CapeSpace President Robbin Orbison has long been a baseball fan. She started with the Phillies because she grew up in Philadelphia.
Then came the Yankees. “I moved to New York City years later and married a Yankees fan,” she explained.
She has added the Florida Marlins to her list after the franchise named Kim Ng as the first female general manager in MLB history. And there’s also the Detroit Tigers. “I like their theme song,” she laughed. “They play ‘Eye of the Tiger’ from Rocky.”
Since moving to the Cape over seven years ago, Orbison has been able to continue her passion for the sport through the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). Her relationship with the league has grown in recent years as CapeSpace has hosted its team of public relations interns for their meetings, which are held twice a week.
While baseball has given Orbison a number of special memories over the years (one of her favorites was getting to hang out with “Mr. October” Reggie Jackson in a sky box at Yankee Stadium), she will add to that list this season thanks to CapeSpace’s partnership with CCBL – she’ll sit in a CCBL broadcast booth for an inning during a game this summer.
It’s a perk in return for what CapeSpace has given CCBL. At CapeSpace’s Hyannis location, 12 people, including CCBL Director of Public Relations Ben Brink and Social Media Coordinator Michael Lane, meet to discuss small and big-picture strategies when it comes to social media, strategic marketing projects, video, and media outreach.
“It’s been incredible to help run our meetings,” said Lane. “Some people aren’t as close to CapeSpace being in Bourne, Falmouth, and we even have an intern in Rhode Island, so the ability to Zoom them in on TVs and have a good view of everyone in the meeting has been so helpful. And the space as a whole is top notch. There’s not much more we could ask for, and it helps us to get everything done.”
Lane, who first interned with the league in 2019 when he was a student at Hofstra University – he graduated from the college in December – spoke about his experience over the past three summers. “A lot of people know the Cape league and its history. This is the players’ opportunity to showcase their talent and get to the next level,” he said. “I hear it said often that the talent is not just on the field, but off the field, whether it’s broadcasting interns or social media interns. It’s such a great opportunity to learn from a lot of talented people and make some great connections in the sports and baseball industry and experience a summer on Cape Cod. There is nothing like it.”
While only a couple weeks into the season, it’s been a productive one for the PR department. “We’ve seen a lot of results,” Lane said. “A lot of factors go into that, but the ability to have a good meeting area is definitely one of those.”
For Orbison, playing a small role in that equation has been rewarding to her, both as a fan of baseball and a business owner committed to giving back to the community. “We love the Cape league,” she said. “We think it’s a great thing to have all these aspiring young players, who are the best of their generation, be a part of this great exhibition for scouts. It’s such a fun thing for CapeSpace to be a part of every year.”