The role of sports management education is changing, but that also requires a lot from its student base, especially as the amount of programs offered throughout the country expand to over 300 with options for actual jobs somewhat limited. Indiana State Professor Matthew Blaszka discusses some of the perils of the industry, especially with students who believe that achievements earned in the classroom will translate to avoiding certain jobs or duties in the sports industry. Blaszka expands his view on the Paid Spectator issue, where students believe that they are merely going to be at the centerpiece of the action, rather than just helping put it on. Twitter: @Mblaszka
The future dissection of what customers want has extended past the argument of the single game bucket seat ticket in the upper deck, now the secondary market focus is turning toward the luxury suite and premium seating options available. Todd Lindenbaum created Sports Shares as a piece of that model, providing a membership accessible option to those customers who simply want to experience premium for the top games on a Saturday night, while not having to coordinate a suite being filled on a Tuesday. Lindenbaum discusses the new marketplace as it emerges, as well as some of the challenges keeping up with demand. Twitter: @Sports_Shares
As the Minnesota Vikings transition to a new football stadium in 2016, the goal is to seek out every potential qualified lead in order to continually grow the customer base. Rich Wang serves as an associate director for the NFL team's analytics and fan engagement, having worked at several teams, such as Madison Square Garden, The San Francisco 49ers, Legends Hospitality and the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to his tenure at the Vikings. For Wang, the goal is to develop a better resource to understand who each sales person is talking to, and how to ensure that any effort put forth is a quality one leading to a rapid-growth sales initiative. Wang discusses the challenges of implementing such a system, as well as educating sales staff on the opportunities that lie ahead by building an analytics warehouse of customer knowledge. Twitter: @RichWang3