Entertainment

Case Study

Careers in Sports & Entertainment: A Unit 12 SEM Case Study

When Ryan Langan was a student at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse majoring in Sports Management, the Vice President of a local minor league basketball team was featured as a guest speaker in a class. Immediately following class, Mr. Langan approached the speaker

and asked about internship opportunities with the team. Soon, he was involved in many aspects of the team’s day to day activities.

The following year, the team’s Vice President left the franchise to pursue an op- portunity with another organization, but Mr. Langan was promoted to Director of Sales, where he was responsible for overseeing the development of corporate partnerships with local businesses as well as many other aspects of the team’s daily business operation.
After several years with the basketball team, Mr. Langan received a call from the recently departed Vice President, asking if he might have some interest in joining the Portland Trail Blazers ticket sales team. After weighing his options, Mr. Langan chose to interview with the Blazers, accepting a position soon after.
While with the Portland Trail Blazers, he went back to school to pursue an MBA at the University of Portland. Upon receiving the degree, Mr. Langan would learn that one of his professors would be leaving the University of Portland to accept the position of Dean of the Business School at the Uni- versity of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida. He would later recruit Mr. Langan to join his staff as an Instructor of Sports Marketing. His class featured guest speakers from sports executives across the nation and was one of the first classes on campus to fill up each semester.

Case Study Questions
1.) Do you think networking played an important role in helping Mr.

Langan get to where he is today? Why or why not?

2.) Was Mr. Langan proactive in his pursuit of a career in the sports industry? Do you think that helped to advance his career in any way? Why or why not?

3.) Did his internship have any impact on breaking into the field as a sports marketing professional?

Unit 12 Discussion Question Review

Do you think there are many career opportunities in sports and entertainment? Why or why not?

There are a number of career paths in the sports and entertainment industry. Many potential avenues get overlooked by career seekers, such as careers in the health and fitness industry or working for a ma- jor corporation with their sports and entertainment marketing relationships (such as a Sports Marketing Executive position for Pepsi or Ford Motor Company).

Do you think a potential career in this industry is attainable? How competitive do you think careers in this field can be?

As stated previously, there are a number of opportunities and possible paths in the industry. However, competition for available positions can be fierce. The demand for sports and entertainment jobs is incredibly high. The candidates with the best chance of fulfilling an open position are those who have effectively marketed themselves through networking and gaining field experience.

By a show of hands, how many people in the class know what a resume is? How many have actually prepared a resume in the past? Why is a resume important? Can you pursue a professional career in sports and entertainment without one?

The resume is any individual’s gateway to obtaining a job in any field. It is one of the most important tools in helping candidates land jobs, as it allows employers to quickly get a snapshot of candidate qualifications, experience and highlights of individual skills and accomplishments. Without a resume, a career in sports and entertainment would be next to impossible to achieve.

How would someone go about finding out about potential job openings? What do you think an individual would need to do to increase their marketability to sports and entertainment industry employers?

Networking and gaining experience through volunteer and internship opportunities are the most effec- tive means for securing future positions within the sports and entertainment industry. Individuals can learn more about job openings through trade journals, industry publications and the Internet.

SCC Events Programs

Each year, SCC hosts a series of sports and entertainment business and marketing education related events, designed to provide students with an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the industry. SCC is also dedicated to providing professional development for teachers through event programs that help connect educators with industry.
Previous events have included sports marketing workshops on college campuses for students featuring industry guest speakers, facility tours and campus tours. Our summer sports marketing summit provides educators with a forum to exchange ideas, share best practices, learn from industry professionals and have some fun visiting stadiums and arenas.
Our “academy” series of events is more specialized, focusing on unique areas of the industry and connecting students with professionals who can help them to realize their dreams. Past academy events have included shoe design academies on campus at Nike, broadcast and journalism academies, advertising workshops led by agency executives and digital sports marketing conferences. Email us at [e-mail] if you’d like to be alerted of opportunities in your area!

Credits

Production Credits
Front cover design: Rebecca Garcia

Back cover design: Rebecca Garcia, Christopher Lindauer

Interior design: Rebecca Garcia

Cover images (stadium and surfer): © http://www.office.microsoft.com/clipart. Back cover image (business professionals/football field): © http://www.office.microsoft.com/clipart.

Photo and Image Credits
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and images are © http://office.microsoft.com/clipart.
Page 42, © http://www.istockphotos.com. Page 49, © http://www.istockphotos.com. Page 74, © http://www.istockphotos.com. Page 129, © http://www.freedigitalphotos.net. Designed by John Jendritza, Glow Creative.

Page 149, © http://www.istockphotos.com. Page 168, © http://www.istockphotos.com.

Page 203, © http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0. Page 250, © http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0. Page 260, © http://www.istockphotos.com.

Page 266, © http://www.istockphotos.com.

Page 351, courtesty of Dan Thompson and the Sabin-Schellenberg sports marketing class students.

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About Sports Career Consulting

Sports Career Consulting offers the leading resources for sports and entertainment business education as well as events to high school educators around the country. SCC provides many resources, experiences and opportunities to learn about the business of sports and entertainment in and out of the classroom. Through our unique curriculum and events, high school students everywhere have an exceptional opportunity to learn fundamental business and marketing principles and then to apply that knowledge by taking an active role in marketing school sports, entertainment, fundraisers and events.
SCC’s core educational programs will appeal to many different teaching styles. For the traditional approach, SCC offers a membership to the Education Resource Center (ERC). When you join the ERC community, you will receive a cd-rom that is packed with instructional material, from unit outlines, student handouts and exams to PowerPoints, classroom games and project ideas. ERC members also gain access to SCC’s website where they can participate in our idea exchange forum, download podcasts, peruse newsletter archives and download any updated or new instructional materials throughout the school year.
For teachers who prefer a more project-oriented approach, SCC’s Sports Business Program (SBP) offers a perfect solution for your needs. The SBP teacher’s guide will take you step-by- step through the process of transforming your classroom into a live, operational sports/entertainment business company where you will quickly find that creating an experiential based learning atmosphere will be a snap! Upon joining the SBP membership community, teachers receive a cd-rom loaded with resources to supplement the teacher’s guide, including classroom activities, team marketing samples, marketing advice from industry executives for guidance in running your new business, templates for developing your sales and marketing material and much more!
Of course, for the teacher who wants it all, SCC offers a combo-package membership. The ERC and SBP were created specifically to compliment one another.
ERC and SBP members will also receive a sports and entertainment industry newsletter every Monday morning complete with links to related current events and corresponding questions for classroom discussion, just in time to help with the week’s lesson planning. Visit www.sportscareerconsulting.com/learnmore to further explore membership opportunities.

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