Written by Marie Kane
Last week in Professor Andy Clark’s Sports Management class, we were given the amazing opportunity to travel to the newly remodeled Sullivan Athletic Center on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus to meet with various members from DePaul Athletics.
We gained an inside look at multiple aspects of the college athletics business, through our amazing and insightful speakers, as well as a tour of the remodeled facility from DePaul Vice President and Director of Athletics DeWayne Peevy.
Our visit began in the main conference room where Peevy spoke to us about his journey, and told us a little bit more about his job, and the business of sports. He spoke on DePaul Athletics’ mission statement, and their Dream Big plan, which is in its fourth year.
We were then joined by Taylor Stapleton, the Executive Associate Athletics Director for Revenue Generation & Strategic Initiatives, who was able to give great insights regarding the revenue side of the sports business. He talked extensively regarding the current state of NIL within college athletics, along with points about strategic planning and brand building.
Before our break to tour the facility, Jill Hollembeak, Executive Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration, along with DePaul’s Senior Woman Administrator (SWA), spoke to us. She gave great insights into her caring nature for the student-athletes, as well as her role as SWA. She emphasized to us that, “effort counts twice.”
Following our tour, we also had the pleasure of hearing from the ticketing office on their side of the business, and that they see themselves as the “front porch” of the athletics department.
To wrap up, we spoke to our final panel led by Kassidy Ellenby, Executive Associate Athletics Director, Marketing and Communications in addition to five staffers and graduate assistants who are former Sports Business students including Paul Stromberg, Tamas Zador, Nina Goodhue, Collin Feaster and Alex Kupfer-Weinstein. They gave us the advice that there is space for us in this industry, and to be direct and reach out.
Thank you to all our amazing guest speakers for their insights, and to DePaul Athletics as a whole for hosting us for this amazing opportunity to look into the business of college athletics!