NEW YORK, USA // Billy Harner walked through the gates of the Brooklyn Cyclones ballpark on Coney Island for the first time on June 26, 2001. It marked the first professional baseball game in the Borough of Brooklyn since the Dodgers headed west in 1957. While at that game, he was offered a job as an intern with the club and started his sports career the following day as an 18-year-old recent graduate of Xavier High School in Manhattan.

Over the next 20+ years, a trip to see the Brooklyn Cyclones has been as much a part of the Coney Island experience as a hot dog at Nathan’s or a ride on the Wonder Wheel. From intern to Director of Communications to Assistant General Manager, the Brooklyn-native is responsible for the marketing and promotional efforts for the club. During his tenure with the Cyclones the team has been recognized as “The Most Fun Ballpark in America” by Fox News, won Minor League Baseball’s Promotion of the Year on three occasions and received the Larry MacPhail Award – in recognition for the top promotional effort in Minor League Baseball following the 2017 season.

The Cyclones were one of the first teams in Minor League Baseball to introduce an alternate identity when they became the Baracklyn Cyclones to celebrate the 44th President of the United States–a trend that has exploded to more than 100 clubs in recent years–and more recently have garnered national attention for their annual Seinfeld Night, that has drawn fans from 47 states and 10 countries to Maimonides Park since it started in 2014.

Billy loves the creative freedom that comes with working in Minor League Baseball and continues his quest for the perfect promotion on a nightly basis.