Sideline Stories: Chris Cameron

Growing up in Brunswick, I had a passion for the game of baseball.  Like many boys growing up, I had a dream of playing professional baseball.  It wouldn’t take long to realize that I did not possess the athletic skills to make that happen but I knew I wanted to be a part of the great game of baseball, so I pursued a career in sport management. As a student at Southern New Hampshire University, I saw the Sea Dogs would be hosting a job fair to hire part-time seasonal help for the 1996 season.

I thought it would be a great way to get a foot in the door and gain some experience.  I got hired to work in the concession stands… my first job in sports was pouring sodas and selling hot dogs at Hadlock Field.

After completing an internship with the Detroit Tigers at their spring training facility in 1998, I returned to the Sea Dogs working part-time as a ticket office associate. At the end of the season, the Sea Dogs had a full-time job opening in the ticket office and they offered me the position of ticket office manager. Landing a full-time job, in baseball, in my home state was honestly a dream come true.

I have now been with the Sea Dogs for 24 years and have done a little bit of everything over the years. In 2006, ten years after I was selling hot dogs for the team, I was promoted to assistant general manager. Now as Vice President of Communications and Fan Experience, one of my favorite duties is to coordinate the internship program.  I find my story of starting at the bottom and working my way up to be an inspiring story for many of the interns looking to get their own careers started.

For me, the best part of the job is seeing 7,000 fans on a nightly basis having a good time as a result of the hard work our front office has done. It’s very rewarding.  

I firmly believe that if we’re having fun as a staff, then our fans will have a good time when they come to the ballpark. That’s why I’ll be the first person to jump into a Star Wars or Superhero costume for a theme night.  It’s all about making sure the fans have a good time.

I’m fortunate that I get up every morning and enjoy going to work, my office is a ballpark… something I try not to take for granted and truly appreciate. The Sea Dogs have become a huge part of who I am.  

Slugger the Sea Dog made an appearance at my wedding, where we also served Sea Dog Biscuits.  When my son was born, I asked the hospital staff if we could have a room that overlooked the ballpark. My son was less than six hours old, when I held him and we watched our first Sea Dogs game together from the window at Maine Medical Center.

I am incredibly grateful that I’ve had an opportunity to live out my dream of working in baseball with such a wonderful, classy organization as the Portland Sea Dogs.