Mike Behymer has worked at the upper levels of sports marketing, sales, and management and was the United States Sports Academy’s 1995 Alumnus of the Year for his work in Major League Baseball.
Now, Behymer has embarked on a new venture as the Vice President for Client Development with True Media, a company in Kansas City, Mo., that specializes in media strategy and communications. Behymer earned his Master of Sports Science degree in sports management from the Academy in 1987 worked as the marketing and sales director for Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals between 1989 and 1988.
“I think the thing I appreciate the most from my Academy education was the great mentorship opportunity it provided to me,” Behymer said. “I was supposed to do my master’s degree internship with the Atlanta Braves, but a work stoppage at the time caused the cancelation of the program. Instead, I wound up interning with the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). The NAIA turned out to be a great thing for me. I worked on promoting their 50th anniversary basketball tournament and ended up working there for several years before catching on with the Royals.
“At the time there weren’t very many sports management degree programs out there, so my Academy degree really made me stand out,” he said. “Still today, the Academy’s sports management programs stand out as leaders in the field. I’d recommend the Academy to anyone out there looking to work in sports or any management field.”
Prior to working with True Media, Behymer spent a significant portion of his career working at the upper levels of Learfield Sports, a company working in sports marketing, television and radio production, event management, and broadcasting. He also worked as the President of Rhycom Sports and Associate General Manager for K-State Sports Properties. He also spent time as the Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the International Hockey League’s Kansas City Blades Hockey Club.
In his new role with True Media, Behymer is charged with generating new business for the company.
“The people here are fantastic, and I really enjoy working face-to-face with the local and regional businesses we help,” Behymer said. “I can’t say enough about how fortunate I am to be here.”
