Transcript- Episode 131: The Winning Edge: Multidisciplinary Skills for Tomorrow’s Workforce With Matthew Cacciato, President & CEO, Los Angeles Sports Council Episode 131
Oct 22, 2024
00:00:00 - Matt Cacciato
One of the things I think that's important to understand is that you know, there are people that are studying subjects in their school curriculum, in their degree programs that may not seem attached to the sports ecosystem, but there really isn't any specialization that you could think of that isn't a part of that. Already.
00:00:23 - Christina Barsi
The workforce landscape is rapidly changing and educators and their institutions need to keep up. Preparing students before they enter the workforce. To make our communities and businesses stronger is at the core of getting an education. But we need to understand how to change and adjust so that we can begin to project where things are headed before we even get there. So how do we begin to predict the future?
00:00:48 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Hi, I'm Salvatrice Cummo, Vice President of Economic and Workforce Development at Pasadena City College and host of this podcast.
00:00:57 - Christina Barsi
And I'm Christina Barsi, producer and cohost of this podcast.
00:01:01 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
And we are starting the conversation about the future of work. We'll explore topics like how education can partner with industry, how to be more equitable, and how to attain one of our highest goals, more internships and PCC students in the workforce, we at Pasadena City College want to lead the charge in closing the gap between what our students are learning and what the demands of the workforce will be once they enter. This is a conversation that impacts all of us. You, the employers, the policymakers, the educational institutions, and the community as a whole.
00:01:34 - Christina Barsi
We believe change happens when we work together, and it all starts with having a conversation. I'm Christina Barsi.
00:01:42 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
And I'm Salvatrice Cummo. And this is the Future of Work. Hi, welcome back to the Future of Work podcast. I am your host, Dr. Salvatrice Cummo. Today we are excited to be joined by Matthew Cacciato. Matthew is the president and CEO of the LA Sports Council, a key figure in uniting the sports and business communities in Southern California. He's had an impressive career spanning over three decades, with leadership roles in sports television at ESPN and Fox cable networks, as well as in academia shaping the next generation of sports leaders at Ohio University. He's also a panelist at our upcoming Future of Work conference at Pasadena City College. In today's discussion, we'll dive into the role of the sports industry in preparing the workforce for the future, with special attention to how Los Angeles role as host for the upcoming global sporting events like the 2028 Summer Olympics and the FIFA World cup, and how those two events will impact local industries, talent development and educational partnerships. This conversation will give you a sneak peek into the insights Matthew will share at our future work conference. Remember you can buy your tickets to see him and other experts in person. Check out the link in the show notes Matthew welcome to the Future of Work podcast.
00:03:09 - Matt Cacciato
Pleasure to be here, Salvatrice, and thanks very much for the invitation.
00:03:13 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Great. I like to start these conversations about what led you here. So if we could spend a little bit of time sharing with our listener what led you to your career within your career of sports and entertainment and how you got to be president and CEO?
00:03:28 - Matt Cacciato
Yeah, absolutely. And it's always a great question and it's fun to answer it as well. I grew up very active, youngster and really just was in a neighborhood setting where my friend group were all fairly athletic. And, you know, we tried everything, whether it was, you know, on the field or out in the street or in a pool or on ice. I grew up in the northeast, so sports was a big part of my upbringing. And, you know, as I kind of matured through the various educational levels, I started to focus, you know, a little bit more on competitive sports. And through high school, you know, I played football, American football, I wrestled and I played lacrosse, which was new to a lot of public schools in the seventies and eighties, but I fell in love with it the minute I saw it. And so sports was really always a driver for me and kept me focused on school because I wanted to certainly go to college and I wanted to compete in collegiate athletics. So upon graduation, I started to realize that the industry was changing and that there was going to be sports positions, jobs, roles, careers in the industry as it grew. And I started to focus on that early and often. And, you know, it's hard to believe all these years later we're going to sit here and kind of talk about that as our subject matter.
00:04:48 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Exactly. I too, thinking about my own career and academic journey. Sports was really not something that we looked at as a professional career outside of actually doing the sports. So thank you for sharing that journey. As I mentioned earlier in our introduction, we have two very large global events coming to LA, and I wanted to get your thoughts about what are some of the challenges that you think our sports industry is going to face as it aligns the needs of the sports industry and workforce development, and how do you think we should meet those demands.
00:05:22 - Matt Cacciato
I would say there's been such an evolution of how we educate our college students at every level about the opportunities in sports. I was talking with some folks earlier today about my previous professional stop at Ohio University running the Master of Sports Administration program there. That was one of the very first programs, actually the first program and it was really the idea of Walter O'Malley, who brought the Dodgers to Los Angeles. And I. Over the decades, the number of schools that have either added curriculum or certificates or degree programs has increased. Now there's probably 3500 plus colleges that have some form of sports business, sports planning, athletic administration in their curriculum offerings. So I think it's important for people to realize that there are a lot of young, developing professionals that have had this in their sights for a while. That and the fact that Los Angeles, the greater Los Angeles area, is incredibly well equipped from a facility standpoint, from seasoned professionals that are here to really fuel and to make sure that they can staff up for these great challenges. And really you're talking about FIFA, International World Cup soccer in 2026, and then 2028. Obviously, with the Olympics, large-scale events, none really bigger than those that will really test the readiness, workforce readiness that we have. So I feel like we're in better shape, certainly than they would have been in 1984. The last time the Olympics came through here, the World Cup, FIFA World Cup, was here in 1994, and again used a lot of different venues. So I feel that LA has the benefit of just being one of the more progressive and workforce-ready ecosystems when it comes to global sport.
00:07:12 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Well, speaking of workforce-ready ecosystems, there's lots of conversations about the impact of these global events and what they'll do, particularly to job creation and economic growth. Wanted to spend a little bit of time talking about how the LA Sports Council is looking to ensure or make known that these benefits are going to be felt across LA.
00:07:35 - Matt Cacciato
Yeah, well, the Los Angeles Sports Council is a collection of three different nonprofit sports entities. The original of the three is the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games. It's not a title we use anymore, it's more of our legacy. But the reality is it was born out of the need to try and save what was the 1940 Olympics. Unfortunately, that was interrupted by the World war. The International Olympic Committee realized it was going to be tough for those games to actually be held, and they tried to come back to Los Angeles, who had hosted the 1932 Olympics, to see if they would have certainly try and save the games from 1940. So it's a chartered business in the state of California's Secretary of State Business Library and still in good standing today. And they were a bidding committee. They were here to really drive the economic workup that's required to put a well-planned bid in place for the US and ultimately the International Olympic Committee to evaluate. A lot of times those bids aren't successful just based on the spacing that the Olympic Committee likes to keep in place. But eventually they were successful and they secured the 1984 Olympics. A lot of our emeritus or our alumni board members were actually part of the LA 84 operating group that brought the Olympics here. Out of the success of 1984, they started the next of the nonprofit entities, which was the Los Angeles Sports Council, and that was actually chartered as a 501c6, which is a little bit different in that we're a sports business trade association. So they had the foresight, you know, in the late 1980s to see that, you know, the evolution was underway and there was going to be a greater level of sophistication when it came to sports. So that was really a collection and remains a collection of relatable businesses to this day. Some of the professional teams, the collegiate athletic departments, as well as their general administration, are part of our organization. A lot of the main businesses that our community is fortunate to have, whether they be banks, law firms, accounting firms, a lot of event companies, are part of our board. And it's really about looking forward, trying to see what Los Angeles can attract in terms of events to support both, you know, amateur community as well as professional sport. And we've been fortunate that, again, we've been able to just develop our expertise. Overdose. Four plus decades. So again, nonprofit entities really brought together to better serve the community and ultimately the global sports community.
00:10:14 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you. I also want to kind of just maybe touch upon one of the council's initiatives, correct me if I'm wrong, called the Ready set gold.
00:10:22 - Matt Cacciato
It is correct and ready set gold is our primary community outreach program, and it was designed as part of a bid that the Los Angeles Sports Council put together for the 2012 Summer Games. Again, 2012. It doesn't sound particularly close to 1984, but the reality is the IOC does move the Olympic Games around the world with the focus on developing sport in some underdeveloped countries. But we put a bid forward and letting say gold was one of the legacy programs that they had designed for that bid. LA didn't win 2012, London did. But out of the 2012 effort, I. It was decided that the program was strong enough foundationally as a concept to launch. So we really started offering that to public schools, generally title I schools. So schools that have less resources available to them and no cost to the schools that participate. Generally elementary grades and middle school grades, are the target here. We do some high school programs, and then as important, is really employing Olympic alumni, athletes, former Olympians themselves, to execute and deliver the program inside the school. So, unique in that it's no cost to the public school districts, and we offer stipends to our Olympic athletes to go and execute the program and build relationships and help the students understand the importance of physical, emotional, and social well being.
00:11:52 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
And in the context of these two global events coming to LA, how are you envisioning this program growing, or impacting the workforce in LA?
00:12:01 - Matt Cacciato
I would say that, you know, we continue to grow. Ready, set, gold. We're pushing out into some school districts that have previously not been affiliated with us, and again, just spreading the story that is kind of the Olympic spirit. The Olympics are just a global phenomenon, and it has the ability to really unite people and to, I would say, bridge certain differences that various cultures, you know, and races and ethnicities have and bring about a spirit of collaborative competition. Yes, everybody wants to win for themselves, for their teammates, for their country, certainly. But at the end of the day, it's a massive undertaking, and I think that's a lot of the message that our athletes deliver, how they were moved. You know, personally, I would say as much, if not more so, than athletically in their experiences. And it's just not the Olympic Games. It's what happens, you know, in between, you know, the winter and the summer Games, the four years of trials and world championships, and, you know, internal and external, you know, competitions to hone their skills and ultimately decide, you know, in as fair and democratic a manner as possible, who's gonna represent the country in particular sports. So, again, that's been what has been most inspirational for me is just listening to the athletes, no matter their age. And we have athletes who are as young as 18/19 years old, and we've had athletes that are in their seventies, and they all share an unbelievable connection in that they represented their countries. And it's not just the USA. Since Los Angeles is so diverse, we welcomed athletes from other countries that competed for their flags and are glad to have them part of our outreach program.
00:13:49 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you so much. And just switching gears just a little bit selfishly, I want to talk a little bit about the future of work conference, and you've generously agreed to being one of our panelists, and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being a panelist.
00:14:02 - Matt Cacciato
Absolutely.
00:14:03 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
The intention behind the future work conference is always to showcase the gap between industry and academia, and how do we better align, and what are those skill gaps? What are the growth occupations through your perspective? Right. And what you're seeing now in preparations for these global events and just in general, what should be our area of focus for colleges and universities as we prepare these students for the future of work.
00:14:31 - Matt Cacciato
I think the most important aspect of staffing a global sporting event doesn't have to be a global sporting event. I mean, there's national championships, so it doesn't have to be FIFA World Cup or the Olympics. It could be any one of a number of large-scale events that have significant number of athletes. Keep in mind, the athletes are supported by, you know, equally as large, if not larger workforces, whether it's athletic trainers, whether it's the coaches themselves. Digital aspect of sport now, artificial intelligence, you know, the science. So one of the things I think that's important to understand is that you know, there are people that are studying subjects in their school curriculum, in their degree programs that may not seem attached to the sports ecosystem, but there really isn't any specialization that you could think of that isn't a part of that already. I was at a conference here that was held by a philanthropic outreach and venture capital group last week called plug and play. And it was astonishing, the breadth of specializations and talent and brainpower in the room. You know, one of the panels just talked about cybersecurity and some stunning facts and figures about the number of attempts to try and interrupt the Paris Olympics, unfortunately. But, you know, that requires, you know, some of the smartest people that we have. A lot of our society now is driven by what happens in orbit, the satellite traffic that really is this information super highway for how we exchange these pictures that we see, the video, the voices, the data that drives the competition, the metrics that people are trying to achieve. So again, bioscientists, aerospace engineers, programmers, coders, graphic designers, and trying to build brands so people can better attach to some of the serious aspects of holding large-scale events, that trying to retain and recruit new talent to ensure the safest possible games, whether it's within the lines of play or just for the fans and how they move around. So it is a massive ecosystem, and there really isn't, there's nothing you can point to. There's no profession or specialization you can point to. And they said, yeah, they'll never work in sports. There's just no place for this skill set in sports. It just doesn't exist anymore. So we need everybody from all walks of life to bring their unique talents to making the games as best as possible. And that goes for division three or a junior college or a community college sporting event. You know, they require attention and care and careful planning that at times, you know, replicates what's going to happen on the global level. So that's one of the big misconceptions, that it's a very closed loop with a limited number of opportunities. And if you're one of the academics that study international sport, you would be aware and have the wherewithal to communicate this on a regular basis to your students so they understand if it's something that they aspire to, there's a place for them.
00:17:38 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you for saying that. I mean, you touched upon a little bit the technological advances that the sports industry is currently facing. How do you see that evolving, you think, specifically within the next decade? And then what do you feel are some roles and skills are going to be critical for us in this profession or those incoming talent?
00:18:03 - Matt Cacciato
Well, if you look at the highest level of competition, I would say the training and the technology that's involved in the science of training athletes, whether it's the ability to instantly edit and label certain movements that athletes make or don't make, staying healthy, the recovery is just such a big part of it now, strength training. And I less so with traditional weightlifting and more with sophisticated scientific motion experts. And so I would say that that is happening at every level. Our younger athletes are exposed to more technology. It can correct the path of someone early on that just might need some technical assistance to improving the biggest and fastest athletes already. At times, it levels the playing field. So, again, I just feel that on the Olympic side, it really continues to increase performance and in turn, the enjoyment, I think that the viewers and the audiences love to see and witness. But on the paralympic side, it's even more astonishing. And the fact that there's tools now for athletes with various challenges to be able to overcome those technology can help those who may have hearing problems or certainly sight problems. We know the accomplishments that some blind athletes and deaf athletes have overcome, not to mention those with physical challenges themselves. So I think it's growing the Paralympic space at a faster pace than it would be the Olympic space. And really, that's how this should be referred to disabled athletes is a term that we really try to avoid because we've grown beyond that. I think the academics have done a great job of presenting a kinder, gentler environment for those that are more challenged to learn, grow, compete, and ultimately, you know, to win within the athletic space. So it runs from A to Z. It runs from our youngest athletes, you know, to our oldest athletes, k through gray, as a lot of educators like to say. And that's certainly true. And again, it grows the ecosystem, you know, from a business perspective, new sports, adaptive sports. Pickleball is a version of a racket sport, but yet it has really, you know, pushed the barriers of, you know, how long people can play and enjoy it and be competitive amongst themselves. You're going to see more adaptations like that. Variations of sports, flag football for girls and boys, you know, women and men, is on the rise. We're going to see some international sports continue to grow here. You know, we've been talking about them for a long time, but things like cricket and rugby and other sports that have grown and excelled for other countries or come into the US and technology and innovation is going to help those proliferate.
00:20:51 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you. And it takes a village, right, it takes a village of practitioners and professionals to shift any industry to evolve into the next phase of its growth. And what you just shared right now in multiple occupations, growing, multiple sports growing. For us as community colleges and I would venture to say, any university or any institution, our partnerships are incredibly important. The partnerships that we have with our community stakeholders and our employers. This three prong approach to partnerships is critical and crucial to our work, as it is for you as well. What might you say for us again, in preparations for the future of work conference, in preparations for the industry evolving into what you just shared? It can be or will be. What role does the LA council play? Or what role can the LA Council play for us in establishing these robust partnerships?
00:21:49 - Matt Cacciato
You know, we're working on a number of programs to partner with universities more so than we have in the past, and I'll give you some examples of those. One is the idea of more consistent reporting and storytelling around what happens in the ecosystem of sport business. So away from the actual performance, you know, on the court or on the field or on the track or in the pool, that the experiences we have when we go to a Lakers game, a Dodgers game, you know, rams, chargers, what have you, is enhanced by people that have committed their professional time to that specialization. Fan activation, fan engagement, those are separate specialties. Engaging a fan, whether it be with the idea of a sport or a new sport, emerging sport is something that we're talking about now and them being engaged, understanding, being knowledgeable to increase their enjoyment of the sport. And then how do we activate the fans when they're in these spaces, whether at home, with, with two screens, if you will, or in a venue whereby we're increasing their level of enjoyment and ultimately, you know, adding benefits to what it means to go to a sporting event. As an example, when high definition tv came out in the early two thousands, people thought that it was so good and so revolutionary, that it would stop. It would prevent people from actually going to the games. These arenas, you know, and the technologists and the architects and the builders that put them together, you know, they're ahead of the curve and they're adding features, you know, to enhance our enjoyment when we go. And again, I think that a lot of that starts, you know, with higher education and the idea that you're playing at a school like USC or UCLA versus one of our community colleges or a smaller Division III school, I think those lines are starting to blur. Club sport has become, you know, incredibly well branded, much better organized than it was, and it's kind of certainly moved on from the days of intramural sport. Not that there's anything wrong with the intramural sport, but just, you know, people want to bring their best, and that means, you know, organizing a great event and then, you know, having people participate at the highest level as well. So again, the lines are blurring and some of the barriers are coming down. And a competitor at a junior college is as important, if not more so, than what we're seeing in the power five, to use a popular term in reference to our colleges. And then there are really good stories of folks that have gone from, you know, just a local school in a two year experience to play in a four year school to making the professional ranks. And I would say more importantly, when their playing days are done giving back and the volunteer system that we have in this country to coach, to organize, to officiate, and to do it in a way that's safe for people and really protects the spirit of sport, is something that we should all be proud of in this country.
00:24:46 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you. And, you know, you may have already answered this question, but I'm going to ask it anyways because we are coming close to time, and I want to be respectful of how busy your schedule is because I know it is impacted. But I wanted to ask if there was one thing that you would like our listener to take away from this conversation. Matthew, what would it be?
00:25:05 - Matt Cacciato
Sports has a very unique place around the world, but I think, you know, in the history of our country, it's not to be overlooked. It bridged a lot of early divides in the country. I think sports saw a lot of our more difficult subject matter find a different voice and a voice that ultimately brought it into the light. You know, whether it was kind of breaking the racial barriers, success of women in sport a lot earlier than people likely think, and the fact that it's also been a catalyst for technology and how we communicate with each other. Sometimes sports tends to get, I think, the short end of the stick when it comes to its impact in making our culture a more livable, manageable and ultimately mutually beneficial environment. People start playing for the enjoyment and the spirit of collaboration and being with community. And yes, it intensifies as the level of play rises. But at the end of the day, we are still here for each other, and sport has played a really critical part in our history and it will continue to do so.
00:26:16 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Thank you, Matthew. We really look forward again to having you on the panel. It's coming up very, very soon, and if you want to see Matthew live, you certainly can get those tickets now. But Matthew, if some of our listeners are not able to attend the future of work, we have listeners all over the globe. By the way, what is the best way for them to contact you?
00:26:37 - Matt Cacciato
They're welcome to email me. My email is mcacciato cacciat osports.org dot. Our website is lasports.org. we do a lot of things to help those that are new to the area, new to the country, new to sport, self educate, and find a community that wants to bring them along and show them the benefits of what we do day in and day out. We have an innovation conference on October 14 at Intuit Dome that really is looking at a lot of the advancements that are being made in sport, whether it be from a financial perspective, from a technical perspective, the intersection of sport and culture as fashion and sport and music and arthem film come together. It has for quite some time, but there's no end in sight because of just the creativity that people have in this beautiful country of ours. So sport is often an outlet for that, as it is for all of those specializations. So we're here for everybody and we'd love to hear from you.
00:27:36 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Excellent. October 14 at the Intuit Dome, you said yes. Very good.
00:27:41 - Matt Cacciato
Thank you for sharing that tickets are available@lasports.org. innovation conference and we would love to see you. I really appreciate your time, Doctor Ocumo, and it's been rewarding for me as well.
00:27:51 - Dr. Salvatrice Cummo
Excellent. Thank you so much, Matthew, and we'll see you soon. Thank you for listening to the future of Work podcast. Make sure you're subscribed on your favorite listening platform so you can easily get new episodes every Tuesday. You can reach out to us by clicking on the website link below in the show notes to collaborate partner or just chat about all things future of work. We'd love to connect with you, all of us here at the future of work and Pasina City College wish you safety and wellness.