By Maya Lomwong
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.
Originally posted on The Sojournal.