Michael Sarage started his career in the sports industry as an Event Coordination Intern for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the now, Amalie Arena while in college in January of 2010. In June of the same year, Michael was hired as an Inside Sales Account Executive for the Tampa Bay Lightning and quickly ranked atop his peers as the leading seller not only in Inside Sales, but the entire Ticket Sales Department. Sarage quickly escalated throughout the sales department making stops as Corporate Sales Manager where he focused on selling premium seats and season tickets and as Executive Suite Sales Manager where continued a suite and loge lease sellout streak that spanned over four years. In July of 2018, Sarage was named Manager, Business Development where he was responsible for leveraging his premium relationships to sell corporate partnerships.
Halfway through his 10th season with the Bolts, Michael was recruited and hired as the Director, Premium & Business Development for the Detroit Pistons where he oversaw the new business vertical consisting of three departments: Premium Sales, Business Development and Inside sales as well as all new sales efforts ranging from annual suite leases to mini plans. Today, Michael Sarage is in his fourteenth year within the sports industry and is currently the Vice President, Suite Sales for Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE). As Vice President, Michael manages the suite sales vertical for Capital One Arena’s one hundred plus Executive Suites.
Michael graduated from the University of Tampa in May of 2010 and secured his MBA with a concentration in Sports Business from Saint Leo University in 2019. He also became an adjunct lecturer for the Sport & Entertainment Management Program at Wayne State University’s Mike Illitch School of Business where he taught graduate level students who wanted to earn a start in the sports industry.