Engagement Insider
BALTIMORE, MD March 6, 2014 – As a true-blue Michigan Man, Zoltan Mesko knows the value of education, and is smart enough to take full advantage of the off-season programs provided by NFL Player Engagement (NFLPE).
And just minutes after wrapping up the new “NFL Boot Camp: Consumer Products” on Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals punter put into perspective his thoughts on the four-day program while standing outside the Innovation Lab at Under Armour’s Baltimore headquarters.
“The NFL Player Engagement programs never cease to amaze me, since I did the Hollywood Boot Camp last year at Universal Studios. This is the first year for Consumer Products and it has been unbelievable how much content they provide you with as far as knowledge, networking opportunities, a mentor if you like, and all the right channels that will facilitate you in becoming a successful business owner, partner, or employee,” stated the 2009 UM graduate. “This is very good for the transition phase of players and this industry is quite realistic since it has a bigger market for entrepreneurs, consumer product developers, and innovators. My hat goes off to NFL for setting us up and the quality in how they put on the programs.”
Like all of their courses, this NFLPE offering created a combination of academia and business.
“The classroom experience from early morning to evening was awesome, with professors from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland providing a general overview of the business model and how to conceptualize and visualize it on one page by following simple steps,” said Mesko. “There is more than one way to hit a tennis ball over the net, and they give you a basic guideline of how to go about it.”
But it wasn’t all classroom work, according to the former New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers Punter.
“There were also networking opportunities with hundreds of licensees with the NFL and product innovators, and I went up and down the aisle in the convention center to check out all the various products out there. It goes to show you how much the reach, potential and power the NFL has, and it’s amazing to be a part of such a great brand.”
Even more remarkable when participants got to spend their final morning at the home of another great brand.
“The experience at Under Armour headquarters was amazing since they are a relatively young company, and to see how much they have done in two decades is overwhelming. Hopefully one of us can come up with something like they did,” quipped the native of Rumania.
And how does Mesko hope to apply his Player Engagement education?
“I do have some ideas in the early stages of development, but I am more looking to learn from this experience since there is no better education than this one. I am not going to bet the bank, but will use my time and resources to learn as much as possible. Whether football ends tomorrow or in a decade, it is going to end, so I am looking for something to do post-football and hopefully hit the road running.”
Click here to watch video of participants at NFL Boot Camp: Consumer Products