Day 15 of MSBA 2013: Sports Business Teachings from Dr. Deborah Stroman

Post by Mark Burns for June 15, 2013

Connect with Mark on Twitter as well as Linkedin.

This past Sunday, the Manhattan Sports Business Academy Class of 2013 had the opportunity to hear Dr. Deborah Stroman, a Professor at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in the Department of Sport and Exercise Science.

Dr. Stroman is the Faculty Advisor for the Sports Business Club and also concentrates in Entrepreneurship.

During the intimate coversation, she discussed "Golf: The Sport of Business" and how golf can be utilized as not only a networking tool, but also as a foundation for establishing future business with a client or company. She also educated all of the students for a few minutes on some of the particulars of golf.

Following the golf discussion, Dr. Stroman talked about personal and professional development. With personal development, she discussed the N.E.S.S. Model; with the four components — nutrition, exercise, sleep, and spirituality — Dr. Stroman stressed how all of the pieces operate together. To be fully functioning on a day-to-day basis, one must have proper nutrition, exercise a few times a week, sleep eight hours a night, and believe in some Higher power. For me personally, the sleep aspect of the N.E.S.S. Model is something I continuously need to work on, as I think a lot of people do as well. It boils down to being more efficient with your time and maximizing your 16-17 hour days.

Moving on from personal development, Dr. Stroman explained the P.I.E. Model of professional development; the model is based on the book, Empowering Yourself - The Organization Game Revealed, by Harvey Coleman. The three aspects of the model (Performance, Image, and Exposure) all coincide to form a basis for how to conduct yourself as you progress in your career.

I thought performance was the most important aspect of the model, but in fact, it was exposure. Dr. Stroman explained that it is important to have a support system of mentors and older sports business professionals who you interact with on a regular basis. They're the individuals who also can hold you accountable for the decisions you make and the actions you take. Dr. Stroman challenged all of us to find those three or four people like that (if we haven't already) and start building relationships with them. Overall, the dialogue was very inspiring. I think it allowed all of us the opportunity to reflect on our current career trajectories and whether or not we're really headed in the right direction.

@drstroman speaking to @goMSBA students about the business of golf. #MSBA13 pic.twitter.com/mFIKNeiMJB
— Myles J. Robinson (@mylesjrobinson) June 16, 2013

Day 14 of MSBA 2013: Eight Weeks In the Big Apple

Post by D'Bria Bradshaw for June 15, 2013

Connect with D'Bria on Twitter as well as Linkedin.

June 2nd this journey began for all 22 of us and now we’re two weeks into MSBA 2013. We’ve had some amazing guest speakers and wonderful visits from Richard Weiss, Publisher of the Sport Business Journal, to a Madison Square Garden Friday field trip.

We’ve managed to hear and see some of the best that New York City has to offer. This summer is all about building relationships with sport business industry leaders and gaining experience in an industry in which all of us will one day be the leaders of. With everything New York has to offer, the priceless advice from our guest speakers has been very valuable.

From Darren Rovell’s story of how he mailed his resume in a box when working towards landing his first job out of college, Madison Square Garden’s panel who spoke about how they got where they are by having a passion for sports and taking chances, to Robert Simmelkjaer's insight on the sports media industry and how it has developed into what it is today, we've had some great experiences thus far.

Erik Martin, General Manager of Reddit, discussed the importance of maintaining relationships and how a degree in a specific field does not define who you are.

IMG Vice President Carlos Fleming talked about being in the right place at the right time and having as much experience as possible and building the right relationships with professionals in the industry is key. Everything that we've learned so far resonates with me in everything I set out to do, not only this summer but in all of my future endeavors.

Everything that the Manhattan Sports Business Academy team has planned for us this summer is enhancing our knowledge and exposure to the world of sports. Interning at Leverage Agency is giving me first-hand experience on sponsorships, endorsements, and brand management which are the areas which I want to work in.

If it keeps you up at night, follow that passion
— D'Bria Bradshaw (@Bre_Esquire) June 15, 2013

Being in a city where all the top sport and entertainment headquarters are located is daily inspiration and having my idol, Sean “Diddy” Comb’s Bad Boy Worldwide, five minutes from my internship is the icing on the cake for an exceptional summer. With six weeks left in this program, I cannot wait to see what else is in store for our young careers and who we will meet next in the sports industry that will positively impact our lives.

Day 13 of MSBA 2013: The Manhattan Sports Business Adventure

Post by Matt Hittinger for June 14, 2013

Connect with Matt on Linkedin.

As we recently wrapped up our second full week under the bright lights of New York City, my peers and I are thankful for the chance to finally catch our breath.

Being from a smaller town in Indiana, I quickly had to adapt to the life in the big city ranging from the confusing subways to the fast-paced lifestyle.

We have been basically going non-stop since we arrived two weeks ago in a blur of organized chaos. Between our own personal internships, fascinating guest speakers, and never-ending networking, it seems like we have had barely any time to sleep!

Having said all this, these first two weeks of the Manhattan Sports Business Academy have been two of the most intriguing and productive weeks of my life. Reading the blogs posted before and after mine, one can see the incredible opportunities and events that our team has already experienced and the potential memories that will last a lifetime.

Furthermore, last Friday ended my first full work week at my internship at Modell’s Sporting Goods. Interestingly enough, before my MSBA began this summer, I had never even heard of Modell’s, as its market is solely on the East Coast, let alone even set foot in one of their retail stores. Within my first three days of working at Modell’s, I had breakfast with the CEO, Mitchell Modell, went to three of their different stores throughout Manhattan Island, and currently work in their corporate office in Times Square. Again, all things that were only made possible by my participation in the Manhattan Sports Business Academy.

At Modell’s I assist the retail buyers and help on their e-commerce team. This position is benefiting because it is a very hands-on position as I visit Nike, Adidas, Sketchers, Etc. warehouses and corporate offices and sit in on the actual meetings where my Modell’s supervisors determine what products they think will best fit in their stores. The team views their products every week to determine their best sellers, growing products, and the psychological consumer habits as to why some products are selling better than others. Then based off the season, certain professional teams success, and hot players at that time, they determine what shoes, licensed goods, and apparel they think would sell the best. Needless to say, I’m learning a ton of information every day and gaining valuable workforce experience that is essential to preparing me for my career.

The last aspect of the program that has been my favorite part so far is simply the people I’m surrounded with every day. The 21 other classmates, the members from last year helping out, and the leaders of the program that I entered this journey with two weeks ago have quickly not just become colleagues or friends but true family. I think this connection was bound to form in a group of very similarly motivated, creative, and positive people. I think this is often overlooked in the workforce but the chemistry this group has is obvious. We support each other, we encourage each other, and we motivate each other to get the most out of these eight weeks. We all know each other’s stories, why we are here, and what goals we want to accomplish with the short amount of time we have.

I’m confident that not only will I have lifelong friends after this summer but also future business partners and colleagues in the industry who will forever bring up the many meals shared together, the Sundays in Central Park, and incredible adventures we are going to experience the rest of the summer.

NFL Fan Experience: Back to Football Photo Day

Guest Post by Chris Stathos

Connect with Chris on Twitter as well as Linkedin. 

Today is not my scheduled day to write for the MSBA blog, but I’m calling an audible and sharing an awesome experience that I had the privilege to be apart of last week.

The NFL, in addition to our official cap partners at New Era, held a Back To Football Photo Day featuring fans from all over the country. Literally, 32 fans modeled their favorite team’s gear for photos and video interviews which will be featured in future NFL and New Era ad campaigns in the teams’ respective markets.

After a long day of shooting, we gathered the fans for a group picture. What they did not know, however, was that the Commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, would be joining them for the shot.

As an executive from the NFL was announcing our special guest, one or two fans caught a glimpse of the “Commish” and screamed like pre-teens at a Justin Bieber concert. I mean, you would have thought there was a Hollywood celebrity in the room the way the fans and their guests swarmed the Commissioner like TMZ paparazzi.

Once everything calmed down and the group picture was finally taken, the Commissioner took questions from the fans, two of which I’ll share with you. The very first question? “Can you announce me like a player at the NFL Draft?” asked the Tennessee Titans winner. Commissioner Goodell gladly obliged. “With the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans select…” The fans roared as if we were right there in Radio City Music Hall, and the newly drafted fan gave the Commissioner the traditional “bro hug.”

The last question came from the Carolina Panthers winner, a huge Tim Tebow fan. “Can you make a team sign him?” she begged. I think we found out the answer, as less than an hour later, SportsCenter first began reporting that Tebow would be signed by the New England Patriots. There’s a reason Roger Goodell is the most powerful man in sports.

Day 12 of MSBA 2013: NBC Sports with Rob Simmelkjaer

Post by Isaac Rosner for June 13, 2013

Connect with Isaac on Twitter as well as Linkedin.

On yet another rainy day in New York City, we were blessed with the wonderful opportunity to head over to the offices of NBC Sports. This was their last day at the famous, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, as they are moving to a new address in Stamford, Connecticut.

Upon walking into the crowded building, with the hustle and bustle of tourists and businessmen, we walked up to security and presented our ID in order to receive our visitor’s pass.

After we all received our passes, our wonderful speaker, Rob Simmelkjaer, came down and greeted us. We walked to the elevators and headed for the 15th floor into a conference room, where our speaker series would commence. Prior to Rob speaking, we went around the room in what has become an MSBA tradition and each told Rob a little about ourselves. The one part of our introduction that made this opportunity special was we each had the chance to share our favorite NBC Sports moment.

Whether it was Michael Phelps claiming his eighth gold medal or Sarah Hughes winning figure skating gold at the Salt Lake City games or even, my personal favorite, the NBA on NBC with the famous theme song “Roundball Rock”, this provided a great opportunity to remember all that NBC Sports stands for. Just sitting there and listening to each of my fellow aspiring sports professionals discuss their famous NBC Sports moment really brought to light how meaningful this speaker series with Rob was going to be.

For those who do not know, Rob Simmelkjaer is the Senior Vice President of NBC Sports Ventures. While this is his official title, he also finds time to talk on NBC Sports Radio every Sunday morning. Rob discussed his background, illustrating the unique path he took to get to the point he is today, from radio host, to lawyer, to assistant to George Bodenheimer, to news anchor and finally to his current position at NBC Sports.

After Rob discussed his history, he opened the floor to questions from MSBA participants. This is the best time of the speaker series as it allows for all of us to really get a better feeling for what it is truly like behind the scenes of the sporting world. Questions for Rob ranged from soccer to world fighting to the Olympics and even touched on Fox Sports One and its possible effect on NBC Sports. Rob gave great insight into the network and some of the inner workings that go into deciding what events to bid on and sponsors to pick up.

Following our discussion, Rob took the time to take some pictures with all of us in front of the NBC and NBC Sports logo. This was probably the last photo that will be taken of NBC Sports on the 15th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. It was an honor to be there, and it is an experience that I will never forget.

Day 11 of MSBA 2013: Sports Business Lessons from Carlos Fleming, Richard Weiss

Post by Ethan Shibutani for June 12, 2013

Connect with Ethan on Twitter as well as Linkedin.

After a long day of work at Foot Locker allocating the upcoming Jordan Retro 8s to stores along the East Coast, I returned to the dorms excited to hear from two great speakers: Carlos Fleming and Richard Weiss.

But before we could hear their stories, we had an exciting surprise: free stuff. Many thanks go out to Spira for the shoes and Deuce brand for the watches!

Our first speaker of the night was Carlos Fleming. Carlos is the VP of Talent Management at IMG and represents clients such as Cam Newton, Venus Williams, and James Blake.

Carlos’ story is interesting because he started as an intern at IMG and rose through the ranks to where he is today. Carlos’ story was extremely relatable, as he talked about compiling a legal pad of 500 jobs that he would be interested in and feeling fairly confident about landing one of them. One of the most valuable takeaways from Carlos’ talk was the value of trust, reputation, and loyalty. The theme of mentorship has been one of the most prominent themes through the first week and a half here at MSBA. Speaking to that theme, Carlos echoed that as he said, "All it takes is one person to believe in you". From there anything is possible.

Our second speaker of the night was Richard Weiss, the Publisher of Sports Business Journal. Richard was instrumental in the creation and growth of SBJ, and drew from his past experience at the Wall Street Journal to help grow Sports Business Journal into the leading sports business publication on the market.

In a way, SBJ has helped grow the sports management major, as the publication is currently used as the “textbook” in hundreds of classes across the country. SBJ is interesting because they are a media company that has created a community of people who have varying interests in the sports business field and have allowed all of those people to stay current with the latest topics and trends of the industry. Richard’s ascension in the industry through media companies was non-traditional, but it just goes to show that there are many different tracks of breaking into the sports business world.

Just a week and a half into MSBA, we have already had some amazing speakers with tons of great stories and lessons; I can’t wait to see what the rest of these 8 weeks will hold!

#MSBA13 class with our amazing speakers tonight: @IMG_Worldwide's Carlos Fleming & @SBJSBD's Richard Weiss. @goMSBA pic.twitter.com/bvpd9R5oVx
— Myles J. Robinson (@mylesjrobinson) June 13, 2013

Day 10 of MSBA 2013: The Future is Yours to Create

Post by Kris Haynes for June 11, 2013

Connect with Kris on Twitter as well as Linkedin.

As the MSBA class of 2013 enters our second week, I can’t help but feel as though we’ve already had an entire summer’s worth of memorable experiences.

The array of talented people we’ve been fortunate enough to meet in this first week has been both enlightening and inspiring.

It’s hard to believe that this is only the beginning of our adventure, and I’m excited to say the least about what lies ahead. Ben Sturner, David Oestreicher and the entire MSBA staff have done an incredible job in their preparation to make this a summer of a lifetime and I’m incredibly thankful to have the opportunity in front of me.

Now it’s about making the most of each and every experience, and I know that we are all well of our way. In listening to the various guest speakers we’ve had, I’ve found all of their stories to be fascinating. Whether it was Mark Holtzman describing the risk he took by joining an obscure company called Reebok or Bill Smith revealing that his first big break came through a chance encounter in a Men’s room at Giants Stadium, they all had amazing stories! On one hand their stories came as a relief, as I’ve realized that although the paths to success can be winding and often times unpredictable, they can come from many directions.

 On the other it got me thinking — how will my story unfold? Part of the challenge of life is that one can never know how things will turn out. However, when you look at what every speaker shares in common — the characteristics of passion and perseverance — you can see that these qualities are essential in each success story and hopefully will contribute to mine as well. My favorite MSBA experience thus far had to be the event “Brooklyn Changes the World” at MCU Park. It was incredible to be a part of the collaboration between MSBA and the High School of Sports Management, along with award-winning author Gina Otto and sport’s analyst Adam Shefter, each motivating all of us to make a difference in the world.

This event was also the first time I was able to meet my mentor, Jose Duverge, and he has inspired me with his words, “the future is yours to create”. To say that my first trip to Coney Island was a memorable one would be an understatement, as I look forward to the many meaningful experiences that are to come.

I’ve spoken about stories and experiences, but equally as important are the relationships we make. It’s been a privilege to meet so many people that I admire and respect. Already in such a short period of time, I know that I’m forging long-lasting relationships. This is only week two in NYC, but I can feel something special developing here and I’m eager to improve myself personally and professionally with the rest of my MSBA team.