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We are committed to providing a basic liberal arts grounding
in the business of sport. In doing this, we seek to give our
graduates a solid foundation and a set of skills (e.g. communication
ability, quantitative skills, ethics, ability to manage human
resources) that will enable them to succeed in their post-university
lives. |
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"My education at Michigan gave me the foundation to succeed both in law school and in the business world. As a Sport Management major, not only did I learn what was needed to succeed in the sports industry, I also learned the value of teamwork and in building relationships by working closely with the faculty and other students. The University of Michigan, and specifically the Division of Kinesiology, gave me the tools needed to succeed in the sports world and in life." |
Steve Weinreich '93
Chief Counsel
Phoenix Coyotes |
In recent years, American society has seen a spectacular growth
of interest and participation in all aspects of sport. The Sport
Management program, established in 1985, was created in response
to the need for qualified professionals who can function in
a variety of public and private sports settings.
This program familiarizes students with the diverse aspects
of sport management, including legal issues,
promotion and marketing, fund-raising, facility management,
and sports and the media. Students with this major may have
management positions (including marketing and promotion aspects
of the industry) in professional, collegiate, and interscholastic
sports; management positions in campus and community programs;
jobs as sports information and communication specialists. The
SM field experience and internship programs provide students
with practical work experience that can serve as an entry into
career opportunities.
The SM program also reflects a strong commitment to the liberal
arts. Students who complete the program receive a Bachelor of
Arts (BA) degree in Sport Management. |
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| Interviews
with SM Graduates |
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| Tina
Bucciarelli '96, Director for Marketing, New York Mets |
| T.J.
Burd '00, Pac-10 Conference public relations intern |
| Robert
Haddad '98, Major
League Baseball Productions |
| Michael
Jamison '99, Marketing
Manager, SMG |
| Cory
Shakarian '97, Group
Sales Manager, San Francisco Giants |
| Jennifer Sutherland '97, Administrative Assistant, Central Collegiate Hockey Association |
Tina
Bucciarelli '96,
Director for Marketing, New York Mets |
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What
was your first job after graduation? I
worked as an assistant in the Event Sponsorship Department at
Madison Square Garden.
How did your education at Michigan help you to get your first
job? Michigan's reputation for academic excellence definitely
helped. Also - I learned the importance of internships at UM.
There is no doubt that I got my job at MSG because I interned
there and because of my other internship positions.
Did you have any field experience or internship while in
college? Yes - I worked at Yost Ice Arena during my freshman
year. It was an internship on facilities management. Great learning
experience. I also interned in the Marketing Department at NBC
and in the Advertising Sales Department at MSG.
Did you face any obstacles getting to your ideal job? It
took me a long time to get the job (as Director of Marketing
at the New York Mets) -- many interviews and weeks of waiting.
I believe my young age (27) was at first an obstacle. Other
candidates had more years of experience and possibly more managerial
responsibilities.
In addition to the required courses, are there others that
you would suggest that students take? I definitely recommend
taking public speaking classes. No matter what career you want
- public speaking becomes a part of your job. Whether you need
to give a marketing presentation to the owner of the New York
Mets or you need to speak in a meeting to one person from McDonald's
- the skills you can develop in a public speaking class at UM
will help you communicate more clearly and effectively.
Tell us what your day is like. I get into the office
about 8:00am and check voice mail and e-mail. I will have a
couple of meetings: maybe one meeting internally and another
with a client/vendor (for example, a local radio station), where
we will be putting together an advertising promotion for the
Mets. Later that day I may have lunch with the Promotions Manager
of a local newspaper and Mets sponsor. In addition to having
ads run in their paper, we work together on promotions throughout
the baseball season. During the day (between meetings) I answer
many telephone calls -- about 35 a day.
It's my
job (as well as that of many people I work with) to market
the NY Mets. That means getting people thinking about the
team, thinking about buying tickets to all of our home games,
and thinking about buying Mets merchandise. So during each
day I am constantly securing ways to get the Mets brand out
-- whether it is via straight advertising, sponsor marketing
programs, media promotions, publicity, or other strategic
marketing programs.
Why
did you select Kinesiology and major in SM? Ever since
high school I have wanted to work in the Sports Industry.
I wasn't sure what that meant at the time, but I had a love
for sports and wanted it to be a part of my career. I was
so excited to see that UM had an SM program. I checked it
off on my application right away.
What tips can you share with prospective students? Get
an internship! And then once you get it, work hard! I have
seen a drop-off of talent and enthusiasm in many of my interns
the past two years. An internship is what you make of it.
I know they don't pay well financially, but it will pay off
even more personally and professionally. You will make a great
impression if you are working harder than employees that are
getting paid.
I would
also suggest "keeping an open mind." When most people
think of sport, they think only of the professional teams.
The sports industry is so much more than that. I know people
who are the Sports Marketing Manager at Mastercard or Pepsi.
Both are non-sport companies that sponsor sporting events.
So the opportunities in this industry are endless. Don't only
think of becoming the marketing person at your favorite team.
You might miss another great opportunity.
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T.J.
Burd '00,
Pac-10 Conference public relations intern |
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What
was your first job after graduation?
My
first and only job so far since graduating in 2000 is the Pac-10
Conference public relations internship. I am starting my second
and final year with the job, which is preparing me for better
opportunities down the road. Hopefully, it will help me reach
my goal of being an athletic director some day.
How did
your education at Michigan help you to get your first job?
I
think the education you get at Michigan prepares you well for
life in general. You interact with people from all over the
world and you learn how to deal with all kinds of issues. Also,
to be successful at U of M, a person needs to learn how to manage
his or her time. Time management has helped me considerably
in my career because I have a lot of deadlines that I have to
meet with press releases, media guides, etc. Whatever you major
in at Michigan, you will get the best education you can possibly
receive. I think having success at a school like U of M gives
you the confidence you need for the "real world."
Did you
have any field experience or internship while in college?
I
worked three internships in college. I worked for two years
as a sports intern at WOTV/Channel 41, an ABC affiliate in Battle
Creek, MI. After that, I pursued an internship at CTC Sports
in Ann Arbor. Finally, during my senior year, I worked in the
U of M Intercollegiate Athletics information department with
Bruce Madej and Rich Marion. I took a lot of great experiences
with me from all three.
In my mind, internships and field experiences are the most important
things you do during your tenure at Michigan. You learn a lot
in the classroom, but you learn even more in the field. On top
of that, things you learned in the classroom will make more
sense when you experience them youself. If you're thinking about
athletics as a career, you have to do internships in college!
Otherwise, you're one of millions of people who have a degree
and who want to get into sports, yet have no experience. It's
a competitve field and you need real-life experience. The great
thing about U of M is that you have minor league and professional
teams along with a great university in your vicinity. There
is plenty out there to pursue.
Did
you face any obstacles getting to your ideal job?
My biggest obstacle was probably convincing my boss (a Notre
Dame grad) to hire a Big Ten person for a Pac-10 job. Believe
it or not that was a concern because I was competing with other
people from Pac-10 institutions. Luckily, he saw that my passion
for athletics was sincere and that I had a lot of working experience
with the media.
In
addition to the required courses, are there others that you
would suggest that students take? I would take
a writing class every semester. I'm of the opinion that even
the best writers in the world can always find something to
improve on. If you are a good writer, you're first job will
come a lot easier. People don't pass up writers. Also, I would
take some business classes. The sports world is a business
(that includes college) now. It's no different than the television
industry. I know there are a lot of people in college sports
that would like to tell you the college game is still for
the amateur and that there is still purity. But it's not.
Football and basketball are heavily commercialized and now
we're starting to see that commercialization sink into other
sports.
Tell us
what your day is like. Every day brings new challenges,
which is what I like. My mornings can be hectic because I'm
usually taking calls from media all over the country. After
that, I'm preparing Pac-10 press releases and/or media guides
for the six sports that I deal with (men's soccer, women's
volleyball, men's basketball, wrestling, mens/women's crew
and softball). I'm also involved in setting up Conference
media days for football and basketball. In a few months, things
will start to get crazy with Rose Bowl (National Championship
Game) and men's basketball tournament preparations. Every
now and then there are little projects that may pop up like
working with the Commissioner or Assistant Commisioners on
items such as the BCS (Bowl Championship Series) or officiating
review. There is always something going on.
Why
did you select Kinesiology and major in SM? I selected
Sport Management because I've loved athletics all my life
and I knew that I wanted to get into a sports field. It was
easy for me to pick Michigan because my grandparents had worked
at the University and I grew up a big fan. I think the SM
program is excellent. One of the great things about it is
you get to know your teachers and counselors. That makes things
so much easier! People in curriculums outside Kinesiology
can get lost in the numbers. In Kines, the learning environment
is fun because you have small classes, which enables you to
interact more with your classmates and the professor. If I
had to do it all over, I would do it again and a million times
after that. SM prepared me for the career that I'm in, and
that's why you go to college.
What
tips can you share with prospective students? My
biggest tip to prospective students is try and find something
you like and take off with it. Don't be afraid to try new
things and fail in life. Make sure you pick a major that fits
your personality and is something that you will enjoy in the
long run. Once you graduate, make sure your career is enjoyable.
You can tell when you love a job because the days go by faster
and the hours don't matter. That's what I have right now and
that's something I hope everyone can experience.
Also, there may be people out there who have the fear of class
size at a big school like Michigan. When I graduated from
junior high, I think my graduating class was 28. When I graduated
from high school, my class size was 35. If anyone should've
been freaking out about the size, it should've been me! But
realistically, once you get over your awe of being on campus
in those first few weeks, things get smaller. By the time
you're a senior, you feel like you know everyone.
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