Paige Zizka is a sports management student from Katy who has been working with the Texas Rangers since March. She’s an intern in the promotions department at Arlington’s Globe Life Field.
Zizka helps manage all fan engagement, such as prize giveaways and the Jr. Rangers Kids Club and helps coordinate on-field activities, including the national anthem, first pitch, and much more.
She joined Texas Standard to share what it was like to be working with the team throughout their journey to become World Series champions. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
Are you a big-time Rangers fan?
Paige Zizka: I wouldn’t say I’m a Rangers fan. I’m actually from Houston. I’ve always been a football person at heart. But you know, opening myself up to baseball has probably been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
Why has it been so great?
Well, as you said, we just won the World Series last night. But I never thought I’d be in an experience like this. It kind of just fell into my lap and I took it, and I ran with it. And here we are.
So, what sort of things are you doing for the team or have you done for the team this season?
So I work in the promotions department. So it is myself and actually two other people, along with our PA announcer, Chuck Morgan, that run everything during the game that is not the actual playing and coaching of the game.
So right when you walk in the door, you can pick up a promotional item that helps sell tickets, anywhere from a jersey to a bobblehead, to you name it. We also have our Jr. Rangers membership, which is a kid’s club for little kids ages 12 and under.
We also are in charge of our Texas Rangers Six Shooters, which is our dance team. And then on-field stuff like booking national anthems, first pitches, the games you see during the game, the purchasable experiences for little kids like walking the ball out to the mound or yelling “play ball” to start the game. Or we even have a steal-a-base where kids get to run on the field and pick up a base and take home a game base.
It’s all those fan experiences during the game we’re in charge of, and we’re in charge of creating the atmosphere that the team plays in.
Fans may have caught a glimpse of you during the game because I understand you have a distinctive look for each contest. Please tell me a little bit about your uniform.
With the Rangers, we are allowed to, as long as we’re business professionals, we’re allowed to dress however we want. And I accompanied myself with a very nice pink blazer that I love so much, and that has really made myself stand out on the field, whether I like it or not.
Well, what’s a standout moment or two from your experience with the Rangers that you’re going to remember from this time?
Oh goodness, I’ll definitely have to say the top one on my list is obviously all the postseason games. They were just incredible, and being able to stand there in the middle of centerfield and direct everything that was happening out there was a big responsibility and a big honor.
I knew all the work that I’ve put in really came into play there. Making the World Series and being able to work toward the series was the ultimate compliment to what all the work that I’ve done.
So what’s next? What do you hope is next? What are your aspirations?
So, like I said, football is my first love, but I will go to any team or any place that will allow me to create the best fan experience for the people that come to the stadiums. I have only been working in promotions for about a year or so. And I have really found a great passion for creating those environments for fans and for the team to thrive in.
When everybody’s standing up cheering, everybody’s waving those rally towels that you passed out, that’s an experience unlike anything else, and I’m just going to keep chasing that feeling and keep chasing that dream. I don’t know how much bigger I can get than winning the World Series, but we’ll try to keep topping it year after year.
