For most Dodgers fans, getting onto the field is the dream.
For students in John Muir High School Early College Magnet’s Sports Industry Academy, it was also part of the lesson.
On August 21, students and their families headed to Dodger Stadium for an experience created by UNIQLO and the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of The Heart of LifeWear with The Dodgers community initiative. They watched batting practice from the field, met Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts, appeared on DodgerVision and stayed for the game.
But the most interesting part of the day may have been what was happening beyond the baseball.
The Sports Industry Academy introduces students to the wide range of careers connected to professional sports. At Dodger Stadium, that industry was suddenly all around them: operations, communications, marketing, partnerships, hospitality, media and the countless people whose work makes a major sporting event possible.
It was the kind of experience that can make a future career feel a little less theoretical.
The day also included a UNIQLO × Dodgers clothing donation and special game access for participating students and families. Afterward, PUSD Chief Academic Officer Dr. Helen Chan Hill reminded students that the opportunity reflected something bigger than baseball: “UNIQLO, the Dodgers, PEF, and the Sports Industry Academy care very much about your success and future.”
And judging by the response, the day landed. Students came away inspired by the experience and by the possibilities they saw around them. As PEF noted afterward, perhaps some of them will return to Dodger Stadium someday not simply as fans, but as part of the organization itself.
That is what makes opportunities like this matter. Sometimes helping students imagine what comes next simply means giving them a chance to stand somewhere they have never stood before.
Special thanks to UNIQLO and the Los Angeles Dodgers for giving students a day they will not soon forget, and a closer look at where their interests and education can lead.
