Click here to watch an audio slideshow featuring the Morris brothers.

When the Morris Baseball League was formed, founders Dominic and Donte Morris, had bigger visions for it. They realized there was a niche that could be filled with baseball.

Dominic, a marketing major, and Donte, a general management major, said they are operating the league as a business, as well as playing in it.

“Running the league might help me, as far as a workload, doing what needs to be done, what is demanded of you,” Dominic Morris said.

Dominic Morris said his favorite aspect of the business side of the league is the marketing. He likes to look at the players and see how he can market them to get more fans to come to the games.

“I think that’s the funnest thing ever,” Dominic Morris said.

Donte Morris said, from a business standpoint, the boardroom meetings are the most enjoyable part of the league.

“In our Monday meetings, we’re looking at seven different coaches and telling them what our mission is for the week and to see them play it out during the week,” Donte Morris said. “I can have influence over seven other people, but I run a team, too.”

Donte Morris said his ultimate career goal is to be a general manager of a professional

baseball team.

“I think managing the league, talking to the coaches, marketing the league, trying to get people to come to our games – I think

the whole

aspect of running a baseball league falls in line with becoming a general manager,” Donte Morris said.

Dominic Morris said he plans to be involved with this league for a long time.

“I see it growing and seeing what I can do better with it after I graduate,” Dominic Morris said.

Bruce Wilson, lecturer in business administration at Sac State, said he has helped the Morris brothers with the league. Wilson said they need to develop a board of directors, a charter and a proposal.

“They’ve got the mission of the organization well in hand,” Wilson said. “They’ve got a lot of internal talent – from marketing to financing currently with the university foundation – but they need to envision a long-term plan ? They need to graduate from the university foundation and develop their own nonprofit organization.”

Wilson said one thing he has stressed to the Morris brothers is they need to develop an unpaid Morris League board of directors.

“(These are) people who are there, people who are cheerleaders and people who have talent and fundraising ability and will use it in behalf of the organization,” Wilson said. “They have people now who are interested in them but I think it’s something they have to select; they have to find their loyal people who will act in their behalf.”

The Morris brothers said they knew they would face challenges in getting the league off the ground.

“Whatever we did, we stuck with it,” Dominic Morris said. Dominic said he and his brother persevered through the potential adversity.

“There were a lot of questions going into it,” Dominic Morris said. “But we said, ‘You know what? We can do it.’ We did a little research, found out what was required; what we had to do to get things done and just having that straight passion drove us to where we’re at now.”

Dustin Nosler can be reached at [email protected]