Sports Management students at Wintrust Arena Women’s Basketball locker room, with Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Doug Bruno.
When we started planning our 8th annual Behind the Scenes with Chicago Sports Organizations course back in September, we didn’t know if visiting sports organizations this year would work…well it did.
Throughout the weeklong course students received an inside look to the business side of Chicago’s professional sports teams, college athletic programs, sports agencies and companies. Undergraduate and graduate students participated in tours of sports organizations and venues to gain first–hand insight into Chicago’s sports business landscape.
Participating organizations included the Chicago Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Fire, Sky, rEvolution, 4Front, Gatorade, Chicago Sports Commission and DePaul Athletics.
Students met with leaders and DePaul graduates at these organizations toexplore sports business disciplines like sales, marketing, sponsorship, event management, hospitality, philanthropy, communications and business analytics.
Not every college student gets to gain the experience of the real world before graduating college. I learned plenty about what will make me competitive in the market, the different ways to break into the sports industry, and how I will be successful in my summer internship. The amount of knowledge I gained on the business side of sports from one week is quite impressive and something I will not be taking for granted as I enter the workforce. – Andrew Gambino (BUS ’22)
Sports Business student Olivia Solimene (BUS ’23) presenting with her team.
Highlights of the experience included:
A visit to the United Center with Chicago Bulls legendand2021 Hall of Fame inductee Toni Kukoc, and attending the Bulls – Hornets game as guests of the Bulls.
An exclusive behind the scenes tour of the Wrigley Field premier club spaces with Cubs VP’s Colin Faulkner and Andy Blackburn.
Lunch at the Chicago Fire’s Loop office with new Fire president, Ishwara Glassman Chrein.
A “master-class” talk from Chicago Dogs owner Shawn Hunter.
A Wintrust Arena tour with insights from Arena GM David Kennedy, DePaul Athletics leaders and Chicago Sky VP of Sponsorship Alex Teodosi (BUS ’16), who was a student in this same course as an undergraduate.
A networking session with seven DePaul sports business alumni led by Northwestern Sports Properties Mike Gordon (MBA ’95).
The course featured an action packed itinerary. The following is a look at the numbers:
26 undergraduate and graduate students
58 sports business contacts
12 DePaul alums
22 organizations
8 venues/headquarters
5 Days
3 Hall of Famers – Toni Kukoc, Doug Bruno, Jill Hollembeak
2 Basketball Games
1 Awesome Service Dog – Mr. Kim
A lot of pizza!
Bulls Legend and NBA Hall of Famer Toni Kukoc speaking with the class.
The course concluded with six student team presentations reflecting on their insights from the experience. One of the teams even wrote and performed their own song, “The Five Days of Sports Class” sung to the tune of the “12 Days of Christmas”.
Since 2015, this class has had a career changing impact on over 200 students. MBA student, Jake Mangerson summed up the impact of the course in this manner –
“Sports is a business and if you are going to make a living in sports, you have to treat it like a business, but you will also have the power to create memories and change lives.”
To learn more about DePaul’s Sports Business undergraduate degrees contact program director Andy Clark at aclark32@depaul.edu.
MAAFA graduate and current program manager Quentin Harris explains how the program changed his life
By Ashley Gimbel
Throughout the past Fall Quarter, I’ve had the fortune of working with the Chicago Bulls and the MAAFA Redemption Project, thanks to Professor Andy Clark’s Introduction to Sports Management course. Myself along with my classmates met with Marshall Hatch Jr., Executive Director and Coach at the MAAFA Redemption Project, DePaul alum and Chicago Bulls Director of Alumni Relations, Tony Rokita along with two former Chicago Bulls Players and a graduate of the MAAFA Redemption Project. Each meeting worked towards creating proposals that will help raise awareness for the MAAFA Redemption Project while utilizing the resources of the Chicago Bulls. This experience allowed me to work with surrounding Chicago area organizations, make meaningful connections after a fully virtual school year, brainstorm ways to better Chicago communities and gain meaningful perspective. Many thanks to the Chicago Bulls and the MAAFA Redemption Project for allowing us to collaborate with them this quarter.
The MAAFA Redemption Project is a faith-based organization in West Garfield Park to help at-risk young men ages 18-30. Half of MAAFA’s 26 students participate in a residential program and are required to wake up at 7:15 am to begin their daily program. The rigorous daily schedule includes participation in philosophy and self-identity courses, meditation, and job training in addition to other courses and activities. Quentin Harris, graduate of the program and current program manager and life coach at MAAFA, spoke to the class about MAAFA’s impact on his life. Harris told the class that the self-identity course was the most impactful part of MAAFA. In this course, Harris learned about African American culture, the Civil Rights Act, and the Atlantic Slave Trade. Prior to taking the course, Harris explained that he saw his neighbors as enemies. The course provided him with a different perspective, and Harris is now able to see people in a different light.
Teams present their final projects to Tony Rokita, Marshall Hatch Jr., and the class in Week 10
Marshall Hatch Jr., MAAFA’s executive director, elaborated that the young men in West Garfield Park need an opportunity and a space where they can put their talent and skills into the world. “It was very encouraging to partner with DePaul University and the Chicago Bulls on this critical project. Often our work at MAAFA feels isolated, but it was heartening to witness a diverse group of students become fellow thought-partners dedicated to grappling with one of the city’s seemingly intractable problems,” Hatch explained. “I remain optimistic about Chicago’s future because, yet another space has been created for the sharing of ideas, commitments, and hopes.”
The class also met with Tony Rokita, the Bulls’ director of alumni relations and a DePaul alum who has spent over 30 seasons with the Bulls. Rokita proudly spoke of the fact that since 1987, the Chicago Bulls have raised over $37 million for charitable organizations with an emphasis on education, health and wellness, and anti-violence.
During the first class meeting, Rokita brought along former Chicago Bulls players, Randy Brown (’95-’00) and Mickey Johnson (’74-’79). Brown and Johnson stressed the importance of education for all youth. The former players continue giving back to their communities. Additionally, the students learned about MAAFA and the goal of the project, which was to spread MAAFA’s mission while utilizing the resources of and including the Bulls. The class was split into seven teams consisting of five students each. Teams began brainstorming ideas that would work towards this goal.
Former Chicago Bulls player, Mickey Johnson stressed the importance of education for all
At the next meeting, teams pitched one to two ideas to Hatch and Harris, and the duo offered constructive ideas and pivoting points in return.
The third meeting for the class was a Zoom session with Rokita. Each team provided a short description of its idea and potential sponsors. Rokita’s feedback for all teams included that each team project must have specific metrics to measure success, have a specific plan to incorporate the Bulls’ unique assets, have defined goals to make the community better and explain how to specifically engage people with this project.
After four weeks of work, each team had 10-15 minutes to pitch its idea, which included a crosstown basketball tournament, a sports complex, partnering with the LaSalle Network to start a job search and mentorship program, a basketball summer camp, mental health programs, and other unique ideas. Rokita and Hatch watched all the presentations, asked questions, and delivered detailed feedback.
While reflecting on the presentations, Rokita explained that “it’s been incredibly inspiring to see all the DePaul students in both classes come up with innovative, impactful ideas about how to support MAAFA and increase opportunities to work together with the Chicago Bulls. I’ve been working together with Professor Clark for over four years, and this was one of the best class presentations I’ve been involved with.”
From left, DePaul alumnus Tony Rokita, Mickey Johnson (Chicago Bulls ’74-’79), Randy Brown (Chicago Bulls (’94-’00) and Andy Clark outside of the DePaul Center on the Loop Campus
Students in the course not only had the opportunity to work with the professional business community but also learned how to work in teams, challenged themselves, and were able to see tangible outputs on MAAFA and the Bulls from this project.
Ashley Gimbel is a senior at DePaul double majoring in Sports Communication and Communication Studies. She works for DePaul Athletics in the Sports Information office as a communication assistant. You can reach Ashley on LinkedIn.
For the fifth year this summer, DePaul undergrad and grad students worked directly with the Chicago Cubs on a business-consulting project focused on the Cubs rollout of a new cashless mobile ordering platform. Students conducted concessions transaction time studies, monitored fan behaviors and analyzed historical fan sentiment data. One of the biggest highlights? They put their studies to the test at two Cubs games, timing the concessions lines for mobile ordering and credit card purchases.
All 24 students did a tremendous job and accomplished so much in less than five weeks. This couldn’t have happened without the leadership and support of the Cubs Director of Hospitality and Retail, Brad Johnson. As an added bonus, the class was fortunate to interact and learn with the following Cubs leaders throughout the course: Chase Carpenter, Diego Chahda, Steve Inman, Brad Nagel, Maria Sapienza and Vanessa Ward.
Your research and input will materially change the type of conversations we will have going into the off-season, 2022 and beyond. Thank you so incredibly much. – Chase Carpenter, Chicago Cubs, Director of Strategy & Analytics
This has been one of the coolest and most rewarding classes I’ve taken at DePaul. This project allowed me to put into practice my skills and knowledge to deliver a data analysis with an actionable recommendation to the Cubs. – George Castellanos, MS Marketing student
Cubs Director of Hospitality and Retail Brad Johnson preps the class prior to the game
Students Courtney Kearschner and Michael Durand in action for the concessions research
Students gather in the Wrigley Field concourse for instructions
Following the conclusion of their research for the day, the students enjoy a Cubs victory
The course culminated with five student team presentations to the Cubs
The Driehaus College of Business recently launched a series highlighting the consulting and project management experiences of students at the college. Read on to learn about the lessons learned from a sports business consulting project with the Premier League that alumna Maggie Specht (BUS ’21) worked on while she was a student.
Maggie Specht (BUS ’21)
Driehaus College of Business
About my consulting project:
During my spring break this past year, I had the amazing opportunity to take part in a consulting project with the Premier League (the top English football league) as part of (Sports Business Program Director) Andy Clark’s ICS 395: Business of Sports in London virtual study abroad program. Even though the program was in a remote format with the continued travel restrictions due to the pandemic, this was still an extremely valuable experience.
The Premier League asked us to research companies that are making strides in the areas of diversity and inclusion efforts and to outline actionable steps that the league could implement to achieve these goals. The Premier League has recently made a push for their executive employees to reflect the same diverse backgrounds that their players represent. Each group in our class researched anywhere from four to six companies that have established plans for integrating more diverse employees at an executive level. My group researched JP Morgan Chase, Target, the NFL, the NHL, and the Chicago Blackhawks. Our group found that anti-racism training, top-down integration initiatives, and education opportunities were the most beneficial in creating diverse workforces.
What I learned from my project experience:
This project was extremely relevant and timely because of the continued dialogue in the U.S. about diversity and inclusion in our workforce as well. It also meant a lot to me personally as I look to enter the sports sector which is a typically male-dominated field. It is important to me to find a team or sports organization that is committed to including both women and minorities like the Premier League is.
To become a better project manager, you need to have a clear understanding of what your client needs; that you offer them a detailed plan to get to their end goal; and that you spend extra time going in-depth in the necessary research for the project. In my consulting projects for Professor Clark’s class, all of my various teams spent a lot of time making sure that we understood what our client was looking for from us. Whether that was research on other brands, information on what comparable companies were doing to solve a specific problem, or well-thought-out action plans, our team always made sure that we were meeting the needs that our client had set forth. Once we understood where our client wanted to go with the project, it was important to us that we offered a detailed plan of how to get to their end goal.
By writing out the steps on how to get to the goal, the client has a better idea of how to implement the research or ideas that we are providing for them. This helps the client see how they are going to achieve their goal and it puts their ideas into actionable steps.
Why project management skills matter:
Project management/consulting skills are extremely important for my field of sports management. This is a field where you are going to be working with various clients, customers and coworkers, and it is important to gain experience being in situations where you are working for someone else and trying to help them achieve their goal. If you are going into the field of sports, all of these experiences are crucial to understanding how various sports organizations work and what issues that they are currently trying to manage or change about their current landscape. I had the opportunity to help various teams with brand awareness, diversity and inclusion efforts, and marketing ideas for future events.
These experiences gave me a great idea of what to expect when working in the sports sector. As a graduating college student, I feel like I have some real-world experience that stands out on my résumé and that gives me a leg up on other applicants. These experiences give me the confidence to walk into an interview with the knowledge that I have gotten a taste of the areas that sports teams are trying to stay competitive in.
The rise of Esports has seen tremendous growth in terms of viewership and revenue, leaving a huge impact on the sports and entertainment landscape all over the world.
Within the DePaul community, Esports has taken an even bigger role through the pandemic since it was one of the only safe ways to continue doing sports.
As it continues to grow exponentially, it’s best for students to get in on the business of Esports now rather than later.
This upcoming Autumn quarter, DePaul is offering MGT 344 “The Business of Esports,” a course to educate students on the numerous aspects of the industry.
The class will be held Tuesdays from 1:30-4:45 p.m.
Some of the areas of focus will be revenue streams, role of publishers and game developers, key stakeholders game genres, tournaments and events, media, marketing, sponsorship, diversity and inclusion.
Students will get the opportunity to work on a “real world” Esports business project that will shine on a resume, rather than just reading textbook information on the topic.
Esports has redefined how managers, marketers and event producers connect with their target audience. Students will learn to apply their transferrable business skills to the business.
Athletes and teams are marketed differently in Esports compared to other traditional sports, so students will look at how different platforms like Twitch have redefined sports viewing and the interaction between athletes and fans.
There will be numerous guest lecturers that students can gain experience from and leverage for their own careers, including DePaul alumni who are now working in the industry.
Students are not required to have deep prior knowledge of eSports or traditional sports.
If interested in this course, contact Andy Clark, the director of sports business programs at DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business or directly enroll on Campus Connect.
“The Esports ecosystem is about more than just gaming,” said Kevin O’Brien (Bus ’20). “There are opportunities in management, marketing, sponsorship, communication, events and more. You will gain access to experts in the industry and competitions that will expand your knowledge in this booming industry.”
The DePaul MST and MBA alumnus describes how he landed his dream job working in the sports footwear and apparel industry
By Tommy Lubinski
In this series, Kellstadt alumni share how they got to where they are today in their careers. Next up is Triple Demon Tommy Lubinski, who earned his bachelor’s in accounting and master’s in taxation from DePaul’s School of Accountancy & MIS in 2009 and 2011 respectively, then completed his MBA in sports management, business strategy and strategy, execution and valuation in 2015. Today, Lubinski works as a product manager for adidas Basketball and lives in Vancouver, Wash.
Tommy Lubinski
As a product manager…
I manage various footwear and apparel product lines, including James Harden, Derrick Rose, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, Candace Parker and our team footwear range. I manage the product from the initial brief to the moment it ends up on retail shelves. In my day to day, I work cross functionally with designers, developers, merchandisers, our global markets and brand marketing teams to bring the product to life.
Biggest challenge of my job…
The biggest challenge we face as a team is working in the future. The product development lifecycle requires us to work well over a year in advance of a product being available for sale. In that time span, we must stay on top of trends, innovation and consumer needs. There is only so much that can be changed later in the process, so we really need to rely on consumer and athlete insights that we are constantly collecting.
What I like best about my job…
I love when I’m out and see people wearing the product I worked on. I also really enjoy working directly with athletes. It’s a high stakes game to continually build newer, innovative products that solve for an athlete’s or a consumer’s need. I’m privileged to work with an amazing team each day and stay connected to sport, which is something I have been fortunate to do throughout my career. I’ve also worked on some fun projects with external partners such as Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, LEGO and even Ric Flair!
How I got here…
Lubinski with NBA player Derrick Rose, at a dinner where they discussed Rose’s next shoe.
I’ve always been a “sneakerhead.” There was something about it that caught my eye as a kid. Finally in undergrad, as I started to buy more sneakers and realize that money could be made on rare shoes, I turned my hobby into a job. I would save up to buy multiple pairs of rare sneakers and then sell them. This helped me grow my personal collection as I was going to classes.
I always knew I wanted to work in this industry but didn’t really know the right way to go about it. My undergrad degree was in accounting from DePaul and I tried applying for various accounting and finance jobs at footwear companies upon graduation with zero luck. I basically gave up on it until I started working at a sports agency and saw some of the endorsement deals that our athletes were signing. It really sparked my interest and when I was pursuing my MBA, I decided to go all in on my dream and ended up landing at adidas in the summer of 2015 as an MBA intern in Concept to Consumer.
Things I did to help me get here…
I actually gained a lot of the industry skills, experiences and insights by being a consumer. I’ve camped out for shoes, woken up extra early for them and even traveled to get an edge on getting rare shoes. Looking back, I see those days as the very early stages of my learning how important networking is. I built relationships with store owners and managers over the course of many years of buying and selling sneakers. In regard to basketball experiences, I played since I was a kid and when I got to DePaul, I had the opportunity to join the practice team for the DePaul Blue Demons Women’s Basketball. I got to see the behind the scenes of Coach Doug Bruno coaching and witness all his leadership qualities that make the DePaul Women’s Basketball one of the best programs in the nation year in, year out. That was my biggest takeaway during all those years, besides the competitiveness you need in sports. It’s all come full circle now as I’m currently creating products for that younger version of myself.
The Kellstadt faculty member who helped me the most in my career…
Andy Clark, director of the Sports Business Program, was a major contributor to my success in the sports world. He believed in me and was integral in my pursuit of getting into the footwear and apparel industry. During my time at Kellstadt, I was working at a sports agency and doing taxes for athletes. It was in my Sports Sponsorship course that I learned about the San Diego Sports Consulting course. Andy taught both courses and helped me realize my full potential. The San Diego course provided me with real world experience. We not only partnered with two other universities, but I also got the chance to work in conjunction with the San Diego Padres and Chargers to tackle a real-life business case. The two-week consulting project challenged me to work with other students I didn’t know, utilize market research platforms and present findings to senior leaders of the organization. This course is a boot camp in the world of sports and networking.
Advice for Kellstadt students interested in my career…
There are a few pieces of advice I give to people.
No. 1: know the industry and consumer. One of the best ways to do that is to work in retail. In downtown Chicago, you have so many brands and opportunities to work with as a student. Retail isn’t the most glamorous job, but you are learning about the product and interacting with the consumer daily. There is so much that can be learned from having a conversation and helping a customer with a purchase. This is the type of value that an intern or someone just coming in can bring. You would be surprised to learn how many people worked at an Adidas or sporting goods retailer prior to joining the headquarters team.
No. 2 is networking. I thought I understood what networking was but then I took the San Diego Sports Consulting course and that opened my eyes. The experience made me step up my game and connect with so many different people that helped build my confidence in pursuit of landing in this industry.
No. 3: stay committed and don’t get discouraged. Most of us don’t get our dream job upon graduation. But if you don’t get hired by that company, don’t erase it from your memory. Instead, learn how you can leverage your experiences when you are ready to make that change. We all make career changes in life. I began to doubt that I would work in this industry, but six years later, I found myself signing a job offer on my childhood dream.
Like many Class of 2020 graduates, Michael J. Smith had to pivot his career plans last spring because of the pandemic-driven economic downturn. Smith was looking forward to joining KPMG as a tax data and analytics associate in June. But on the eve of earning his master’s in business analytics, Smith received word that KPMG was delaying start dates for new hires until January 2021.
Despite the setback, Smith remained confident because he knew he had a strong ally to help him navigate his next career step: DePaul. DePaul business students and alumni “have access to a tremendous amount of resources” that support career searches and advancement, says Smith, resources that include personalized career coaching.
Smith asked the Kellstadt Career Management Center (CMC), which helped him land the position with KPMG, for assistance in finding an interim data analytics role until his new start date. A CMC career coach helped Smith “identify the right opportunities for me and network with a purpose,” he says. “I broke my strategy into three steps: create an elevator pitch, analyze the market and identify my target companies and Paloma Mendoza (BUS ’20) (in beige sweater) got her foot in the door of advertising firm FCB during a class visit. (Photo courtesy of Andy Clark) audiences.” Smith identified industries that would need data analysts, even in a tough economy. With election season in full swing, he added political parties to the list.
The strategy paid off. Smith was hired as deputy state data director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin in July. The position was a perfect fit for his need to deepen his data analytics experience before beginning his assignment at KPMG, which remains committed to bringing him on board in 2021. “I feel extremely honored and valued during such uncertain times.”
Since the pandemic hit in March, the CMC, which supports graduate business students and alumni, and the DePaul Career Center, which serves undergraduate business students and alumni, have been expanding their resources to help Blue Demons stay competitive in a dramatically altered labor market. The centers offer alumni remote career coaching, webinars on job search strategies and online networking, as well as a wealth of web-based resources, including Handshake, a comprehensive career services portal that provides job and internship listings, as well as information about career events.
One of the DePaul Career Center’s newest initiatives is a job search club for alumni and new graduates “to talk about challenges people are facing and share goals and questions,” says Karyn McCoy, the center’s assistant vice president. “It’s a way to let people know they are not alone.” McCoy also recommends the CMC’s new skills labs created to help graduates think about upskilling, as well as the Alumni Sharing Knowledge (ASK) Network as a nexus for alumni to share career insights.
At the business college, faculty, departments and centers are stepping up to connect students and new graduates to career leads through an extensive network of alumni and industry connections. Certificate and graduate degree programs are also available for alumni to build career resilience, especially if they have been out of school for a while. “We encourage alumni to return to refresh their skills and see our college as a resource for growth throughout their professional life,” says Interim Business Dean Thomas Donley.
Business faculty—and their contacts in Chicago’s business world—offer a fruitful networking resource. Paloma Mendoza (BUS ’20) got her foot in the door at the global advertising firm Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) in July with the help of Andy Clark (MBA ’87), the sports business program director.
Mendoza became interested in advertising agency work as a student in Clark’s sports sponsorship marketing class, which visited FCB’s Chicago office to discuss Super Bowl ads with executives last winter. In the spring, when she learned that FCB was offering virtual account management internships, she applied. “Mentioning Professor Clark’s name and my class experience visiting FCB definitely helped,” she says. Mendoza landed the coveted internship, which pairs her with a FCB account director mentor and puts her into consideration for future job openings.
“She did a fantastic job of following up with FCB and secured a very tough-to-get internship, especially in this environment,” Clark says. “I think Paloma’s story represents the very best of what a DePaul education offers.”
For alumni who are midcareer professionals, DePaul certificates and graduate degrees have become
an attractive option to advance their careers in a competitive market. “At least 35% to 40% of our students are DePaul alumni or family members of alumni,” says Jurate Murray (MBA ’02), associate director of the Kellstadt Marketing Center, which offers a wide range of advertising and marketing certificate programs for professionals to refresh their skills.
Omar Ortiz (BUS ’17), marketing manager for Neighborhoods.com, completed the center’s content marketing strategy certificate program online in March to prepare for a recent promotion. “I thought it’d be a great idea to further sharpen my skills and solidify myself as an expert,” he says.
Upskilling for Andrew Catanese (BUS ’14), club and theatre ticketing manager for C3 Presents, meant enrolling in DePaul’s MBA in hospitality program this fall. Offered entirely online, the program gives Catanese the flexibility to continue working remotely from Austin, Texas, for C3, a nationwide concert promoter. “I’ve been out of school six years, and I think that’s a big gap as far as new techniques,” says Catanese, who hopes to run his own music venue in the future. “I am excited to further my education in the hospitality program.”
I applied to the virtual study abroad program in England during Spring Break. I got accepted to the International Business of Sports in London class with Professor Andy Clark. This was the best virtual study abroad course that I attended!
I enjoyed learning and traveling in London without leaving home. After I finished this course, I could better understand the nature and background of the London sports business industry such as Premier League, Rugby, Cricket, Wimbledon etc. I also got experience working with a diversity of international teams such as Loughborough students in Hackathon. We learned about sports with incredible guests such as Alex Eckhout from The Premier League, Omar Mohammed, Andrew Sheridan from Liverpool Football Club, Ben Swann from Wimbledon etc., I felt so amazing when I was hearing all the stories from guests, like I was living my dream.
In my opinion, it’s very helpful to learn about the global sports world. I have never understood how it felt when I saw others watching premier league games at night until I joined the watch party program and wore the Arsenal jersey with my class. It was such an amazing moment. Now, I’m trying to find my favorite team to cheer for the next game. In my opinion, It’s a great process of improvement about sports in a week. I noticed that every sport has an interesting story. I never knew about the Wimbledon before. I knew some tennis players, but I’ve never focused on watching any tennis matches. It’s amazing to know about the brand strategy. I like the way Wimbledon creates their brand positioning in the market. TENNIS, GRASS, and WHITE CLOTHES” are all amazing! In addition, I was so much impressed with Wimbledon Strawberries and the love story behind the logo. I enjoy getting to learn more about Wimbledon.
I feel thankful to Professor Clark for inspiring me and opening my eyes to the new world of sports. I learned about different management styles, business strategies, career paths and opportunities. This new knowledge is more precious than anything else in the world! The skills from all classes that I learned were really helpful for my future career. I really appreciate being a Thai student who has a great opportunity to learn about the sports world, not only in the US but also in London! I hope one day I can use these skills to give local sports in Thailand such as Thai boxing a global platform.
I will never forget watching Michael Phelps win his 18th career gold medal and 22nd overall during the 2012 Olympic Games and being completely awestruck by such an achievement. Since that moment, I have always dreamed of attending an Olympic Games to experience those outstanding sport performances firsthand. Thanks to my study abroad experience, in which I learned all about the business of sports in London, I got a step closer to fulfilling my Olympic dream. Even though Michael Phelps was not there sprinting down the lap pool, I was still standing in the spot where he became the most decorated Olympian and I could imagine just what it was like.
We were at Olympic Park to (believe it or not) watch an England Rugby game. Ask anyone in my group, we were all hesitant heading into the game. We questioned the rules and regulations (Why do they lift one player up to catch a ball? How can they not wear any padding?). We headed into the game with a mindset of leaving 10 minutes early to beat the crowd. Ten minutes into the game, one of my classmate’s made an epic one-handed catch when the rugby ball came our way. We were all captivated and we all ended up LOVING the rugby game. In fact, we became so fascinated by the stadium environment and the fans around us that everyone wanted to stay until the very end.
I promise we did learn while attending awesome sporting events (we also went to England vs Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium and Man City vs Fulham at the pristine Craven Cottage). During our week-long class, I learned just as much, if not more, than in a regular 10-week course. Throughout our trip, we spoke with 32 professionals in various aspects of the sports industry. Our first company visit was at Pinsent Masons, a full-service international law firm with a powerful sector in sports law. After visiting 12 other businesses we concluded at Hill+Knowlton, a global public relations and integrated communications agency. With 32 outstanding speakers, who were all willing to connect with us afterwards and answer numerous questions, I gained tremendous insight on many different aspects the business of sports, as well as advice that translates into any other business. My top takeaway was from James Worrall, founder and CEO of Leaders. He worked with us to decipher the top upcoming trends that are shaping today’s business and emphasized the importance of building and maintaining relationships, stating, “those with the best networks have the most success.”
While I could go on and on about the different memories from this trip, the one that truly sticks out is the strong connection our group had. Maybe it was because of our entertaining and packed schedule’ or maybe it was because of our two great leaders: Andy Clark and Karen Burgard. Still whatever the reason, our group dynamic was irreplaceable. My favorite memory from the entire trip was dinner on the last night (and no it was not at my beloved 24-hour diner VQ that was attached to our hotel). This nice restaurant overlooked the river with the sun setting, and we sat on the patio just returning from the Man City vs. Fulham football match. I remember looking around and seeing everyone just talking, laughing and having a good time. In that moment I knew that I had made some long-lasting friendships on this trip.
Don’t just take my word for it though! Hear from my classmates about their favorite memory from the trip.
“One night we all went to a pub playing live music and sang along to “Valerie”. It was honestly such an epic moment” – Caterina Parola
“Going to the horse races at Kempton Park, and sitting in the Jockey Club. Their hospitality was amazing, and I will never forget it.” – Asala Musa
“My favorite memory was the lasting connections that I made personally and professionally. Professionally we were able to get our foot in the door to some of the world’s largest organizations. Personally, I walked away with a new family who will always have my back.” – Kevin O’Brien
Sports connect us. The passion and atmosphere are a language anyone can understand no matter where they are in the world. Unfortunately, during the Covid-19 pandemic stadiums were empty and games were played in silence. As fans like myself had to cheer on our favorite teams from home, those of us who are students also had to cheer ourselves on as we attended our classes far away from campus. Yet, this past March, my classmates and I in the International Business Seminar were lucky enough to virtually travel to the world of London sports and immersed us in every aspect of it.
Literally beyond the pitch, we explored everything from the business models of the Premier League and Liverpool FC, to the KIA Oval (home of the Surrey County Cricket Club), and the history of Wimbledon. During a thrilling match pitting Arsenal against West Ham that we watched together on Zoom – fully dressed in personalized Arsenal gear – we came as close as most people could during the pandemic to experiencing the joys of live sports. Experts from the most popular sports in England guided us through the week and did a tremendous job of creating a live seminar atmosphere for us.
Of course, the week had more to offer than a sense of London’s rich (sports) history and traditions. Every day was filled with knowledge and advice shared by some of sports’ most successful people, all of whom work behind the scenes to ensure the success of their organization or client. We listened to Jimmy Worrall whose company LEADERS hosts networking events for the biggest names in sports provide invaluable career insights. Trevor Watkins and his colleagues at the leading London law firm Pinsent Masons sports division shared legal expertise with us. And Neil Wood MBE, the CFO of the 2012 Olympic Games, walked us through the full process of how an Olympic event is organized and executed start to finish. Each one of them and every other speaker we had the privilege to meet went above and beyond to share valuable information with us that we will be able to apply in our careers and beyond.
Memories were made as a class when we worked in teams to pitch workforce diversity and inclusion plans to Alex Eckhout at the Premier League office. The weeklong project allowed us to work on a real initiative within the organization and gave everyone a chance to get creative and bring their own ideas and strengths to the table. Our second project of the week was a “hackathon” with students at Loughborough University. Together we collaborated with the West Ham Foundation and were challenged to brainstorm and present an idea for charity programs within less than an hour. Both projects were as much fun, as they were a great opportunity for us to test our business skills for the future.
There was just so much to learn during our digital trip to London, from the rules of cricket, to the marketing strategies of the London offices of the NBA and MLB, to the many insights we had not anticipated to gain going in. The week was an absolute win despite us being benched by Covid-19.
Personally, I was most inspired by every guest speaker’s story about how they got to where they are, why they love working in sports, and what they enjoy most about living in London. It made a dream job in sports feel like a real possibility and reminded me of why I love sports so much. Yet, it also became clearer that sports are a business above all. What most of us experience is the joy of the game, the victories and losses, and the unforgettable moments, but what we do not see is the people who are working hard to ensure that each team and each player are as successful as we want them to be.
The International Business Seminar taught my peers and me what it takes to work in sports, and that the people who do are ultimately driven by their passion for it. It was impressive to see how many people are involved in running a league, team, or event, and my admiration for them has grown exponentially. This deep dive into the world of sports has also helped me to think about where my place in it might be after my time at DePaul. And, of course, my desire to visit London again is even greater now than it was before. So, the next time I fly into Heathrow it will hopefully be to actually set foot into London. I cannot wait to fondly retrace the steps through its sites of sports and business that I was able to take virtually this past March.
By Robin Florzak
