Sean Hudson is the Director of Military Affairs for the Washington Nationals. He has several duties in this role, but the main objective is the same as the reason he is proud to be in his position, to honor the men and women that wear the nation’s uniform.
“We do a lot for our military service members,” Hudson said. “We can always do more, but I hope that we’re doing a good job.”
HUDSON SERVED IN THE MILITARY HIMSELF
Hudson feels so connected to his job and the people they bring to Nationals Park because he is a veteran himself. After leaving college early, the New Jersey native served in the Air Force in a Public Affairs role. His military career led to him traveling to several places foreign and domestic, such as Turkey, Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, and even Italy. His job was to tell the stories of service and the warfighter, something he took pride in and that he found he was good at.
Hudson shared, “People in the military work hard every day to defeat their adversaries across the globe; our baseball team works very hard to defeat the Atlanta Braves. So, telling all of that in that storytelling from 2016 to 2020 was an incredible time and kind of sparked my passion for communications overall.”
Hudson shared that joining the Air Force was the second-best decision he made. He said that with love because as much as he appreciated his time in service, moving on had led him to apply those talents he developed in a new way.
“It gave me so many skills, so many opportunities, and so many resources. And I was really determined to put them to good use.”
HOW THE NATIONALS SERVES THE COMMUNITY
Hudson spent time at Disney Animation in California before he applied for his current role with the Nationals. The team has three pillars of focus for their community relations. There is youth programming, which includes sponsoring little league teams, hosting coaches’ clinics, and even players reading to students. There is also Nats Prep, which supports high school students that want to pursue careers in tourism and hospitality by hosting them and meeting different business units with the team—marketing, guest experiences—and then they get to wrap that all into what they’re learning in their various curriculums at school.
Then, there is military support. There are 16 different bases in the National Capital Region, which means there are many service members within a drive to Nationals Park. There are various programs that the team has throughout the year that include the military, but the one that stands out may be their Base HIIT program. That spelling is correct because HIIT means High Intensity Interval Training. The team brings 275 members to the park to do PT on the field.
“We’re the only team in pro sports that does anything like that,” Hudson declared proudly. They have also given out over 4,000 tickets to military ID card holders on April 17th, Military Appreciation Day. Like other teams, members are honored by the Nationals throughout the season as well. Hudson said that it isn’t only the leadership or players that want to express their gratitude to service members and veterans; the fans do as well.
“The ideal behind all of it is supporting the military is something our fans want us to do. We understand that, and we want to do that. We want to build fans of baseball for life. It’s really important to us.”
BEING IN SHAPE IS IMPORTANT FOR HIM TOO
Another lesson that stayed with Hudson is that being in shape matters. Working out and making healthy choices isn’t just for his own good. It makes him better for the people he works with and those in his life.
Hudson explained, “Ideally, I’m taking care of my body now, so it’ll take care of me down the home stretch when I’m old.”
Hudson trains regularly and says he takes a holistic approach to fitness. He offered three pieces of advice outside of the weight room that can serve people of all ages for sport, service, or general wellness.
Eat properly and early.
Nutrition is being discussed as much as training is, but it is still being ignored far too often. Being with the Nationals has helped Hudson adapt the way he eats.
“When you wake up in the morning, if your first meal is at 10:00 or 11:00 AM, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Better eating habits have been something I’ve picked up organically by working at a pro sports team.”
Make mental fitness a priority.
More coaches and trainers are working with athletes on the mental side of the game and life, and that is spreading in the military as well. Hudson feels this is a good trend to jump on.
“Resolve, being able to work through adversity—all those things. Whether they’re on the diamond or in a corporate office like I am, they’re important skills to have, and you can always sharpen those skills.”
Give yourself grace.
Hudson acknowledged that not all workouts will be the same. Sometimes all he may have in him is a set or two, but he still checked the box. He says that not every day has to be perfect or even the same, whether it is a skill, training, or anything else.
“Someone once told me before you can be good at something, you have to be bad at it. Allow yourself to be bad at things. Baseball is the only sport where if you fail seven out of ten times, they’ll put you in the Hall of Fame.”
Whether it’s for country, sport, or your own community, Hudson serves as an example that being your best self allows you to give your best to those around you and make other aspects of your life better along the way. Thanks to his personal and professional commitment to the people he works with for the Nationals and their fan base, kids have better opportunities to be connected to the game they love, the organization is more connected to their community, and the military gets extra support and opportunities to be recognized. One message that he hopes resonates with every service member that enters Nationals Park is that they are appreciated for what they do to protect freedom at home and abroad.
“We do a lot for our military service members. We can always do more, but I hope that we’re doing a good job.”
To learn more about future “Base HIIT” events or other military activities with the Nationals, go to Nationals.com.
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this article.