Some might call
Cincinnati Sports Leagues the original social networking site in that it brought groups of young professionals together long before the advent of MySpace or Facebook. Dedicated to developing athletic leagues and events for the Cincinnati sports-set, the lifestyle marketing company has quickly established itself as a local institution responsible for helping to attract and retain some of the areas brightest talent. This week, Soapbox hears from Brian Polark, President of CSL about the creation of the company and the benefits of networking while staying fit.
read full bio
SoapBlog 1 - Cincinnati's YP Life Cycle
Posted By: Brian Polark
2/3/2009
Brian Polark, Founder Cincinnati Sports Leagues
Soapblog 1: Cincinnati and the YP Life Cycle
I started Cincinnati Sports Leagues (CSL) out of my apartment in Hyde Park in 2000 with another young professional, my business partner, Joff Moine. During this time, it felt like an epidemic was sweeping the city: word on the street was that “Brain Drain” was taking young professionals to bigger, warmer or chicer destinations. Despite the power players like P&G, Fifth Third and Chiquita doing their best to recruit and train some of the best employees, they seemed to be leaving at the first chance they got.
This proved to be a unique challenge for a business owner who was focusing on that “at risk” group. A lot of our initial struggles involved finding our “fit” into the business landscape in Cincinnati. We felt too small to be a major player, but potentially too big to go unexplored. We needed a niche, a cause, something to weave us into the fabric of Cincinnati.
We found that niche by providing YPs with a social outlet, a way to expand their network outside of work. We didn’t split the atom with this business concept. We basically took what we enjoyed doing and turned it into a business.
I’ve come to understand that the social life cycle of a young professional can take one of two routes. The first route is one in which they engage their community outside of their job, grow their network of friends, contacts and peers, and begin to lay roots in the city where they live. The second route is one in which they don’t engage the community, and avoid “planting” roots, making it possible, and that much easier, to leave a city.
We didn’t consciously try to change the social landscape for young professionals in Cincinnati, but over the last eight years, we feel like we’ve been one of several organizations that have done just that. You don’t have to go far to find someone who has participated in one of our co-ed sand volleyball, softball or basketball teams. Even those who don’t play sports may attend our happy hours or New Year’s parties. The average CSL participant takes part in three to four leagues and events each year, and I’m willing to bet that some of these 21 – 34-ers have had the opportunity to pick up and leave for a bigger city, sandier beaches, or warmer climate. But they made a choice to stay.
Has Cincinnati plugged the “Brain Drain”?
I think our region has grown stronger over the last eight years. And although Cincinnati didn’t grow mountains or develop an ocean, it has become more appealing to YPs. Some smart people in Cincinnati realized that although our city wasn’t big enough to be a major player in the hunt for YP talent, it also had too much potential to go to waste. These people encouraged the Give Backs, YPACs, and CSL to exist. They knew that encouraging young professionals to engage and be involved in their city outside of work would provide not only the roots for YPs to stay in Cincinnati, but also the roots for Cincinnati to grow as a city.