The plan was simple: connect students interested in sports with alums in the industry. After months of planning and outreach, efforts grew into the College’s first-ever student-organized sports conference, culminating in a two-day event on Friday and Saturday.
The brainchild of Josh Rubel ’26 and Maya Singh ’27, On Deck brought students and alums together for 10 panel conversations covering topics such as data and analytics, leadership in sports, and behind-the-scenes sporting operations.
Rubel and Singh created On Deck to fill what they saw as a gap in the College’s career programming. “We’ve both had this experience of seeing all these different recruiting events happen on campus, but not for things that we’re really interested in,” Rubel said. “So we wanted to create something that bridged our personal and professional passions.”
In total, 19 alums participated as panelists, including Jonathan Kraft ’86, president of The Kraft Group; Mike Disner ’07, the chief operating officer of the Detroit Lions; and Dave Clawson ’89, athletics special advisor at Wake Forest University.
The conference’s success relied on alums’ willingness to engage with students. Half of the participants came after Rubel and Singh sent cold emails. “I was overall shocked by how many people just immediately said yes,” Singh said.
Inspired by sports conferences at other schools, the organizers began reaching out to alums over the summer, uncertain of how far their efforts would take them. “I don’t think either of us realized how big this would get,” Singh said. “It’s turned from something that was just a fun activity into something that’s really special.”
For panelist Katie Stiffler ’07, the senior director of growth and retention for the National Women’s Soccer League’s 2026 expansion team, Denver Summit FC, the decision to participate was a no-brainer. “It was really one of the easiest yeses ever,” Stiffler said. “I really wish something like this existed when I was here.”
Stiffler spoke on two panels focused on the growth of women’s sports and fan engagement. Those discussions emphasized how recent investments, expansion teams, and increased visibility have accelerated growth across women’s leagues.
Panelists also highlighted the logistics required to support the growth of women’s sports, including facilities, contracts, and community partnerships. Emerging sports, such as flag football, also help attract new audiences, panelists said.
Stiffler said she hopes students left the conference aware that working in the women’s sports field is a viable career path. “It’s a really successful, growing business with a ton of momentum behind it,” she said.
Across the remaining panels, speakers examined how broader changes in the sports industry are reshaping career paths. A discussion on new trends in sports media focused on the rise of streaming platforms, the digitization of sports coverage, and the increasing number of ways in which fans consume content.
Darren Hartwell ’13, a managing editor at NBC Sports Boston, reflected on how his own path to working in sports media began during his time at the College. “I started working in Sports Information my sophomore year, which was something that I really enjoyed,” Hartwell said. “So I just kept following it.”
In panel conversations on how a liberal-arts education prepares students for careers in sports, Hartwell focused on how academic rigor and active participation in small classes prepared him for the fast-paced nature of sports media. “In the working world, there are things that come up unexpectedly during your day, and you have to do it fast,” Hartwell said. “Doing things in an efficient manner [in college] set me up well for success.”
Hartwell also encouraged students to explore broadly and take initiative. “I remember being in the student’s shoes and trying to figure out where I was, where I wanted to go, and what career I wanted to be in,” he said. “My advice is exploring and trying to get involved in as many things as you can and see what you like and don’t like.”
Rubel and Singh hope to expand On Deck in future years, potentially involving other NESCAC schools. “There is so much that can be done here, and there are so many people who want to be in this space that don’t know how to get into it,” Rubel said. “The future of this conference is just getting more people involved.”
Editor’s note: Ben Niewoehner, a managing editor for the Record and a coordinator for On Deck, was not involved in the writing or editing of this article.
