Alum working for MLB has a home run of a homecoming

05/01/2026

Major League Baseball is going global, with a sharp focus on expanding to new markets. Thankfully, it has Javier Román M '14 to help connect the MLB with the world.

Román, a native of Puerto Rico, is the league's senior manager of Spanish social editorial. In that role, he shares the highlights of the game with Spanish-language fans in the Americas and beyond.

That experience is something the graduate in international sport management was excited to bring back to SUNY Cortland when he spoke with students in a recent Sport Revenue Generation class and was the keynote speaker for an end-of-year ceremony hosted by the Sport Management Department and its student club.

"It means a lot to get an alum like Javier back to campus to share his experience with students," said junior Claire Engel, who is president of the Sport Management Club that organizes the annual event.

"Typically, we often hear about undergraduate students who went on to success, so it was really great to hear from someone who got their graduate degree here."

Román's keynote focused on career lessons that he has found important, including those that emphasize resilience, openness and building relationships.

He said he was honored for the invitation, and enjoyed the chance to go in depth with students on current social media and business developments in his field as well as strategies for finding jobs and internships.

"I think the best way to give back to the university is to talk to the students, tell them this is achievable, and be an example for them," Román said.

Tracy Trachsler, associate professor and interim chair of the Sport Management Department, believes that when alumni like Román return to Cortland, it shows the impact that an education at the university can have.

"We create strong bonds and relationships from day one, and those extend beyond the time our students leave campus," she added. "It is a point of pride to have so many alumni willing to give of their time, energy and talents in this way."

Rather than baseball, it was professional soccer that Román first envisioned as a career. But while at Cortland, he was offered an internship in Australia for the Perth Heat Baseball Club.

He cited professors like Genevieve Birren, Tara Sidey and other sport management faculty for their help, as well as Daniela Baban Hurrle, director of international programs.

With encouragement, he headed to the southern hemisphere and found a new path.

Román's current position puts him in touch with a large fanbase. He counts a homecoming to Puerto Rico among his favorite career moments so far. He returned to the U.S. territory this year when San Juan hosted games for the World Baseball Classic.

"One of the best, iconic highlights of my career - to be able to go to the stadium that my dad brought me to for the first time when I was a kid," Román said.

And while he witnesses high-level highlights every day, what Román says he enjoys most is finding new stories to tell and delivering that coverage to Spanish-language fans who once lacked access to the Major League game.

"We provide the voice for many players that didn't have the voice before," he said. "Their story, where they're from, who helped them to get there. Many of these players had interesting stories that nobody knew."

To Román, many of those stories show the audience that they can overcome adversity in the same way the pro players chased their own dreams. It's a universal message that he says inspires and connects households across Latin America and the rest of the world.

"The majority of (players) come from different backgrounds," he explained. "But the main goal is to be there in the professional world. ... Showcasing the work of sport is global."