Rice sport management students took advantage of an unmatched learning opportunity leading up to the College Football Playoff (CFP) championship game this school year that gave them the chance to learn the business, marketing and communications sides of a major sporting event.
The course titled “The Business of Major Sporting Events — CFP Edition” began in August with classes held at The Ion. Over the fall semester, eight Rice sport management students joined students from four other institutions — Houston Christian University, Texas Southern University, the University of Houston and Sam Houston State University — in learning about the detailed planning that goes into the CFP.
The students involved were also present for the showdown between the University of Michigan and University of Washington Jan. 8 at NRG Stadium, with some holding various roles in the production of the major event.
“It was just a great experience,” said Seth Davidson, a junior sport management and business double major at Rice. “The atmosphere was once-in-a-lifetime. You couldn’t help but have a smile on your face the whole time.”
Facilitated by the Harris County Houston Sports Authority (HCHSA), the course featured high-profile guest speakers leading up to the event, including: Bill Hancock, CFP executive director; Byron Hatch, CFP chief operating officer; Gretchen Sheirr, president of business operations for the Houston Rockets; Greg Grissom, president of the Houston Texans; Janis Burke, CEO of HCHSA; Doug Vosik, senior vice president of marketing, communications and ticket sales for the Houston Texans; and John Vidalin, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of the Miami Heat.
Students also experienced a tour of NRG Stadium with Juan Rodriguez, senior vice president of operations and event management with the Houston Texans, and were able to attend events like the Bear Bryant Awards and Halal Guys College Basketball Showcase.
“My goal with the class was to give them exposure to some things that I don’t think they’re going to necessarily get in a traditional curriculum,” said David Brady, organizer of the course with the HCHSA. “I think a lot of students say they want to work in sports, but they don’t really know what specific area they want to work in. We wanted to give them exposure to as many different aspects of working in sports as possible and open up that thought process, giving them opportunities to connect with people and ask more questions.”
Davidson, who also attended last year’s Final Four version of the course, has taken full advantage of this unique opportunity.
During the CFP championship game, he assisted with on-field production pregame and postgame. He also was the class lead for the presentation of the Halal Guys Basketball Showcase at the Toyota Center in December, coordinating and leading student teams and coming up with ticket package and sponsorship ideas in order to increase attendance.
“Rice has provided so many different opportunities for me,” he said. “I’ve been surrounded by so much of the pro sports industry already, but I think this one was so different because there was so much more about fan engagement and making sure everyone got that national championship experience.”
Davidson is currently interning with the Professional Sports Partners in brand leadership and said he hopes to one day work for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
For Zefa Tullis-Thompson, a sophomore sport management major, the course has provided valuable networking experience with high-level athletics officials.
“In the last five months, I have added probably 50, if not more, connections on LinkedIn,” Tullis-Thompson said. “And not just people that are artificial connections but people that I know I could reach out to and be like, ‘Hey, I was in this class, you came and spoke to us, and I have a question about this,’ or ‘Hey, can you give me a connection at this place?’ And they would be genuinely interested in speaking with me and helping me with that.
“I think Rice University and our sports management department have really taken advantage of where we are and have just provided so many opportunities for their students.”
Tullis-Thompson interned with the Rice football team this year and said she hopes to pursue a career in football operations upon graduation.
“The things that I’ve learned in my sport management classes have given me the tools to be able to make these opportunities really meaningful and get the most out of them,” she said. “I have a network that really means something and that will help me as I look for internships and then later look for a job after I graduate.”
”The beauty of this class has been that David is not steering students in a particular direction,” said Stephanie Wilka, professor in the practice of sport management at Rice. “They were presented with a speaker series that money can’t buy, and it allowed them to identify opportunities and add value in real-time collaboration with top executives in the industry. They have a far greater understanding of what the industry has to offer, and they were able to capitalize upon and create opportunities for themselves.”
Gaining experience at marquee events during their time at Rice is essential to helping students stand out while pursuing competitive internships and jobs after graduating, said Tom Stallings, professor in the practice of sport management.
“We know that our students have lots of options when it comes to where they choose to go to school and what majors they want to pursue,” Stallings said. “Therefore, we try to use our network to create as many experiential learning opportunities in the sport industry as possible out of respect for students entrusting their education with us.
“Whether it is having students on the field at the CFP national championship, working the NFL Honors, ESPYs, NHL Awards and Golden Globes as red carpet talent escorts, or working local events such as the the Lombardi and Bear Bryant Awards, the Houston Marathon, the Houston Open and the Houston Sports Awards, we know that having students gain experience at marquee events beginning once they are accepted to Rice helps our students’ resumes stand out when applying for internships and ultimately competitive full-time jobs at graduation with well-known sports organizations.”
