Author: jzamoran

Going for Gold! Epic Stories from London’s Business of Sports

jzamoran Student Experience

By Jess Sanborn

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.

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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.

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So1

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.

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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

Originally published on The Sojournal.

The International Business of Sports in London 2021: A Virtual Victory

jzamoran Student Experience

By Annika Pallasch

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.

Originally published on The Sojournal.

Cleveland Cavs Assistant Coach Lindsay Gottlieb speaks to DePaul Students about Sports Leadership

jzamoran Industry Speakers
Getty Images. Assistant Coach Lindsay Gottlieb coaching Collin Sexton.

 

By Bella Michaels

Cleveland Cavaliers Assistant Coach Lindsay Gottlieb is one of six female assistant coaches in the NBA this season.

As Women’s History Month came to a close last Wednesday, Gottlieb spoke to Professor Andy Clark’s sports business students about her experiences as a woman in a role that has been predominantly for men.

“Being authentic is really important,” said Gottlieb. “I’m not trying to pretend to be just like the guys on our staff. Sometimes I don’t see another female for days at a time. We have a fourteen-person coaching staff, and it’s just me.”

Gottlieb speaking to Clark’s students on Zoom. Clark is the director of sports business programs at DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business.

 

Gottlieb initially thought she would follow in the footsteps of her parents and go to law school, or work in sports media. Instead, she is now paving a path for women all over the world to look up to working in what has been traditionally known as a man’s role.

She emphasized two important takeaways to the women in the room:

Lean into your fears

“I’m not going to lie. Twenty years of being a woman’s college basketball coach and then moving across the country to be in the NBA to be an assistant and not a head coach, to be in pro sports and not in college sports, to be coaching men and not women — there’s no question of ‘oh my goodness, can I do this? Am I going to be successful?’ And I’m out of my comfort zone at times. But I think you have to lean into those fears and do the things that feel hard in order to be your most fulfilled and most successful.”

Don’t let this notion of perfection hinder you

“I want to be great, I want to exceed expectations but I think women sometimes get the most restrained by this idea that I have to be perfect in order to try.”

Before becoming an assistant coach at the Cavs, Gottlieb was the ninth head coach of the California Golden Bears women’s team at the University of California, Berkeley.

She led the Golden Bears to their first Final Four in school history in the 2012-13 season — just her second season as the head coach. That season she also led them to their first PAC-12 Conference championship and was named PAC-12 Coach of the Year by the media.

Gottlieb noted that the biggest difference between the college game and the NBA is game prep.

“That’s been my most arduous adjustment,” said Gottlieb. “In college, in the PAC-12 in conference play we played on Fridays and Sundays, every week. Well I got to the NBA, and now we’ve got four games in a week and maybe you got two practices. And I learned in the NBA you do not talk about the opponent until game day.”

Gottlieb has set a certain standard of expectations to create a championship atmosphere. She sets certain goals in the beginning of the season and reinforces them throughout, while also establishing roles but acknowledging that they may change.

“These are lifestyle jobs,” said Gottlieb. “We are in it 24/7 and I think I just learned really quickly that in college basketball you are educators. If you are not in it for the people around you, what are we doing?”

Originally published on Bella Michaels’s blog.

DePaul Marketing Students Team Up with Paragon Marketing Group on Sponsorship Project

jzamoran Student Experience, Team Projects

By Bella Michaels

When the pandemic hit, one of the biggest concerns in the sports world was how teams and leagues would make up for their lost revenue.

As fans are now beginning to attend games again at limited capacity, Andy Clark’s Sports Sponsorship class teamed up with Paragon Marketing Group, to research and reevaluate the signage make-goods that are being offered to sponsors, as well as what other signage is being added for TV viewing.

Clark is the director of sports business programs at DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business.

Paragon’s Senior Vice President Matt Waitz and Senior Account Executive Michael Miller created a project brief that the students worked together on to execute the project deliverables.

“We’re the middle man,” Waitz said. “We’re the agency hired by our clients to give them our expertise and this was a great project for us to have someone outside of our circle and everyday conversations to give a perspective on what’s working and what’s not. So a fresh perspective was very valuable for us to be able to move forward with recommendations for our clients.”

“Coming out of COVID, it’s crucial for an agency like Paragon to understand which new assets provide the most value for our clients going into the next season,” Miller said. “We were impressed with the depth of research and creativity we saw from both the undergraduate and graduate students.”

The students were divided into five person teams to build an all-encompassing SWOT analysis for one of these four leagues — NBA, MLB, NFL and NHL.

Each team also had to provide a point of view on which signage opportunities should or should not continue in the future and come up with effective ways to reach a target demographic during this time.

MLB Team

NHL Team

NBA Team

NFL Team

“I found it very interesting to be able to work with an outside agency through a course,” DePaul marketing graduate student Jackson Byers said. “This was something I never had the opportunity to do while getting my undergraduate degree.”

Another marketing graduate student, Derek Arguello, was thankful for this experience.

“I work in media and often collaborate with sports marketing agencies on behalf of my client,” Arguello said. “However, I never really understood what they did. This class gave me the background of the landscape and tools that are directly applicable to my profession.”

Undergraduate student Javiera Antonia Zamorano Espana never thought she’d have the opportunity to work on this project as an undergrad student, especially since she is an exchange student from Chile.

“I find it amazing that we got an inside look at what marketing professionals do and what the process is, while also having the chance to collaborate with them,” Zamorano said. “I just hope that the insights we gave them become useful to their work.”

While students were appreciative of this experience with Paragon, the feeling was mutual on Paragon’s end as well.

“It was a great project,” Waitz said. “It was great to see how it started and how much progress was made by the time the presentations came around. Not only with the data and information but visually. The decks looked so much better than I think we had imagined from the start so that was really impressive.”

Originally published on Bella Michaels’s blog.

DePaul Students Get an Inside Look at Bud Light’s Super Bowl LV Ads

jzamoran Industry Speakers

By Bella Michaels

You’re sitting on your couch, munching on the chips and salsa on the table in front of you. Your friend is passing you an ice-cold beer. It’s Super Bowl Sunday and you’re waiting to see which commercial will amuse you most. But have you thought about why brands do what they do and how they do it?

For the seventh year, Andy Clark‘s Sports Sponsorship Marketing classes got down to the why and the how. Clark is the director of sports business programs at DePaul University.

Joe Lennon, the senior director at Bud Light/Anheuser-Busch, is a client of FCB — one of the world’s largest advertising, marketing and promotional agencies.

Lennon, alongside the FCB team, dove deep into both perspectives of creating a successful Super Bowl spot on Wednesday evening in Clark’s class.

“We wanted to write a love letter to our biggest fans and make them feel proud to be a Bud Light fan,” Lennon said. “So, the intention behind it was to galvanize the Bud Light loyalists, people who got Bud Light tattoos on their arm.”

So as a treat to their brand lovers and characters they love, Bud Light decided to treat their characters like superheroes in its spot in this year’s Super Bowl.

“That’s where we got this idea of Bud Light Legends,” Lennon said. “All of these characters from the past and present that a lot of our fans love and kind of treat them like the superheroes of fun that they are. That’s how we got to our spot.”

But this wouldn’t be a 2021 article if I didn’t mention that COVID-19 managed to make the production process challenging for both the Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer spots.

“Normally, I’m used to being on set for those, but we were all via Zoom,” Lennon said. “Just the director and a small crew were on set, trying to limit as much as we can. I think production capabilities have caught up a lot. We were able to watch the camera from Zoom from my place in New York, even though the shoot was in LA. We had daily coronavirus tests for everybody who came on set.”

Creating ads like this doesn’t just happen after thinking of an idea. There’s a lot of strategic planning and data that goes into it before anyone steps foot on a production set. Lennon had to ask himself: Who is drinking light beer?

“It’s the loyalists. It’s the 35-year-old, 40-year-old, 45-year-old – mostly guys – that have drank a lot Bud Light over the years. For seltzer it was like ‘let’s use seltzer to talk to the 25-year-olds and people who aren’t drinking beer.’”

This is where an ad agency would come into the picture.

The class got to hear from three key areas of FCB’s business. Howard Klein, the senior vice president and group management director at FCB, manages Anheuser-Busch business and Barilla pasta. His colleague, Chris Hibi, is in charge of strategic planning.

Hibi looks into data and insights to build a strong brief and works closely with Lisa Bright, the executive creative director, to produce a legacy-making idea.

Brand is important. Here’s why:

“Data would suggest that the portion of our brain that’s used to cognitively and deliberately think through decision making actually takes a far back seat to the back part of our brain that’s much more instantaneous,” Hibi said. “There’s data out there that suggests that part of our brain is much more powerful, and brand is a way to help instill and insert those ideas.”

While using celebrities in ads to attract consumers is helpful, it’s not the first or most important element Lennon looks at when he sets a plan. His three main goals are to have a clear intention, be true to your tone and make it more than an ad. So really know what you are trying to achieve before you brief.

Bright went on to emphasize that FCB doesn’t create finished ideas. It creates ideas that drive business short-term but builds brands over time. The goal is to create ideas that “flex to fit different cultures, different audiences and different platforms.”

Next time you watch an ad, think about everything that went into creating it and why it was created.

Originally published on Bella Michaels’s blog.

“So You Want to Work in Sports” Professional Panel Gives Students Insight on Sports Industry

jzamoran Industry Speakers

By Bella Michaels

This afternoon DePaul Athletics and The Blue Crew launched a virtual webinar series “So You Want to Work in Sports” on Zoom with a bright panel of professionals in the sports industry.

The panel was moderated by the event’s founder and MBA student, Jessica Ley, along with Andy Clark, DePaul’s director of sports business programs.

Ley is the DePaul Athletics graduate assistant for brand strategy and integrated marketing. She was instrumental in the development of this webinar series.

Many people love sports. But one of the most important questions directed to the panel was something the students should ask themselves: what can you actually do with your love for sports?

The panel reassured the students to follow their passion, but to not only focus on what they like. You’re not in the business to be a fan. You’re in the business to bring innovation, to take sports to another level.

DePaul’s Athletic Director DeWayne Peevy, Sr. Assoc. Athletics Director Jill Hollembeak and former General Manager of the LA Dodgers Dan Evans gave students insight on how loving sports can be translated to business and finding a successful career.

Evans, a DePaul alum who was cited by Forbes as a top 100 sports business account to follow on Twitter, wasn’t planning on working in the sports industry. Back when he was a student at DePaul, he sat in his advisor’s office and realized how much fun working in sports could be.

“I got great advice from my counselor,” Evans said. “She said, ‘hey, if you’re enjoying it – it’s not a job, it’s a career. Keep at it, see where it leads. I ended up working for the White Sox for 19 years.”

Now he’s 40 years into his career.

Peevy, who arrived at DePaul this past fall after a 12-year stint at the University of Kentucky, pointed out that the students should focus on their current job and figure out the things they don’t like. Doing so will give them a clearer idea of what jobs to steer away from going forward.

There are so many different positions and directions a person could go in the sports industry. Peevy grew a love for baseball at 6 years old. He would watch games with his grandfather and dreamt of becoming a major league player.

While he’s not in the major leagues, he’s working an authoritative position in sports while finishing up his MBA. He’s loving his life in what he calls “the controlled chaos of sports.”

Hollembeak is a former world-class, Hall of Fame gymnast, who earned her phD in education at DePaul. She now works more behind the scenes with coaches and student athletes.

“Sports is transformative,” Hollembeak said. “Creativity and that ability to have an open heart, mind and soul to learn – even through those hard times, even through those failures – is just imperative to any sort of success in any business – but certainly in sports.”

The panel reiterated the importance of having knowledge and skills when it comes to communication, social media and technology. Those were some things that they didn’t have to worry about when they started their careers in the sports world.

Evans emphasized the importance of listening. Don’t just hear. Be okay with changing your mind, adapting and evolving.

The first webinar of “So You Want to Work in Sports” was a great opportunity for students to get their foot in the door and build great connections with successful figures in the industry. To register for the next one, follow Blue Crew and DePaul Athletics and stay connected with exclusive insights.

Originally published on Bella Michaels‘s blog.

Another Big Win for Students Interested in the Business of Sports

jzamoran Student Experience

By Marisa Farella

Well, sports fans, the “Behind the Scenes with Chicago Sports Organizations” class has done it again, and this time, virtually.

For those of you who aren’t aware, the Driehaus College of Business offers a class to both Kellstadt and undergraduate students looking to explore careers in the sports business industry. Andy Clark, director of the sports management programs at the Driehaus College of Business, developed this course to bring students deep into the offices of the most powerful companies in Chicago sports, including Gatorade, McDonald’s, Intersport, the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Bears and many more.

If you are a student who has heard about this class, you know about the long-awaited anticipation for it to be offered each year. I was one of those students waiting eagerly to take it, so when I heard it was going to be offered during the December intercession as an accelerated, two-week course, I was ecstatic. But like most students, I was also a bit disappointed that the experience would be virtual due to the pandemic. I was skeptical about how impactful the virtual learning experience would be, but my nerves were put to rest very quickly.

Learning From Some of the Best in the Game

Throughout the duration of the course, we had the opportunity to connect with top industry professionals as they discussed their education and varying career experiences that have contributed to where they are today.

Class speakers included Molly Carter, DePaul University alumna and former president of Kobe Inc., as well as Kelly Flatow, executive vice president of events for the NBA, who discussed their experiences navigating their careers as women in sports. We also had a session with the Chicago Bulls organization, which was highlighted by a special appearance by their president Michael Reinsdorf. In addition, the class had the honor of connecting with Bonner Paddock Rinn, a triathlon athlete and World Record holder, a New York Times best-selling author, and founder of One Man Foundation— all things he accomplished as a man with Cerebral Palsy.

We also had the honor of meeting many accomplished DePaul alumni who currently hold positions in the sports industry, including Mike Gordon, general manager at Northwestern Sports Properties and Diego Chadha, account executive at Corporate Partnerships at Marquee 360., among others. We also got to hear from DePaul’s new athletic director, DeWayne Peevy, as well as DePaul Women’s Basketball Coach Doug Bruno, who joined us to discuss the power of hard work and persistence. I was truly inspired by all the guest speakers in this course.

Learning by Doing: A Chance to Play

The game didn’t stop there.

We had the opportunity to gain real-life experience while working with 4Front, a Chicago-based sports marketing agency, on a class project that involved developing a marketing strategy that was then pitched and presented to 4Front’s team. We were put into groups and each group did a phenomenal job outlining their proposed strategies to 4Front, who later relayed our ideas back to their real-life clients.

All in all, this course ended up being one of the most valuable courses I have taken in my five years as a Blue Demon, regardless of whether I pursue a career in sports upon graduating in June. I was able to learn so much from this opportunity to connect with powerful, intelligent and generous professionals, and I’m sure anyone who has taken this course before would confidently agree.

The Value in the Virtual Experience

In the end, I was happy that the online format still provided a seamless experience. If anything, being virtual allowed us to connect with a wider range of speakers and panelists. Yes, the office and venue tours of past classes would have been a cool experience, but the value of this class lies in the connections, networking opportunities and insights we gained from each guest speaker.

If you are a DePaul student interested in learning more about the sports industry, this course will be of great value to you. Contact your academic advisor for more information about DePaul’s Sports Business program.

Thank you for everything, Coach Clark! Great game.

Marisa Farella is a current MBA candidate and graduate assistant at Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She graduated from DePaul University in 2018 with her BA in public relations and advertising, making her a proud soon-to-be Double Demon. In addition to her studies, Marisa has taken her love for writing and creativity a step further. She is the self-published author of her debut collection, “Truth or Dare: Poetry,” which is available on Amazon. 

Originally published on the Inside Kellstadt blog.

Breaking Barriers and Building Bonds with the Bulls Community

jzamoran Student Experience, Team Projects

By Bella Michaels

You pick up a textbook. You read it. You take a quiz. You forget everything afterwards.

You work on a project. You pitch it to actual businessmen. You remember the hands-on experience for the rest of your life.

This fall quarter, Andy Clark’s Sports Management class in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business gave us that unforgettable, hands-on experience. We had the special opportunity to work closely with Tony Rokita, director of alumni relations at the Chicago Bulls, and Eric Shainock co-founder of Philanthropy Playmakers and marketing manager at BMO Harris Bank, to cultivate a proposal for the Bulls organization.

Tony Rokita and Eric Shainock with Philanthopy Playmakers Co-Founder Erica Prosser in a 2019 class. Photo Courtesy of Kathy Hillegonds.

 

We were split into three teams. We began brainstorming as soon as we received our team titles: Team LaVine, Team Sloan, and Team Jordan. In collaboration with our teammates, each team was tasked to come up with creative ways to educate the Bulls community, while connecting and continuing to build strong bonds.

Given the current state of the world, we were asked to focus on COVID-19 and/or Social Justice and Equality issues. Naturally, this brought each team to ideation of a virtual space, where the Bulls could connect with their fans, spread awareness and grow their community.

It’s not often that we, as students, get exposure to real-world clients — emphasizing the importance of experience rather than just textbook material. This opportunity gave us a chance to create something we were really proud of. Working directly with Tony and Eric not only pushed us to work hard, but inspired leadership, creativity and confidence within each of our teams. With their positivity, impactful guidance and feedback, we knew we were all on the right track to accomplish something great.

The title slide of our Breaking Barriers presentation.

 

As part of Team Jordan, together with our teammate Ronnie Griggs, we put our heads together to try and come up with an idea that we believed could be both educational and powerful, while still being effective during this virtual transition in today’s world.

The goal was to create something that could be useful not just in these times, but for the long term. So we thought of creating an IGTV series called “Breaking Barriers with the Bulls” for the Bulls’ Instagram page.

Our IGTV Series idea, where Bulls athletes and other front office staff would interact with minority communities, was met with great excitement by both Tony and Eric.

We were encouraged to keep digging and find the spark that would make our idea come to life. Since the NBA is known for its exceptional branding through social media, we thought IGTV would be a free, powerful way to reach diverse audiences. Our IGTV Series was inspired by our desire to raise awareness about ongoing issues in our world regarding minorities, BIPOC and any groups of people whose voices and stories have gone unheard.

With Eric’s feedback, we were asked to dig deeper in identifying and presenting the action items for each of our ideas. What is the long-lasting impact going to be and how is it going to inspire positive change?

Tony encouraged us to think about the Four E’s: Educate, Elevate, Entertain and Empower.

We concluded our presentation with the 4 E’s that Tony stressed throughout the quarter

 

With their words of encouragement and inspiring guidance, we were proud to present our final project.We aimed to create an inspiring and powerful concept that could not only educate the Bulls and their community, but continue to cultivate and build on those.

Our Sports Management Class following our final presentations with Tony and Eric.

 

The other teams also presented impressive ideas.

Team Sloan’s concept was a Virtual Garage Sale of Bulls items and collectibles, to help benefit both the community and the Bulls organization during challenging times. Team LaVine presented an idea similar to ours in that it would be a virtual video series (such as cool TikTok videos), bringing Bulls in-game entertainment, placing special emphasis on arts and creativity, and benefiting After School Matters.

We are extremely grateful for this invigorating and educational experience with significant people in the industry like Tony and Eric, and are looking forward to other possible business collaborations in the future — whether it’s with Tony and Eric or with our classmates.

Originally published on Bella Michaels‘s blog.

A Night of Networking

jzamoran Student Experience

By Jess Lazo

All college students hear from their teachers and peers nowadays is to network. Well, they are not wrong! On Wednesday night, I had the opportunity to attend DePaul University’s Careers in Sports networking event held at Wintrust Arena. Although I went into the event not knowing what to expect, I left feeling satisfied and glad that I attended. Not only did I gain an abundance of knowledge through the different sports organizations and people that were present, but I also gained contacts that will be helpful for me for my future career endeavors within the sports industry.

Because it was my first networking event, I was feeling a little anxious. Even though I was prepared with questions to ask the different representatives, I was worried that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to show them my true self and why I would be a perfect candidate to represent their organization. Clearly, I was overthinking. Every single person I had the chance to interact with made me feel comfortable and free to ask a variety of questions regarding their specific position. By the end of the event, I had a better understanding of the different career routes that interested me.

DePaul University/Kathy Hillegonds

I began my night speaking to Chicago Bulls Ticket Sales Senior Manager, Anthony Horton. After going into depth about the different responsibilities that are required in the ticket sales industry, I developed a better appreciation of the position. I also got a different outlook on sales from Nick Fetchik, the Manager of Inside Sales at the Chicago White Sox Organization. Through the competitive drive required to succeed in this type of field, to the overall fast paced environment that they are engaged in every day, I was very intrigued by the sales positions that both Mr. Horton and Mr. Fetchik described.

Additionally, I had the opportunity to take a look at what it is like to be a part of the sponsorship/marketing side of sports. Alex Teodosi (BUS ’16), Senior Director of Sponsorships for the Chicago Sky was very helpful in explaining what he does and how he got to where he is today. It was very interesting to hear his take on sponsorship activation at the WNBA team along with the marketing efforts they do to represent their partners and the Chicago Sky to the best of their abilities. I also explored the marketing side of sports through the agency, 4FRONT. Graeme Jones (MBA ’19), Manager of Corporate Partnerships provided me with great insight on the different routes you can take within the 4FRONT organization and how they all work together to succeed with the different projects that are thrown at them. Overall, it was very interesting to get perspectives on both the in-house and agency side of sports marketing.

When I reflect on my experience at the Careers in Sports networking event, the one thing that resonated with me the most is that these people were in our shoes at one point in their lives and are willing to come out and help us reach our career goals as well. And the fact that a lot of the representatives that attended were DePaul Alumni made it even more significant. I am overjoyed with the amount of support we have from the DePaul Sports Business Program, the Career Center, and the DePaul community as a whole.

Originally published on the Go Lazooo blog.

Inside Look Behind the Adidas x Pixar’s Toy Story “Friendship Collection”

jzamoran Uncategorized

By Bella Michaels

After hearing his nephew was getting bullied, Adidas Product Manager Tommy Lubinski wanted to create something positive to help children focus on friendship and teamwork rather than bullying. He arranged a meeting with Pixar, and the folks there mentioned they were celebrating the 25th anniversary of Toy Story.

Toy Story is the epitome of friendship. He instantly knew he could do something special with Pixar.

Lubinski flew back to Portland, Oregon, brainstormed with his team and flew back to California about four months later to present the concept to Pixar. “They just absolutely loved it,” Lubinski said. “We sent over rough sketches, mockups of what we wanted to do as starters, then we worked really closely with them to identify what styles we want to do and real key story elements we wanted to incorporate.”

Out of those sketches, a collaboration between Adidas and Pixar was born. Just in time for Bullying Prevention Awareness Month, the “Friendship Collection” was released on Oct. 1 — exclusively in kid’s sizes.

“People have done Toy Story collaborations in the past,” Lubinski said. “We didn’t want it to be just another collaboration. We really wanted to make sure we got all those details right. So, this project probably took some years off my life, just based on how involved it was.”

One of the most challenging parts for Lubinski and his team was going back and forth between designs. Since Woody and Buzz Lightyear are household names, they had to make sure they got the specific colors and details. “If it’s not right, the consumer is going to call it out right away,” Lubinski said.

The Donovan Mitchell D.O.N. Issue #2 x Woody and NMD_R1 Toy Story shoes are inspired by Woody and Jessie’s signature country-western outfits. The cow-print accents represent the adored cowboy and cowgirl on these playful shoes.

The Dame 7 x Buzz Toy Story shoes look more like traditional athletic shoes, with a galactic kick to them. They follow the color scheme of your favorite space ranger’s spacesuit and glow in the dark to enhance the space vibes.

A heartwarming touch includes Andy’s name imprinted on the outsole, just like Buzz has it in the movie.

Basketball stars Damian Lillard and Donovan Mitchell were chosen to represent this collection because of their constant efforts in helping children.

“We knew we wanted to have people’s faces who believed in it, who were strong role models,” Lubinski said. “We wanted to make sure we picked strong athletes on our side that could really champion our message.”

Lillard has been an ambassador in his community, mentoring kids through his RESPECT program in Portland that teaches the youth how to show up, work hard and be kind.

In November 2019, Mitchell invited Luc Holdaway — a kid that was getting bullied because of his race — to sit courtside at a Jazz game. He spoke with him after and shared his phone number with Holdaway so he could contact him if he needed anything.

“Our goal was to obviously create something over the top and then how do we connect it to basketball? The reason we chose basketball as the sport is because it is the No. 1 participation sport among kids 8 to 12 years old. That’s amongst boys and girls,” Lubinski said.

Choosing which athletes and sport to represent the collection was simple — but COVID-19 created some production issues for the collaboration.

Samples were delayed from the factory side once the factories shut down and even after they reopened.

Lubinski and his team created everything, then their development team sent it all to the factories.

The development team then worked with the factories to get it all exactly how they specified on a pad or drawing.

“Our materials come from a lot of different countries. It’s not like they’re just made in China,” Lubinski said.

Many countries were very strict with shipping, which delayed the process because products had to sit in warehouses for a couple weeks to make sure there was no virus on them.

“That made our process more challenging because we didn’t get samples as fast so we couldn’t review things as fast,” Lubinski said. “The pressure was once we got the product they were like ‘You’ve got to give us feedback’ and we’re like ‘We just got it, you were supposed to send it three weeks ago,’ but the team killed it.”

Between Adidas and Pixar, about 30 people worked on this collection. They began working on it two years ago. Lubinski worked on many projects simultaneously since the process takes about 18 months until a product is released.

“I manage probably close to 200 articles, or styles a season,” Lubinski said. “This collection was probably 30 total. So, I’m managing a ton of other products as well — none that require more time than this because it is a high-profile collaboration.”

This collaboration had some adults wishing they could get these shoes in adult’s sizes, but for now the collection is only available in kid’s sizes.

“I’m just super happy with the perception around the collection so far,” Lubinski said. “It’s crazy because you never see this type of excitement for something that is kids. It’s just been overwhelming for all of us. We’re all super excited about it.”

Originally posted on Bella Michael’s Blog.