Authentic community experiences with a unique perspective as a lifelong Mariners fan.
The first thing you’ll notice about Haily Tift is her beaming smile. It’s not just the smile of a local kid living out her dream of working for her hometown team, it’s one of fulfillment for the important work that she takes so much pride in executing. As the Mariners’ senior activation specialist, Tift is the day-to-day contact between brands and the team. She works directly with sponsorship teams to collaborate on activations throughout the stadium and around the city. Since she discovered her passion for marketing and storytelling through cheering on college sports, Tift has loved every minute of the journey.
She first found hands-on experience as a sports marketing intern at Western Washington University during her senior year of college, and was connected with the general manager of the Bellingham Bells, a summer collegiate, wood bat baseball team that plays adjacent to Western. While learning on a smaller level what goes into a business, Tift started as a gameday marketing staff member before working her way up across multiple seasons to assistant general manager of the team.
In 2020, Tift departed Bellingham to join the XFL’s Seattle Dragons for their infamous Covid-19 season that was canceled after just five games. She was fortunate to still gain valuable experience as a member of their sponsorships and activations team that led to her eventual hiring with the Mariners.
In her current role, Tift specializes in connecting brands with the team and its fans. “Partners want to reach our fans in a very meaningful way, so it’s my job is to strategically find out what those ways can be so it feels authentic, connected, and timely to what we’re actually doing on the field,” explained Tift. For example, for a well-known Mariners sponsor like Alaska Airlines, Tift works with their sports sponsorship team to put up signage in the outfield, show Mariners highlights as part of their in-flight entertainment, or give away airline miles during games, to name just a few activations.
Among her current favorites are taking Mariner Moose to the grocery store and surprising fans who have Coca-Cola in their carts with free tickets, and partnering with Adidas to elevate the J-Rod Squad experiences through giveaways and ticket specials. Tift strives to connect with partners and bring ideas to life. “Partnership is just one angle, we still need to work with operations, marketing, PR, ticketing, and more to get things executed.”
Tift mentioned the event that she is most proud of as a postgame Pride celebration that the Mariners hosted in the neighboring Victory Hall, which was planned and executed in a short two-week span. The team partnered with both Coca-Cola and GSBA, the state’s LGBTQ+ chamber of commerce, to make themed drinks for the event and donate the proceeds to GSBA. “The goal was just to give fans a place to go after the game, but it really showed the powerfulness of what we can do,” Tift said. GSBA was able to showcase its work, and Coca-Cola supplied giveaways.
“Yes it related to Mariners baseball, but it also showed the power of partnership and just bringing people together. That’s what gets me excited.”
Working in the Mariners’ front office has helped Tift grow into her role and realize a true passion for her work. “Growing up, I didn’t necessarily think there was a job in sports for me,” Tift said. “But it’s amazing to be at the forefront of helping people make decisions and finding ways to make an impact.” Tift feels especially grateful to be working alongside other accomplished women who share her same goals and values, and who also continue to be role models for her within the industry.
“It’s very powerful that it’s just the norm now to come in and see a bunch of women working together in baseball.”