Sigma Chi Beta Iota
Alumni Association
Sigma Chi Undergraduate Website
University of Oregon
FROM THE DESK OF JOHN HIBBS
TITLE: Badges, Baseball and Banking
The business of our Fraternity is really very simple
- Goal One -- Recruit and badge outstanding young men
- Goal Two -- Motivate them to adopt the crucial elements of the Jordan Standard
Since recruiting and badging outstanding young men is and should be the prime goal of the Fraternity, I thought this would be a good opportunity to explain how fielding Sigma Chi baseball teams playing within the framework of American Legion baseball would be a very large step to goal achievement.
The first premise is the most obvious -- High school kids who play organized sports are likely to have the high-minded character attributes Sigma Chi most espouses: Discipline; motivation; strong work ethic, personal responsibility. Good men coming in means better men going out.
No, not every kid who plays baseball is a perfect pledge candidate. But is it not likely we will find very good men by way of coaches and high school administrators who know them best? Are those who have withstood the pain and heartache that is so much a part of athletics likely to be of a better mold then those who have not been through that experience?
But "baseball" is more than just a means to identify those we should take a closer look at. And it's more than a way to get those who wear Sigma Chi uniforms (and their parents) to take a good look at us -- although those factors were a big part of the reason we made this investment this summer.
A PERCEPTION OPPORTUNITY
Sure, we also made the investment because it will help us improve the perception of what Sigma Chi is all about. This summer our guys will play almost 50 games -- That's fifty different times we get our name published in the local gazettes. It's fifty different times that stakeholders look to the web site to see the results of our games. It's fifty different opportunities to do an easy "meet and greet". It's fifty different times to smooze with the kind of coaches, youth organizers, parents, scouts, writers, enthusiasts we should be smoozing with. It's fifty different times where a bunch of young men are trying hard to improve themselves, individually and collectively. It's fifty different times we can point to a drug free, alcohol activity.
And, if we do it right, it's a thousand different times we get to talk about it, 365/7.
But it's more than that -- that is if we want to work hard to make it more than that.
PARTNERSHIP VEHICLE?
I propose we use baseball as vehicle for partnerships with large national corporations who also have an interest in reaching persons of high calibre. Banks are one of them which is why the Bank of America is spending a ton of money to be "The Bank of Baseball".
My hope is that our Alumni will be able to successfully formulate a proposal to the Bank that would result in a half dozen Sigma Chi teams playing baseball all over Oregon -- next summer.
The best part of our proposal, I say, is that we can bring to the bank -- locally, regionally, and nationally, -- highly motivated Sigma Chi undergraduates who can help with all of the bank's baseball (outreach) activities.
THE BANK OF AMERICA -- IN EUGENE
Here's in Eugene the Bank of America supports Rookie League baseball by way of the Emeralds.
It also supports Little League, all of which need summer time assistance of a kind we could give which would increase event turn out and media coverage.
Who better to provide this than the men of Sigma Chi?
A GREAT SUMMER JOB FOR SIG UNDERGRADUATES
What better job for Sigs in the summertime than this? The Bank would get trained, motivated collegians with a heavy interest in this activity, both personally and collectively. Sigma Chi would get teams with high visibility and, perhaps more important, men who would return from their summer job experience with a a deeper understanding of the problems and opportunities of successful outreach marketing.
Out of all that should cause us to badge the finest young men coming to Oregon. I call this a win-win-win situation.
Help wanted.
In Hoc,
Related links:
Beta Iota Alumni Association Home page
Beta Iota Alumni Association Actitivities Page
Beta Iota Alumni Association Baseball Page
Reflections of a House Director: Baseball
Reflections of a House Director: Badges, Baseball and Banking
Reflections of a House Director: Eugene in the Summer
Home Page for Sigma Chi Baseball
Hibbs Article: About Baseball, Bus Rides and Brotherhood
Hibbs Article: Significant Sig Swede Johnson, and Swede Johnson Stadium
Hibbs Article: Recruiting, Summer Jobs and Bank of America
Hibbs Article: Abner Doubleday and the Sigma Chi Founders -- a lot in common
