PHILADELPHIA –  “A hot dog at the ballpark is better than steak at the Ritz.” Humphrey Bogart’s classic baseball quote tugs on heart strings of any baseball purest, but for North Penn High School Sports Marketing students, it’s a spring day at the ballpark that beats a day in the classroom.

Now a staple to the North Penn High School business department, the annual trip to Citizens Bank Ballpark saw 172 students gain first hand knowledge of the behind the scenes operations of one of America’s most prolific industries – sports entertainment, as they enjoyed the annual field trip on Monday, April 30.

“In Sports Marketing students learn about the huge cost of marketing in the sports industry.  They also learn how having a professional sports team in a city boosts that city’s economy.  By visiting the stadium, they can see all of the marketing that takes place.  They also learn about the jobs that the stadium offers and the various industries that are directly linked to the stadium,” said Mrs. Linda Westerlund, NPHS Business teacher.

The field trip, tremendously popular among North Penn’s business students has evolved over the years, and interestingly enough, that evolution is partly due to the changes in the economy over the last decade.

“We started this field trip ten years ago by touring Camden Yards in Baltimore.  Then as gas prices kept rising, we started touring the Philadelphia stadiums, ” noted Westerlund.  “We would go to Lincoln Financial Field in the fall and Citizens’ Bank Park in the spring.  We have been touring locally for the past six years.  For the past two years, we have toured Citizens’ Bank Park in both the fall and spring.  They have a much better tour than Lincoln Financial and are much friendlier and easier to work with regarding scheduling.”

While much of the course content is covered within the walls of the classroom, as is the case in many classes, opportunities come up for students to experience practical applications of concepts by going beyond the textbook and confines of the classroom and computers.

“In my opinion, students learn better by doing.  They get the actual experience of seeing sports marketing at its best.  They also get the opportunity to talk with professionals in the field who share their experience and expertise with them,” added Westerlund.

Of course, for students to more thoroughly understand the economic impact of sports entertainment in a city, they also need to see other businesses who profit from major sporting events . So, this field trip does not conclude at the ballpark alone.

“Another thing the students really enjoy about the trip is the stop for lunch at Pat’s and Geno’s.  These restaurants are definitely Philly icons.  For many of these students, this is their first time visiting Pat’s and Geno’s.  Some of them even try both!” Westerlund quipped.

So, for students enrolled in Sports Marketing at North Penn High School, while both the classroom and field trips provide outstanding learning opportunities, it may well be that a trip to the ballpark and a cheesteack in South Philly beats a day in the classroom and a lunch in the cafeteria.