Q&A: Grant Canning

Grant Canning, a sports administration student, said his graduate assistantship as the general manager of a summer collegiate baseball team, the Southern Ohio Copperheads, has been unforgettable.

How did you secure the role of GM with the Copperheads?

“I played baseball growing up and tried to walk on at Texas Christian University, so I know and love the game. When I found out about the position, I went to some games and had a lot of fun. You can drink a beer, eat a hotdog and watch baseball. It’s awesome. I thought the idea of managing the team was interesting, and so I shadowed the former GM and that’s all it took. I applied and was fortunate enough to get it.”

What about the position has surprised and/or challenged you?

“It’s similar to what I expected, but there’s so many different departments, and you can’t really grasp how many people you’re going to manage and how day-to-day game operations are going to happen until you really start rolling and getting into the games. I knew all of the departments and approximately how many people I’d be working with, but I didn’t expect how draining it would be.”

How has this position impacted your career goals?

“I came to Ohio University with a strong focus on college athletics, but I’ve steered away from that. I started thinking about partnerships in some regard, which I’ve gained a lot more exposure to while working with the Copperheads.”

Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you want to mention?

“Overall, I’ve learned a ton. But it’s also been very humbling to say, ‘Yeah, there’s a lot of things in the industry that I do not know.’ The experience that I’ve gotten has been unbelievable.”