Sports Marketing and Analytics

Todd Achilles – Vice President, Group Vice President, Sponsorships, SunTrust
Joseph Barbarito – Sales Manager, iFly Indoor Skydiving
Jeff Battcher – President, AIM Sports Reputation Management
Danielle Brumbeloe – Account Executive, Membership Services, Atlanta Braves
Jackson Brumbeloe – Operations Analyst, Experience, LLC
Jason Capel – Vice President, Van Wagner Group, LLC
Conrad Cornell – Co-Owner, Press Sports App
Amanda Dinkel – Community Relations Manager, Atlanta Falcons
Rebecca Duensing – Senior Marketing Manager, Professional Bull Riders, Inc.
Brad Fain – Director of Ticket Sales, Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center
Charlie Farr – Customer Intelligence Consultant, Chick-fil-A Inc.
Michael Farris – Sr. Manager, Consumer Research at Country Music Association (CMA)
Scott Fillmore – Sales Director, ClubCorp
Rolanda Gaines – Director of Marketing and Communications, FOX Sports
South/Southeast/Tennessee/Carolinas
Brian Gerrity – Executive Director, Mercer Athletic Foundation
Eddie Gonzalez – Chief Business Officer and Tournament Director, BB&T Atlanta Open
Ryan Gottlieb – Associate Athletic Director, Sales Strategy and Business Intelligence, Rutgers
University
Jonathan Griffith – President, Studer Entertainment and Retail
Scott Henrichsen – Team President, Atlanta Gladiators
Jeffery Hicks – Technical Coordinator and Camp Coordinator, Michigan State University Volleyball
Shea Jury – Recruiter, Creative Circle, LLC
Kevin Klammer – Manager of Premium Sales, Jacksonville Jaguars
Noah Maier – Political Consultant, Annie Eagen
Krista Massey – Senior Vice President of Marketing Activation and Engagement, SunTrust Bank
Matt McCourtie – General Manager, Ticket Sales, UGA Athletic Association
Nick Mentel – Senior Director of Analytics, Adrenaline Agency
Jake Mullins – Founder and CEO, ProLine Growth Inc.
Barbara Osborne – General Manager, Florence Red Wolves
Warren Parr – Director of Ticket Sales, Atlanta Falcons
Eric Platte – Vice President of Ticket Sales, Atlanta Hawks Basketball Club
Daniel Quintanilla – Account Manager, Ticket Sales, Jacksonville Jaguars
Brandon Raphael – President, Macon Bacon
Keith Roberts – Manager of Ticket Sales, Atlanta United FC
Ross Rotwein – Manager of Ticket Operations and Analytics, El Paso Chihuahuas
Chuck Saulino – Vice President of Corporate Sales, PrimeSport
Kyne Sheehy – Director, Sales, The Aspire Sport Marketing Group LLC
Chandler Short – Assistant Athletic Director and Senior Women’s Administrator, McPherson
College
Richard Thornton – Senior Manager of Ticket Sales, Atlanta Braves
Tyler Vertin – Director of Marketing, Macon Bacon
Brendan Walker – Owner, Elite Basketball Services
Kevin Welch – Director of Digital Strategy, Analytics, & Revenue Integration, University of Georgia
Athletic Association
Ken White – Retired Senior Director of East Region Marketing, The Coca-Cola Company
CJ Wiatr – Senior Director of Ticket Sales and Service, Memphis Grizzlies

The purpose of the name “Sports Marketing and Analytics” is twofold.

First, it better reflects the job offerings available for graduates. Visit the front office pages of any professional sports team and notice how the largest departments are in sales/marketing. Take the Atlanta Hawks staff as an example. Outside of executives, a quick count of the Hawks front office shows that 69% of jobs (n=118) are in these areas (Corp Partnerships, Revenue Integration, Ticket Sales, Marketing, Analytics). For a look at other organizations, you may also visit teamworkonline.com, which shows available positions by category. The growth area is in analytics. Our advisory board members as well as speakers at conferences for the American Marketing Association and Sports Marketing Association have suggested that data analysts are becoming more valuable and the supply is limited. So much so, we have several members of our advisory board who are recruiting Mercer students as analysts for their sports properties.

Second, students are increasingly attracted to majors that have clear career paths. Prospective students and their parents repeatedly ask what kind of jobs Mercer students are being prepared to pursue. A focused major helps students to select a career path. As for employers, multiple executives on our advisory board have interacted with Sport Management programs at other universities and feel like their programs could do a much better job. Specifically, they cite students’ need for (a) a focused understanding of what will be required of them at their entry-level positions and (b) more focus on application rather than theory. These executives have committed to our advisory board because they believe that students need a sports marketing and analytics curriculum that meets their needs for entry-level employees in the sports industry.

The unique part of sports business is that being general does not necessarily help. Again, success in the sports industry requires a unique skillset. Those that may be interested in “sports business” careers outside of marketing and analytics still gain as much or more expertise from the Mercer Sports Marketing and Analytics curriculum. For example, students who want to be general managers, sports agents, or event managers will still require knowledge of these subjects. While the application of the material may change from student-to-student and job-to-job, sports marketing and analytics training gives students the best change to succeed. Supplementing the core courses with appropriate electives in other programs (management, mathematics, marketing, law) is highly encouraged.

Sports economics, sports law, and event management are offered as electives. It is more appropriate for each of these to be an elective because there are fewer jobs in these areas. Although the information is interesting and can be helpful for those interested in pursuing a career in academics, Mercer’s Sports Marketing and Analytics program is committed to offering courses that will be applicable for students in the job market. Sports management, although not reflected in the titles of the courses, is definitely included throughout the curriculum as it relates to each subject. Furthermore, Principles of Management and Strategic Management are courses that all majors are required to take in the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business.

As to other programs, were the programs you researched in business schools? Once again, the top sports programs in business schools do not primarily focus on finance, economics, law, or management. The best ones (in terms of placement and prestige) focus course offerings on where students are being hired – marketing and analytics.