VERMILLION – When it comes to career opportunities, the University of South Dakota believes sports is more than fun and games.
In fact, the sports industry has become a booming business.
In response, USD is adding an undergraduate degree in sports marketing & media starting this fall on the Vermillion campus. It will teach broad skills in marketing, advertising and public relations, event management and law/ethics. Students can then create a specialized major.
Michelle Van Maanen, chair of USD’s Media & Journalism Department, said the program will help fill demand in the sports and sports entertainment industry.
“A Bloomberg Businessweek article … noted that ‘the sports industry in the U.S. is a $200 billion-plus powerhouse,’” she said.
She predicted the new USD program will draw national attention.
“The new major is not only unique in the region,” she said. “There are only a handful of programs in the country that combine the areas of sport marketing & media.”
By combining sports marketing and media, students will understand how the sports industry as entertainment and a leisure pursuit — serves the public’s needs, she said.
Classes will be taught through four existing majors: kinesiology and sport science, media & journalism, communication studies and business marketing.
Students can design their major to fit their specialized interests, VanMaanen said.
“For example, if they are interested in multimedia design for scoreboard or online media products, they might emphasize graphic design and video courses,” she said. “Or, if they are interested primarily in marketing, they would select the advertising, sports marketing, social media marketing and business electives.
“Students interested in sport journalism careers would take such courses as sports writing, video production, digital imaging and sports broadcasting.”
NEW POSSIBILITIES
The South Dakota Board of Regents recently approved the major. However, the program has been under discussion for at least three years, Van Maanen said. In early 2014, Berkeley Research Group consultants believed it was good timing for adding the sports marketing and media program.
The sports industry has seen tremendous growth fueled by the rise of social media, televised coverage, online streaming and extensive marketing, Van Maanen said.
“The online content has exploded,” she said. “There’s a high level of interest in sports and a growing awareness of expanded career opportunities in the field.”
The new major and minor will use existing resources as well as faculty reassigned to new courses supporting the major. The increased enrollment created by the major will contribute to its ongoing support.
Even before it starts, the USD program has drawn strong interest from current and prospective students, Van Maanen said.
“We have heard from a significant number of existing USD students who plan to transfer into the program, and word is traveling fast beyond campus,” she said. “I have already met with a number of high school students who are interested in learning more about the program. We anticipate a graduation rate of approximately 15 students annually.”
Graduates of the new major can work at every level, but especially in marketing, media and managerial positions in the industry, Van Maanen said. Those fields include pro sports teams, high school and college teams, facility management, the sporting goods industry, resorts, fundraising, event management and fitness companies.
Those graduates can find a wide variety of careers in the immediate area, she said. She pointed to professional sports teams such as the Sioux Falls Stampede, Sioux Falls Skyforce, Sioux Falls Canaries and Sioux Falls Storm as well as teams in Rapid City, Sioux City and throughout the Midwest.
DRAWING ON CONTACTS
In designing the new major, USD officials consulted with professionals in the industry, including USD alumnus John Gillis. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mass communication from the Vermillion campus. He has served for 26 years — currently as the associate director of development — for the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHSAA).
“He’s an insider in the industry who knows its career potential,” Van Maanen said. “He has hired USD interns in the past and has provided input on program changes.”
Gillis pointed to the wide variety of opportunities with the new USD program.
“I feel that this academic major has unlimited potential as it can be used in several settings,” he said.
For example, NFHSAA combines marketing and media on a daily basis to promote various national programs and initiatives, he said.
“As we seek corporate sponsors for those programs and initiatives, we use all kinds of media to reach those goals — which (today) includes the Internet and social media — in addition to ‘traditional
The USD sports marketing and media program didn’t exist when Gillis was in college However, he said his USD education and work experience have allowed him to adapt to today’s sports environment. He described himself as a type of “hybrid staff member with one foot in media and the other in sports marketing.
“However, a person who graduates with USD’s new academic degree would do so already possessing the knowledge that it took me years to gain through practical work experience,” he said. “Without question, this is an extremely valuable academic program.”
GETTING TO WORK
The new USD program requires internships for the major, Van Maanen said. Each department supporting the major offers an internship coordinator.
“We have had many interns work within the sports industry, so the ties to the profession already exist,” she said.
USD coordinated the new major among various departments based on industry contacts, Van Maanen said. Each department plans to tailor new courses to meet changing industry needs.
“There are many career possibilities that do not fall neatly into the area of a single college department,” she said. “The sports industry is a good example of that.”
Gillis feels confident about the new program, given his familiarity with USD academic offerings, particularly the Department of Media & Journalism.
“I strongly believe that USD’s course offerings and sports marketing major would compare extremely favorably with any such similar course offerings and majors at other universities around the nation,” he said.
Van Maanen believes graduates of the new sports marketing & media major will definitely be at the top of their game, so to speak.
“There is a lot of excitement about the new major and minor, just like there is in the sporting industry in general,” she said.
———
For more information on courses, curriculum and requirements, visit the Sport Marketing & Media section of the USD Catalog.
Follow @RDockendorf on Twitter.
