AAMU Students Selected for MLB Baseball Marketing Bootcamp
Ali, Brown, Whitt Helping to Promote First MLB Tribute Game to Negro Leagues
Three AAMU marketing majors are part of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) first-ever Marketing Bootcamp. Amirah Ali, Nevell Brown and Jenee Whitt are working with the MLB Marketing Team to promote the league’s first-ever Tribute Game to the Negro Leagues at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham.
The St. Louis Cardinals will play the San Francisco Giants on June 20 as a tribute to the Negro Leagues and its greatest living player, Birmingham native, Willie Mays. Rickwood Field is the oldest professional ballpark in the country and former home of the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues.
“I’ve never worked in professional baseball before, and this is a great experience to learn and grow in this industry,” says Amirah Ali, a junior from Alexandria, Virginia. “There is so much history embedded in Rickwood and I am excited to be a part of a team that will play a part in sharing that story.”
Ali is a student intern in the AAMU Athletics Department and an active member of the American Advertising Federation. She and her colleagues learned about the bootcamp through AAMU’s Career Development Services and applied earlier this year. In March, they found out they were selected and this month, they started meeting virtually with members of the MLB Marketing Department to discuss creative ideas to promote the historic game.
“I’m soaking in as much information from the MLB Marketing Team as possible,” says Nevell Brown, a senior from West Palm Beach, Florida. Brown, also an intern in the athletics department, graduates in May, but is in the MBA 4+1 program and will earn his MBA in December 2025. “I want to use what I learn from the bootcamp to help assist our marketing team with athletics at A&M.”
The MLB Marketing Team says the students will gain relevant professional experience and get an inside look at how Major League Baseball brings marketing campaigns to life.
“After graduation, I plan to start my career in marketing as an associate account executive,” says graduating senior Jenee Whitt. The Louisville, Kentucky native is the Marketing & Communications Senator for the Student Government Association and a University Innovations Fellow who recently returned from a student trip to Netherlands. “I hope this experience will enhance the skills needed to provide value to clients through branding and business strategy.”
Though they’re currently discussing promotions for the game virtually, the students will be able to work side-by-side with their MLB Marketing Bootcamp mentors at Rickwood Field on game day. The game will air live on June 20 at 6:00 p.m. CT on FOX.
“We will assist with the planning and execution of marketing assets and community activations for fans and attendees,” says Ali. “As someone who wants to work in the sports/entertainment industry after graduation, this is such a unique platform to expand my skill set and my knowledge.”
(Photo L-R) Amirah Ali, Nevell Brown, Jenee Whitt