs, and facility improvements. Careers in this space include facility coordinators, operations managers, project managers, and facilities directors, making it an interesting path for people who enjoy problem-solving, hands-on work, and being involved in the behind-the-scenes side of sports.

While still at LSU, Shane applied for a position with the Marlins and connected with a senior leader in the team's facilities department. Shane crushed the interview, so much so that they felt he was overqualified for that particular opening. Similar to his arrangement with the Met’s, the Marlins agreed to reach back out if something opened up that was better aligned for his skillset and experience.

It wasn’t long before he received a call about a facilities manager position. This time, Shane flew down to Miami to interview, and was feeling optimistic that it could work out. Yet, excited as he was, the timing wasn't ideal. His wife was expecting their first child, and moving across the country right before the baby arrived wasn't particularly realistic.. 

So Shane stayed at LSU, welcomed his son, and continued working while keeping the relationship with Miami alive.

Then, several months later, Shane received some frightening news. His mother called to tell him that his father needed emergency heart surgery. Shane immediately packed up his family and drove to Florida to be with him. That same day, amidst everything going on, he received an unexpected email from the Marlins asking whether he was still interested in joining the team.

On the very day his father was having surgery, Shane received an offer to join the organization.

With his parents getting older, the opportunity to live closer to them meant a lot. And his wife knew how much he missed working in sports, so she encouraged him to take it.

So, in August 2026, Shane became Manager of Facilities at loanDepot park.

Now, instead of spending his days behind a desk, Shane is back on his feet, coordinating contractors, overseeing construction projects, and responding to whatever the ballpark throws his way. One day might involve getting an escalator repaired before fans notice it's broken. Another might involve inspecting padding around the field, replacing damaged greenery beyond the outfield wall, or coordinating improvements to how players enter the stadium.

It's the variety that Shane missed so much during his time away from sports, and he's thrilled to have it back.

Of course, the move hasn't been without sacrifices. Shane spent his first two months in Miami while his wife and infant son remained in Louisiana preparing to relocate. The hours can be long, and during his first three weeks with the Marlins, he didn't have a single day off.

But Shane has found something he genuinely enjoys doing, and he knows the work matters.

He compares facilities operations to playing on the offensive line. When everything is running smoothly, most people don't notice the work happening behind the scenes.

Just how he likes it.

Q. You broke into professional sports after spending several years working outside the industry. What advice would you give someone trying to make that transition, especially if they don't have traditional sports internships or experience on their resume?

A. My biggest piece of advice is to stop looking at your non-sports experience as a disadvantage. At the end of the day, a sports organization is a business that relies on the same core skills, drive, and efficiency that make any corporate office successful. Focus on highlighting your accomplishments, show them the real-world problems you’ve solved, and let your work ethic speak for itself.

Q. What's something about working in stadium and facility operations that most students wouldn't expect? And what skills would you recommend developing for someone interested in pursuing that career?

A. The biggest surprise for most students is the offseason. They assume we relax after October, but it’s actually our busiest time. A stadium takes a brutal beating over 81 home games. The second the season ends, we hit the ground running with projects to make the ballpark look brand new for Opening Day. To thrive in this environment, you have to be highly adaptable and possess strong communication skills. In facilities, you serve as the central bridge between corporate vendors, team executives, and the players/coaching staff. Navigating those distinct relationships under pressure requires exceptional interpersonal skills and calm crisis control, ensuring the building runs so seamlessly that the fans and the team never notice a single issue.

Q. Working in professional sports often comes with long hours, unusual schedules, and personal sacrifices. How have you approached balancing your career ambitions with your responsibilities and priorities outside of work?

A. The long hours and unusual schedules are an undeniable reality of this industry, but managing that grind is only possible because of my support system at home. My wife has been the absolute unsung hero of my career. We have an 11-month-old son and two dogs. She does a completely fantastic job of holding down our household on a day-to-day basis. Because sports operations demand so much, balancing ambition with family life requires a true partnership. When I am at the ballpark, I am fully locked into the needs of the building. But because of the sacrifices my wife makes, I am incredibly intentional about completely disconnecting the second I step away so I can be fully present for her and our family. You can’t succeed in sports alone; it takes a team effort at home first.

1. Success requires sacrifice
Working in sports can require some difficult tradeoffs. From long commutes and demanding schedules to relocating away from his family, Shane has made sacrifices to pursue the career he wants. Understanding those realities is an important part of deciding whether an opportunity is right for you.

2. You don’t have to start in sports
Shane spent years working in corporate office services before landing his first job with the Mets. The skills he developed outside the industry turned out to be directly applicable to ballpark operations. Don't discount experience simply because it doesn't have a sports team's logo attached to it.

3. A rejection isn’t always the end
Shane didn't get the first job he applied for with the Mets, but he responded professionally and expressed interest in future opportunities. That simple follow-up helped open the door to another position a few months later. How you handle a rejection can influence opportunities down the road.

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Thank you for reading this week’s edition of So You Want to Work in Sports. I appreciate you being part of this community.

If you have ideas, feedback, or future guest suggestions, feel free to reach out at [email protected].

If you want more hands-on support as you navigate the start of your career within sports, book a 1:1 session with me here. The sooner you start preparing, the more confident you will feel when opportunities come your way.

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