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Study Sports Management at Spears School |
SPRING 2007— Oklahomans love their sports—amateur, collegiate, minor league and professional. In fact, the sports industry is one of the fastest growing segments of Oklahoma’s economy and employees who have experience in both business and sports are in demand. That’s why the Spears School of Business started offering a new sports management option last fall.
“We identified the need for this specialization and our sports management program is one of a few in the country that’s housed within a business school,” says Dr. Ken Eastman, associate professor and head of the Department of Management. “Our classes offer students the opportunity to gain important business management skills while learning about the unique nature of sports organizations.”
Eastman calls the sports management option “highly practical and broad in scope,” covering topics like facilities management, event planning, marketing of sports apparels and managing corporate sponsorships. Careers paths for sports management include marketing and sales, administrative duties or information systems
Helping OSU to get the coursework underway was Ph.D. candidate Aaron Hill. He worked in collegiate athletics at Gonzaga University and in minor league baseball before he came to OSU to research and teach sports management in business.
Hill, whose classes are filled to capacity, says sports management is ideal for those who love sports and like the nontraditional hours.
Which is a good way to describe sports management senior Carly Watson of Houston, Texas. She says what was once thought a leisure study has quickly evolved into one of the fastest growing industries in the world. “I have known since my freshman year that I would like to pursue a career in the sports field.”
She was very close to finishing her marketing degree plan, when the new option was introduced. Watson says, “Dr. Eastman and I discussed the marketing classes I had taken—sales management, consumer behavior and promotional selling—and they were obviously beneficial when it came to studying the sports industry.” They decided Watson needed to added classes, which would strengthen her administrative skills. She now believes she has a well-rounded business degree.
Pursuing a job in a field one really likes is obviously a plus, but Hill says students also need to be realistic. “I tell students that experience is essential to getting a foot in the door and internships are vital,” he says. “The sports industry is very competitive. Job seekers need to network and gain experience. I recommend volunteering at YMCAs or taking jobs like crowd control or working sports tournaments in order to build that resume.”
Amanda Moore, a senior from Watonga, Okla., participated in athletic internships for the Tulsa 66ers and OSU Athletics Marketing to gain real-word experience. She says, “Internships are a great way to get your career started. They offer an opportunity to see what goes on behind the scenes at athletic events, to gain valuable career experience and to make contacts with professionals in the sports industry.”
The sports industry is also a growing field for academic researchers. Hill says researching the business side of sports makes sense. It is obvious when one considers some of the current “hot” topics: Economic Impact of Sporting Events; Recruitment Strategies (for athletes, coaches, and donors/fans); Impact of Facility Enhancements on Success; Motivation of Season Ticket Holders or Donors; and the Impact of Television Exposure on Attendance and Fundraising.
If you have internship or job opportunities in the sports management field, contact the Department of Management in the Spears School at spears-info@okstate.edu.
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