ARLINGTON -- Just a couple of hours before MLB’s HBCU Swingman Classic began, a group of students and early career professionals gathered at Globe Life Field’s Karbach Sky Porch and listened attentively to the panel of professionals working in sports as they shared their experiences in the industry.

The group hung on tightly to every word Damien Butler, Tony Wyllie and Toni Hill said. As graduates from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) -- from Morehouse College, Texas Southern University and Grambling State University, respectively -- they knew their words could impact the trajectory of one of the listener's careers.

“It was very comfortable,” said Wyllie, the CEO of The Collective Engine, a marketing and branding service agency. “These are my people, and not only that, but they’re looking for guidance and looking for advice. I and the other panelists are more than willing to provide that for them and hopefully inspire folks and give them some direction. Ten years from now, they’ll be sitting here as a C-level executive.”

Black Sports Professionals North Texas (BSPNTX) and the National Black MBA Association Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter hosted a “Get in the Game! HBCUs and Career Opportunities in Sports,” ahead of the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile, the leadoff event of All-Star Week that celebrates the best baseball athletes from HBCUs across the country.

The panel was also part of MLB’s All-Star Week festivities, and facilitated the conversation about working in sports and the intersection of HBCUs and the industry. The panel was moderated by Spelman College graduate Nicole Baker, the main evening anchor at CBS News Texas.

“It’s essential for us to show people that they can get to where they want to go, and people that look like them, that have experiences like them ... then they can see something they can attain,” said Scottie Rodgers, the marketing and communications committee chair of BSPNTX.

Wyllie, Butler (NFL agent with Ballengee Group) and Hill (senior director of sports experiences with On Location), began the panel by talking about their role models and how they got their beginnings working in sports. They also shared their experiences working for corporations, climbing the ladder and challenges they faced.

The panelists also stressed that working in sports is not all “glitz and glamour.” They shared sacrifices they made, from working for free to working long hours and missing out on vacations with their families.

As the conversation continued, three themes evolved: the importance of networking, working hard and finding ways to stand out.

“I remember they told me when I was a kid, that as a Black man, you’ve got to be two times better than anyone else,” Butler said. “And that goes for minorities, women, and so on and so forth. Being able to see the progress but also understand that you still have to hold yourself to the highest standard because if you don’t, those opportunities won’t be there for you.”

The panel ended as the pregame celebrations ramped up, marking the countdown to the Swingman Classic’s first pitch. Even though the panelists no longer had microphones and talked to the group as a whole, audience members stood in line, waiting to have a quick conversation with the speakers and get more advice.

“I like helping people because I didn’t have that help,” Hill said as the first pitch was thrown on the field. “To be able to be in a Major League stadium and just be around people, you don’t know who you’re ever going to bump into having conversations.”