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Innovations in Sports Management Curriculum Prepare Students For Careers in a Growing Industry By Sean Pradhan, Assistant Professor of Sports Management, Director of Sports Management Program Menlo College’s Sports Management program has recently been revamped to not only provide an introduction to the field, but to also expose students to research methods, essential skills, and career paths in this expanding industry. With the North American sports market poised to reach over $80 billion by the year 2022, job opportunities have multiplied. In response, the number of sports management programs across the country has grown to over 500, with just over 20 of these programs at California schools, including 5 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Menlo College’s Sports Management program provides a unique opportunity to learn about the field from a business perspective. The program features courses on organizational issues like marketing and advertising, managerial ethics, and historical developments in sports, as well as computational analysis in the ever-growing area of data analytics along with sports economics. With its reputation for excellence in athletics and the diverse athletic program offerings, Menlo has always attracted students with a passion for sports. The Sports Management program enables students to turn that passion into a career path. Menlo alumni earning degrees in Sports Management have gone on to work in operations, marketing, sales, and communication for various organizations like the San Francisco Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Stanford University, and San José State University, among others. The variety of opportunities available has generated considerable enthusiasm among students; enrollment in Sports Management at Menlo College has increased by 28% in the past year alone.
Revenue (In billions of U.S. Dollars)
Some of my own research has inspired the program’s course structure. For instance, I have recently published articles examining team performance in eSports, marketing implications of league-wide initiatives (e.g., the National Basketball Association’s jersey sponsorship program), as well as sports fans’ motivations for drug use (e.g., marijuana and alcohol) and perceptions of such use by professional athletes. In an effort to expose students to research, I have also started the Center for Sports Management. Currently, my students are working on their own projects for possible publication. My hope is to expand students’ knowledge in the classroom and have them apply their skills to answer some of the most pertinent questions in sports today. Most importantly, the redeveloped sports management curriculum, paired with the additional research laboratory experience, will better prepare our students for careers in sports.
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
The Sports Industry North American Sports Market Size
48.73
49.99
52.01
53.47
56.45
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
60.23
2014
63.56
2015
67.29
69.28
2016
2017
71.86
74.09
2018
2019
76.51
78.53
2020
2021
Source: Statista (2018)
45 WINTER 2020