A
s we begin our 15th academic year,
I reect back on the emergence
of this program by Respecting
the Past, while Representing the
Future through establishing an educational
platform that prepares our students for the
new and ever-emerging world of sports. As we
begin a new decade, what changes and evolv-
ing enterprises will redene sports? How will
our daily consumption of sports change? How
will the digital age impact business, marketing
and branding strategies? How will analyt
ics drive decision-making and managerial
processes, and how will our program inuence
that? What new technologies will emerge to
alter and enhance product lines or how we en-
gage with particular sports? Legalized sports
wagering, fan engagement, e-sports par-
ticipation and monetization, pay equity and
enhanced media coverage for female sports,
and athlete activism that will amplify social
change will all likely characterize the decade of
the 2020s. We must thoroughly prepare our
students to meet these — and a host of other
challenges — with knowledge, critical thinking,
thoughtful conviction and visionary foresight.
When I review the initial ve years of
Sport Management, we experienced unparal-
leled growth, change and development by
building a strong foundation of hiring excellent
faculty, expanding our curriculum, creating a
multitude of experiential learning opportuni-
ties and establishing a world-class advisory
council. Despite the economic downturn of
the Great Recession, we persevered and were
able to recruit extraordinary students and
establish our academic identity to be among
the best programs in the country.
The next ve years were characterized by
rapid transformation, including two college
name changes that led to the emergence of
Falk College. The department created the
Sport Venue and Event Management gradu-
ate degree and expanded our domestic and
global footprints, while attracting international
students.
The current ve-year era has witnessed
the department building upon a decade of suc-
cess to emerge as an irrefutable leader in the
eld. We have created the nation’s rst under
graduate degree of its kind in Sport Analytics;
had students competing and winning a variety
of national academic competitions; and moved
into our wonderful new complex on campus.
We are grateful for the tremendous generosity
of David and Rhonda Falk, among a host of
other benefactors.
Since our inception, Sport Management
students have been affecting positive social
change in our community with civic engage-
ment, fundraising and volunteerism, a hallmark
of the program and Falk College. Our alumni
continue to “pay it forward” by supporting
our students and the program they helped to
establish and build.
The Class of 2019 will Represent
the Future admirably! It established some
noteworthy milestones, as we conferred the
largest number of degrees in our department’s
history with 115 students graduating from
Sport Management, Sport Analytics and Sport
Venue and Event Management.
More than 52 percent of our undergradu-
ate students graduated with honors (3.4 GPA
or higher), the largest in our department’s
history! Additionally, 16 students received the
Director’s Academic Achievement Award for
earning a GPA of 3.4 or higher for each of their
consecutive semesters at Syracuse University.
Students successfully completed their
Senior Capstones in marketing; data analytics;
business and nance; communications; public
relations; sales; event management; player
representation; facilities management and
operations; corporate sponsorship and brand
ing; non-prot organizations; and foundations
across the nation.
As alumni, parents of graduates, benefac-
tors and friends of the program I hope you
take pride in helping us to establish these
benchmarks. Your trust and belief in our mis
sion has been instrumental in our success and
I’m truly grateful.
Meanwhile, please help our faculty and
terric professional support staff Respect the
Past and Represent the Future by visiting
campus, attending our alumni functions, or
guest lecturing in a class. Perhaps you can
supervise a Capstone or internship, hire our
graduates, support our scholarships or mentor
a current student. However you can, continue
to share in our mission of being the preeminent
academic leader in Sport Management — now
and well into the future.
As always, BE LOUD, BE PROUD,
BE ORANGE!!
Sincerely,
Michael Veley
Director and Chair
Rhonda S. Falk Endowed Professor of
Sport Management
DIREC T OR’S GREETING
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2
From the Dean…
As the campus community reects on the past
and present with our year-long 150th anniversary
celebration underway, the Department of Sport
Management is a vital part of Syracuse University’s
legacy and future thanks to the extraordinary efforts of
many over the past 14 years.
Throughout this newsletter are countless examples
of the innovative ways sport management and sport
analytics faculty blend theory and practice to benet our students. The
pages ahead bring to life how Falk alumni are making a tremendous impact
in the sport industry, not to mention the differences they are making
by volunteering and giving back to the communities they call home.
The commitment of our faculty and staff in the Department of Sport
Management to teaching social responsibility is inspiring as students
and alumni embrace this knowledge for good, engaging workplaces and
communities as socially conscious global citizens.
Our students in sport management, sport analytics, and sport venue
and event management continue to benet from extensive industry
connections, meeting executives face-to-face through guest lectures,
alumni visits, and activities with industry leaders, many who sit on our
Sport Management Advisory Council. Connecting students with industry
executives continues to be a key element of the Department of Sport
Management’s philosophy of preparing future leaders in sports. I share
with you proudly that sport management students who themselves were
meeting with sport leaders in the early years of our program now give of
their time freely to meet with our current students.
And today, our sport management alums are the industry executives.
To all who make our progress possible and our successes notable,
thank you. We look forward to the continued work we will do together.
—Diane Lyden Murphy,
M.A. M.S.W., Ph.D., Dean, Falk College
STUDENTS
4 Congratulations to the
Class of 2019
5 Graduate Program
6 Welcome Class of 2023
7 Senior Capstone Experience
8 Senior Capstone Proles
11 Charity Sports Auction
12 Sales Club
14 Women in Sports and Events
ANALYTICS
15 Berlin Symposium
15 Football Analytics Club
16 Program Highlights
18 Basketball Analytics Club
19 Sabermetrics Club
FACULTY AND STAFF
20 Proles
NEWS AND EVENTS
22 Camping World Bowl Interns
23 New England Immersion
24 Los Angeles Immersion
25 Graduate Students
Plan Charity Event
26 European Olympic Odyssey
27 Lake Placid Olympic Odyssey
GUEST SPEAKERS
29 List of Guest Lecturers
ADVISORY COUNCIL
30 Member Proles
ALUMNI
32 Employer Listings
41 S.P.M. Week Job Shadowing
42 Proles
43 Networking Event
CONTENTS
22
14
41
4
3
Visit Sport Management’s
online resources
Be sure to check out falk.syr.edu/sport-
management for department informa-
tion, program news, club meeting dates
and activities, and other special events.
Also, be sure to follow Sport Manage-
ment on Twitter @SUSportMgmt, and
“like” us on Facebook at SU Falk College
Department of Sport Management.
S TUDENT S
Congratulations to the Class of 2019
On May 11, 2019, the David B. Falk College
of Sport and Human Dynamics celebrated
its Class of 2019 Convocation ceremony
at Manley Field House. One-hundred Sport
Management undergraduates, ve Sport
Analytics undergraduates, and 10 Sport
Venue and Event Management master’s
students took part in the ceremony.
SPM senior Anthony de la Fuente served
as a Falk College Marshal and delivered a
speech during the Convocation. The 2019
Sport Management Marshals were Nicholas
Carlson (undergraduate) and Baylee
Douglas (graduate). Caitlin Burke, Daniel
Hamilton and Justin Perline were named Falk
College Scholars.
Twenty-four Sport Management students
in the Class of 2019 graduated with honors
with a GPA of 3.4 or higher. Eighteen students
graduated Magna Cum Laude (GPA of 3.6
or higher) and nine graduated Summa Cum
Laude (GPA of 3.8 or higher).
The Department of Sport Management’s
traditional celebration of its graduates on
Commencement weekend continued this
year with more than 200 parents, family
members, friends, faculty and staff gathering
in Falk College on May 10 to celebrate the
accomplishments of the Sport Management
and Sport Analytics undergraduates and
Sport Venue and Event Management master’s
students.
The awards ceremony featured remarks by
Sport Management director and chair Michael
Veley, and College benefactor David B. Falk.
Awards presented included:
• Director’s Award – Anthony de la Fuente
• Academic Excellence Award –
Nicholas Carlson
• Matt Brodsky Philanthropic Award –
Caitlin Burke
• Sport Management VIP Award –
Sarah Lundmark
• Professional Engagement Award –
Brigid Daly
• Jason Morales Perseverance in
Sport Award – Courtney Anderson
• Academic Promise Award –
Da’Sha Prescott-Moore
• Kate Veley Civic Engagement and Social
Responsibility Award – Olivia Lavelle
• Graduate Student Award –
Baylee Douglass
Sixteen students received the Director’s
Academic Achievement Award for earning
a GPA of 3.4 or higher for each of their
consecutive semesters at Syracuse University.
Those students were: Cody Barbuto, Jan
Breitenmoser, Caitlin Burke, Nicholas
Carlson, Brigid Daly, Anthony de la Fuente,
Charles Garrett IV, Daniel Hamilton, Joshua
Katz, Xinyu Li, Sarah Lundmark, Shuk
Ching Jocelyn Mong, Austin Natowitz,
Justin Perline, Micah Rubin and Sara
Stanley.
Five students were noted for being dual
majors: Caitlin Burke (Sport Management
and Spanish Language, Literature and
Culture), Michael Cavalier (Sport
Management and Economics), Charles
Garrett IV (Sport Analytics and Broadcast
& Digital Journalism), Matteo Lovece (Sport
Management and Economics), and Justin
Perline (Sport Analytics and Newspaper &
Online Journalism.)
Four students were named Berlin Sport
Analytics Scholars: Cody Barbuto, Charles
Garrett IV, Justin Perline and Evan Weiss.
These four students are the rst graduates of
SU’s Sport Analytics program.
Also, the M.S. in Sport Venue and Event
Management program concluded its seventh
year. (See page 5)
4
Practicum list for Sport Venue and
Event Management master’s program
Fall 2018
Peng Chen, USTA National Campus
Marisa Duval, Syracuse University Athletics
Paige Hammond, Comcast Spectacor at Wells Fargo Center
Anna Vegara, AT&T Stadium – Legends
Janelle Williams, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Rams
Spring 2019
Marisa Duval, Syracuse University Athletics
Summer 2019
Jia Xuan Deng, Nike China
Baylee Douglass, Twenty 3 Group
Yaohui Wei, Syracuse University Recreation Services
GR ADU A TE S TUDENT S
Sport Venue and Event Management Master’s
program graduates its seventh class
The Department of Sport Management’s master’s program in Sport
Venue and Event Management (SVEM) welcomed its seventh class
of graduate students to campus in July 2018. The program comprises
36 credit hours of intensive classroom learning, skill development and
experiential opportunities in settings like SU’s Carrier Dome.
The 2018-19 cohort included 10 students, with a diverse mix of
educational backgrounds and from a variety of geographic locations.
Students worked toward completing their practicum work in Summer
2019 and will continue in Fall 2019 with organizations such as
Onondaga Community College, Syracuse University Recreation
Services, the Carrier Dome, SU Athletics, and the Sacramento Kings.
In July 2018, the students began in an immersive nature, working
three days at the Musselman Triathlon in the Finger Lakes region during
the rst week of the program, followed by an immersion experience at
the Buffalo Bills preseason training camp.
The graduate students also took part in professional development
seminars conducted by Sport Management internship placement
coordinators on networking, cover letters, resumes, strategic
interviewing, salary negotiation, career guidance and using LinkedIn.
In the Spring 2019
semester, students
worked with SPM
associate professor
Dr. Gina Pauline in
the advanced event
management course
to plan a charity event
beneting Grifn’s
Guardians. (See Page
25).
Students in the
rst seven cohorts
have immersed
themselves in the
program’s academic
and experiential
opportunities,
and leveraged
relationships
to launch their
careers in the industry.
Graduates have secured positions at McFetridge Sports
Center in Chicago, Dover Speedway, Brown University, Spectra Venue
Management, Legends Hospitality, Spartan Race Inc., Country Music
Hall of Fame, Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome, Boston Celtics, Boise
State University, and Tulsa Sports Commission, among others.
The eighth SVEM graduate class began in July 2019. For more
information about the graduate program, visit falk.syr.edu/sport-
management/academic-programs.
5
Welcome Class of 2023 undergraduates
Sport Analytics
California
China
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Japan
Massachusetts
Maryland
North Carolina
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Sport Management
California
China
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
India
Kentucky
Louisiana
Massachusetts
Minnesota
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Ontario, Canada
Oregon
Panama
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Texas
Virginia
Washington
China
India
Ontario
Panama
Japan
S TUDENT S
Congratulations to the following students for achieving an overall cumulative GPA of
3.4 or higher at the end of the 2018-2019 academic year:
Class of 2020
Declan Wright
Joe Chen
Joshua Hentschel
SPORT
Thomas Adams
Richard Clarke
Gareth Jobling
MANAGEMENT
Class of 2021
Peter Appel
Devan Dachisen
Kyle Liotta
Jillian Barry
Class of 2019
Carolin Bader
Matthew Davis
Stephen McClain
Jacob Berger
Hunter Bruckner
Ryan Dilts
Nicholas Riccardi
Zachary Alechammas
Andrew Bush
Matthew Bustillo
Caitlin Donoghue
Joseph Sabel
Nikolai Arnold
Pin An Chen
Joseph Carello
Caroline Dorfman
Nicholas Schloop
Jonathan Banner
Joshua Davidoff
Youngchae Cho
Brian Drew
Alec Bieber
Matthew Diemand
Class of 2021
Carlos Christian Rey
Ava Eckhoff
Samuel Birdsall
Tasha Getten
Zachary Anhalt
Nicholas Cohen
Nina Edmiston
Jake Bitsimis
Oliver Glavin
Jonathan Bosch
Nolan Cooney
Katherine Eliou
Caitlin Burke
Margaret Haggerty
Jack Dolitsky
Matthew Defusco
Joseph Eovaldi
Nicholas Carlson
Ryan Harteveldt
William Friedeman
Andrew Derda
Jakob Fox
Brianna Cooper
Jacob Hauser
Elaine Johnson
Luca Di Napoli
Luca Giacobbe
Cameryn Cortese
Patrick Hopkins
Cameron Johnson
Noah Diorio
Connor Howard
Brigid Daly
Jianghui Hu
Zachary Koeppel
Nicholas Felicetti
Victoria Kelly
Lucas D’Aversa
Caroline Johnson
Samuel Marteka
Ryan Gargiulo
Josephine Kiesel
Anthony de la Fuente
Emani Jones
Alejandro Pesantez
Sydney Gauzza
Hannah Kuo
Jonathan DeLaBruere
Max Josef
Harrison Platt
Daniel Geraci
Peri Lamkin
Drina Adriana Domic
Ruth Kaiser
Joseph Spoelstra
Andrea Ghanian
John Lichtenstein
Hannah Duerr
Seth Kourpas
Alexander Tsemberis
Owen Herrington
Joao Murray
Marc Eckenrod
Grifn Laine
Sarah Incerpi
Danielle Parr
Class of 2022
Nicholas Gold
Nicolas Lemaire
Rhett Kahny
Jared Pastore
Samual Ayers
Daniel Hamilton
Guozheng Li
Connor Monzo
Kevin Perry
Evan Baum
Jack Kaczorowski
Henry Little
Aaron Morrow
Shehreyar Piracha
Bailie Brown
Joshua Katz
Jordan Lucero
Adam Newman
Harrison Rayhill
Joshua Danzig
Erica Krumbine
Kaitlynn Miller
Jordan Novak
Emily Rubinshteyn
Joseph Deaton
Taitum Kurasz
Max Moss
Alexandra Olnowich
Bryan Schwab
Steven Dimaria
Olivia Lavelle
Mia Obergefell
Francis Petrillo
Kristen Siermachesky
Drew Disanto
Xinyu Li
Jonathan Oft
Matthew Pignatella
Emery Swanson
Dante Giugliano
Sarah Lundmark
Marc Orlin
Brandon Pollack
Zijian Wang
Justin Harrington
Stefan Maish
Marco Pantusa
Hunter Pomerantz
Jonah Wheeler
James Hyman
Victoria Mattarell
Jenna Parker
Xin Ren
Sean Kenney
Marielle McLoughlin
Lucas Prestamo
SPORT
Leah Riccolo
Colin Krantz
Andrew Meyer
Jack Rothstein
Kristen Rogers
ANALYTICS
Brendan McKeown
Shuk Ching Jocelyn Mong
Simone Nico Saputo
Jacob Rogovin
Cameron Mitchell
Jake Narracci
Dylan Schwartz
Class of 2019
Kai Ruskin
Joseph Pickering
Austin Natowitz
Jayson Staiger
Justin Saxe
Cody Barbuto
Hughston Preston
Alexander Newman
Emma Schambers
Class of 2022
William Dalton
Dominic Samangy
Chukwudubem Onwualu
Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru
Luke Adelstein
Charles Garrett IV
Kushal Shah
Micah Rubin
Kelsey Smith
Victor Allaham
Justin Perline
Cooper Shawver
Javier Ruiz
Ricki Sperry
Nikolas Armstrong
Davis Showell
Sara Stanley
Class of 2020
Austin Towns
Ryan Beaury
ChristopherThomas
Cameron Steele
Ethan Alpern
Alexandra Trager
Finnian Bendana
Andrew Todd
Kristen Warner
Dylan Blechner
Kyle Walker
Nathan Besold
Ward Walton
Grifn Whitman
Daniel Goetz
Bailey Ware
Ryan Charles
David Zukowski
6
FALL 2018
Nikolai Arnold SU Athletics - Strength/Conditioning
Jonathan Banner NFL Films
Evan Becker HBSE - Philadelphia 76ers
Alec Bieber Lagardere Plus
Rebecca Bisson Syracuse University Football
Jake Bitsimis CSM LeadDog
Michael Cavalier Madison Square Garden
Jamal Custis Syracuse University Recreation Services
Brigid Daly Van Wagner
Lucas D’Aversa New York Yankees
Matthew Dressler Radegen Sports Management
Michael Feinberg NBC Sports
Seth Greenberg Kansas City Chiefs
Matthew Gwiazdowski Baltimore Orioles
Jack Kaczorowski Houston Rockets
Joshua Katz Dallas Cowboys
Stefan Maish CSM LeadDog
Kellan Massino Philadelphia Eagles
Da’Sha Prescott-Moore Starnder Foundation
Kurtis Senif SU Athletics - Marketing
Cameron Steele Boston Celtics
Wei Wang HUPU Sports Media Co.
Grifn Whitman Intersport
SPRING 2019
Zachary Alechammas Madison Square Garden
William Austin SU Athletics - Marketing
Nicholas Basile Special Olympics of New York
Jonathan Bennett Jr. BSE Global - Long Island Nets
Samuel Birdsall Wasserman
Caitlin Burke Boston Red Sox
Nicholas Carlson Turner Sports
Cody Conway Athletic Evolution
Brianna Cooper Turner Sports
Aaron Cornelius Point 3 Basketball
Cameryn Cortese Bucknell University Athletics
Timothy Critchlow Radegen Sports Management
Anthony De La Fuente Van Wagner
Jonathan Delabruere Hurricane Junior Golf Tour
Drina Domic NBA
Hannah Duerr US Olympic Committee
Marc Eckenrod SuperFan Fundraising
Nicholas Gold NCAA
James Goldberger Mountain Goat Run Foundation
Daniel Hamilton SU Athletics - Communications
James Hunt Madison Square Garden
Adam Israel Excel Sports Management
Michael Kuruc III Syracuse University Hockey
Olivia Lavelle Cleveland Indians
Matteo Lovece Vayner Sports
Sarah Lundmark Athletes First
John (Chance) Mannix United Soccer League
Hugo Marsans Relevent Sports
Marielle Mcloughlin Mississippi State University Athletics
Andrew Meyer Roc Nation
Jocelyn Mong CSM LeadDog
Jake Narracci Madison Square Garden
Austin Natowitz University of Tennessee Athletics
Alexander Newman BSE Global
Sean Onwualu Athletes First
Samoya Ricketts Turner Sports - NBA Product Marketing
Micah Rubin SU Athletics - Compliance
Phillip Sawyer Madison Square Garden
Sean Selig Syracuse University Women’s Basketball
Fabian Stoeckling Roc Nation
Aaron Tabak Special Olympics of New York
Bradley Williamson Van Wagner
Eric Winikoff Select Sports Group
Ethan Yoo Philadelphia Eagles
Nicholas Zacchilli Mountain Goat Run Foundation
SUMMER 2019
Jennifer Bard Velley Preferred Cycling Center
Shaun Belbey Pure Sweat Basketball
Neil Cusat Pegasus Sports
Andrew Godnick National Basketball Players Association
Owen Herrington Syracuse Crunch
Erel Israel Social Movement Media
Samuel Jenanyan The Players Tribune
Daniel Khalil Cascade Maverik Lacrosse
Erica Krumbine New York Yankees
Taitum Kurasz Syracuse Crunch
Nicholas Lee New York Islanders
Xinyu Li Future Arena
Victoria Mattarell Boilermaker Road Race
Alex Miller Fanatics
Alexandra Olnowich MSG Networks
Ayal Pessar Radegen Sports Management
Madeline Placey ESPN
Andrew Quigley Talent Resources
Quinton Redett New York Lizards
Javier Ruiz Authentic Brands Group
Jack Schwartz Madison Square Garden
Sara Stanley New York State Golf Association
Alicia Torres CSM
Sterling Vaughn Georgia State University Athletics
Kristen Warner UN Women
Daniel Zimmermann Thuzio
S TUDENT S
Senior Capstone Experience
Among the most valuable attributes of the
Department of Sport Management is its
connection with the sport industry, which
impacts students in numerous ways, including
the Senior Capstone Experience. As a part of
their degree requirements, Sport Management
students must complete a 12-credit Capstone
providing an opportunity to gain hands-on
experience in the sports industry before
graduation.
Since the Capstone is the culmination of
one’s academic experience, the planning pro-
cess begins during a student’s freshman year.
The process concludes with the full-semester
experience with a specic sport entity or orga-
nization as local as Central New York to across
the United States and around the world.
The Capstone Experience requires the stu-
dent to work with a sport-related organization
for a minimum of 540 hours over the course of
one semester, gaining experience in areas such
as sales, marketing, nance, analytics, event
management, administration, communication,
law, etc.
Listed below are Sport Management
students and the organizations where they
completed their senior Capstone in 2018-
2019. We are grateful to our growing list of
Capstone partners, who continue to provide
tremendous learning opportunities for our
students.
This all happens under the leadership of
Sport Management internship placement
coordinators Nicole Cost, Lisa Liparulo, Kevin
McNeill and Francesco Riverso.
7
Intern gets up-close look at sport agency
By Sean Onwualu
SPM ’19
During the 2018 Spring
semester, I was honored to
intern at Athletes First, a
full-service sport agency in
Laguna Hills, CA.
Athletes First primarily
focuses on football, rep-
resenting more than 150
NFL players and coaches.
Interns help the organiza
tion throughout the NFL
season and off-season,
assisting with the rookie
program, Super Bowl, NFL Combine, NFL Free
Agency and NFL Draft. I helped secure items and
worked at Athletes First’s yearly Charity Auction to
raise money for the Orangewood Foundation, which
aims to provide foster children with a better life.
Highlights from my senior Capstone include
working on the Charity Auction, Free Agency and
the NFL Draft. I felt I truly made an impact on these
events. For the auction, each intern was tasked with
nding a high-prole item
worth auctioning. My
contribution was four
tickets to a Monster Jam
rally. During NFL Free
Agency, I compiled statis-
tics and information for
New York Giants wide
receiver Sterling Shepa-
rd’s agent, who helped
land Shepard a four-year
$41 million extension
this past off-season. The
NFL Draft was exciting
as I saw athletes I helped
and worked for during
the semester have their lifelong dreams fullled.
I learned a lot about the agency side of football
and how important agents are to players. They
work hard behind the scenes to be successful.
I will take all of the real-world lessons I learned
at Athletes First and apply them as I begin my
career in the sport industry as an assistant account
executive at Deutsch.
Senior tweaks NBA league reporting
By Drina Domic
SPM ’19
During the Spring 2019
semester, I completed my
Senior Capstone in New
York City at the National
Basketball Association
(NBA) League Ofce
in the Team Marketing
and Business Operations
Department (TMBO).
TMBO works as
an in-house consult-
ing group for the NBA,
G-League, WNBA, and
NBA2K. Within TMBO, I
worked with the Strategy
and Analytics group as a business intelligence
analyst. My group focused on assisting all facets of
the industry, from marketing to ticket sales through
data-driven decision making.
My specic role was to bring league report
ing into the 21st Century, to transition away from
static .PDF reports to more dynamic, real-time
dashboards. Having data in real-time with ltering
capabilities will enable teams and other groups
within TMBO to easily
identify trends and best
practices in a more con-
venient manner. Through
this process, I learned
how to streamline data
and create automated
processes. The beauty
of TMBO is affecting
different aspects of the
business in a variety of
settings.
It was a unique learn
ing opportunity to see
how markets operate,
whether big or small, win-
ning or losing, as well as
the strengths and weak
nesses of the teams. I consulted with each organiza
tion’s strategy and analytics team about their needs.
The most rewarding part of working with the
NBA’s TMBO Department was learning from
experts in all areas of sport who come from diverse
backgrounds.
I am proud to say I have been offered a full-time
job with TMBO’s Strategy and Analytics group,
effective Summer 2019.
S TUDENT S
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S TUDENT S
Turner Capstone brings senior to Final Four
By Brianna Cooper
SPM ’19
During the Spring 2019
semester, I completed my
senior Capstone at Turner
Sports with the Advertising
Sales and Marketing De
partment in New York City.
This team is responsible
for selling and executing all
digital, on-air, and on-site
sponsorships for its sports
properties.
As an ad sales intern,
I was fortunate to start
my Capstone during the
peak of March Madness
planning. I assisted the
NCAA team in completing competitive tracking
reports, prospecting new clients, and creating sales
materials. I attended weekly meetings with CBS
teams as well as the annual NCAA, Turner and CBS
meeting, where we developed sponsorship ideas
and introduced new clients.
The title March Madness stood true to its
name because during the tournament, as I spent
long nights at the CBS Broadcast Center tracking
in-game sponsorships,
capturing digital ad con-
tent, and drafting social
content for the NCAA’s
Final Four Music Series
and Fan Fest. In April, I
achieved a bucket-list goal
by joining Turner’s Final
Four team in Minneapo-
lis for six days, running
the NCAA social media
accounts, and witnessing
Virginia’s rst-ever cham
pionship.
This internship at Turn-
er gave me a greater ap-
preciation for the business
of sports and provided an
amazing experience that
helped me identify corporate partnerships as my
career path. It taught me that the importance of
sports is in the experiences you provide because
even if fans forget the outcome of a game, they’ll
never forget how you made them feel.
Since graduating from Syracuse University in
May 2019, I have been interviewing for positions
with teams and media companies with the hope to
join a corporate partnerships team.
Cowboys Capstone leads to Ravens job
By Josh Katz
SPM ’19
In the Fall 2018 semester,
I completed my senior
Capstone with the Dallas
Cowboys as a Business
Analytics and Insights
intern at the team’s
headquarters, The Star, in
Frisco, Texas.
The primary respon-
sibility of the Cowboys’
Business Analytics team
is to provide analytical
business insights for the
sales, marketing, sponsor
ship, merchandise, and
media departments. I
focused on building dashboards for the sales team
to monitor campaigns, collected market research
for the sponsorship team in preparation for pitch
meetings, and monitored the team’s CRM data
warehouse.
Learning from such a prolic franchise was an
incredible experience. I honed and improved my
technical skills in Tableau,
R, SQL, and CRM prac
tices, and took the lead on
key projects throughout
the semester. I was lucky
to have three great super-
visors who taught me best
practices in the sport ana-
lytics industry and taught
me the importance of
creative problem-solving.
It was such an honor to
learn from industry profes-
sionals at an NFL franchise
during the season. I loved
being in the fast-paced
and highly competitive
environment of the NFL.
Also, working at AT&T
Stadium on gamedays was an added perk.
Overall, my senior Capstone was an incred
ible experience. I met so many top-notch people
throughout the organization, and the skills and
lessons I learned with the Cowboys helped me
land a full-time position as a Business Analyst with
the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
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Sport Professionals of Color Club seeks new members
The Sport Management Sport Professionals of Color Club wrapped up
its fth year in 2018-19, as an organization to connect students who
identify as people of color with sport professionals from across the
industry.
The organization was formed during the 2014-15 academic year
with the purpose of helping to guide young professionals in their pursuit
of success and career establishment in the industry. The club strives to
improve members’ professional skills, host speakers, foster networking
growth, and take part in experiential learning opportunities.
During the 2018-19 academic year, the club began a new member-
ship drive, held an NFL Draft watch party, and welcomed social media
entrepreneur Eamonn Donlyn as a guest speaker.
Meetings are on Mondays at 6:45 p.m. in Falk 401, and are open
to all Syracuse University students. Contact Nate Gansworth at
nrganswo@syr.edu for more information or call 315.443.9881.
Brigid Daly Nicholas Gold Andrew Meyer Kristen Warner
S TUDENT S
Students receive assistance from scholarship funds
Sport Management students are eligible to apply for annual scholarships to assist
with the nancial aspects of completing summer internships or senior Capstones.
JENNIFER CORN CARTER FUND
The Jennifer Corn Carter Senior Capstone Award for Sport Management
supports students in the department during their senior Capstone ex-
periences. For the 2018-19 academic year, four students were honored
with this award: Brigid Daly, who interned with Van Wagner Sports
and Entertainment in Fall 2018; Nicholas Gold, who interned with the
Atlantic Coast Conference and the NCAA’s Women’s Basketball Ad-
vancement Program in Spring 2019; Andrew Meyer, who interned with
Roc Nation in Spring 2019; and Kristen Warner, who interned with UN
Women in Summer 2019. Each received $500 to $1000.
Jennifer Corn Carter is a graduate of Syracuse University, with
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work. She was honored with the
Falk College’s 2010 Alumna of the Year Award for her on-going support
of our students and Syracuse University. Her vision and support created
the Jennifer Corn Carter Resource and Career Center in Falk College.
STUDENT LEARNING FUND
Twenty-three Sport Management seniors were awarded scholarships
from the Sport Management Student Learning Fund during the 2018-
19 academic year. Each received $500 to $1000.
In Summer 2019, eight students earned the scholarships: Erica
Krumbine (New York Yankees), Taitum Kurasz (Syracuse Crunch),
Victoria Mattarell (Boilermaker Road Race), Ayal Pessar (Radegen
Sports Management), Javier Ruiz (Authentic Brands Group), Sara
Stanley (New York State Golf Association), Alicia Torres (CSM Lead-
Dog), and Daniel Zimmermann (Thuzio).
In Spring 2019, 12 students earned the scholarships: Nicholas
Carlson (Turner Sports), Anthony de la Fuente (Van Wagner Sports
and Entertainment), Jonathan DeLaBruere (Hurricane Junior Golf
Tour), Drina Domic (NBA), Marc Eckenrod (Super Fan Fundraising),
Adam Israel (Excel Sports Management), Sarah Lundmark (Athletes
First), Chance Mannix (United Soccer League), Hugo Marsans (Rele-
vent Sports), Marielle McLoughlin (Mississippi State Athletics), Sean
Onwualu (Athletes First), and Eric Winikoff (Select Sports Group).
In Fall 2018, three students earned the scholarships: Seth Green-
berg (Kansas City Chiefs), Kellan Massino (Philadelphia Eagles), and
Grifn Whitman (Intersport).
UNDERGRADUATE SUMMER INTERNSHIP FUND
The Sport Management Summer Internship Fund is used each year to
provide support to undergraduate students pursuing unpaid summer
internships, enabling them to gain industry experience.
Seven students were each awarded $2,000 for 2019 summer
internships: Andrew Bush (Philadelphia Soul), Margaret Haggerty
(Pan-American Games), Samuel Marteka (Orleans Firebirds),
Frank Petrillo (Premier Partnerships), Shehreyar Piracha (United
Soccer League), Lucas Prestamo (Syracuse University Athletics),
and Erica Sosman (Hospital for Special Surgery).
For more information about the funds, contact Sport
Management internship coordinator Nicole Cost at 315.443.7481
or nfimbrog@syr.edu.
10
A letter from the SPM Club president
By Sarah Lundmark, SPM ’19
SPM Club President, 2018
My experience with the Sport Management
Club began before I was even accepted to
Syracuse University. On the rst trip I took
across the country from my California home to
visit my future four-year home, I was impressed.
During a prospective student day, Falk College
compiled a panel of student leaders to speak
about their time at SU and the Sport Management program. During
that panel, I learned of all the amazing opportunities that were offered
for students to get involved, including the SPM Club. The thought of a
club that would help me develop professionally, while still placing a large
emphasis on philanthropy, was enticing and exciting. Little did I know the
impact it would have on my educational and social experience.
I was elected Club President in January 2018, after returning from
a semester abroad. I knew that after missing the auction in the Fall of
2017, I wanted to come back and get involved in a large way. Although
I was honored the club chose me as its leader, by no means did I do it
alone. The incredible ofcers were essential in the success and growth of
the club.
In the spring semester, we focused largely on professional develop-
ment and networking, hosting numerous industry executives from a vari
ety of departments such as nance, sales and management. We also held
educational workshops with campus professionals to work on resumes,
interview techniques, and research resources.
The Fall of 2018 brought with it the 14th Annual Charity Sports
Auction, which benetted Rescue Mission of Syracuse. Our fantastic
auction chairs, Caitlin Burke ’19 and Anthony de la Fuente ’19, worked
tirelessly to make this an unforgettable event.
The SPM Club has accomplished so much with its dedicated and
incredible members. These are the people I spent some of the biggest
moments of college with and I know I will carry those memories with me
forever. I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to be involved in
such an inuential campus organization.
SPM Club raises $55,195 at 14th Charity Auction
The Sport Management Club at Syracuse
University raised $55,195 for the Syracuse
Rescue Mission as a result of its 14th Annual
Charity Sports Auction.
During the SU men’s basketball game
on Dec. 1, 2018, supporters placed bids on
hundreds of items, including sports memora-
bilia, electronics and tickets to major sporting
events.
The 2018 total was the third-highest
in the 14-year history of the event, which
has now raised more than $467,000 for
local charities, including Boys & Girls Clubs,
Golisano Children’s Hospital at Upstate, the
Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY,
the Central New York SPCA, the Upstate
Cancer Center, Special Olympics New York,
Food Bank of CNY, Make-A-Wish of CNY,
the Salvation Army, McMahon/Ryan Child
Advocacy Center and Meals on Wheels.
“The Rescue Mission was grateful to have
been chosen as the nonprot partner for the
2018 Management Club Charity Sports Auc
tion. The proceeds from this event will remain
local right here in Syracuse
and Upstate New York,
and will directly serve
those in need through
safe beds and warm
meals,” said Rescue
Mission Chief Ex
ecutive Ofcer Dan
Sieburg.
Since 1887,
the Rescue Mission
Alliance has been
ghting to end homelessness and hunger
across Upstate New York, with operations in
Syracuse, Auburn, Ithaca and Binghamton.
Their mission is to share hope, end hunger and
homelessness, change lives, and strengthen
communities. In 2017, the Rescue Mission
served more than 282,000 meals
and helped over 10,000 men,
women and children in need in
the community.
“We are extremely proud of
the students who put hundreds
of hours into making our 14th
annual auction so successful
to enhance the great ser-
vices provided by the Rescue
Mission,” said SPM director
Michael Veley, who also serves
as advisor for the Club. “This
event teaches our students
social responsibility and civic engagement
and provides them invaluable learning by
implementing a rst-class event to benet the
less fortunate in our community.”
The 15th annual auction will be held in
December 2019 at the Carrier
Dome to benet Make-
a-Wish of Central New
York. For more information
about the event, visit www.
sucharitysportsauction.
com.
In addition to the auc-
tion, the Club hosts guest
speakers, takes group trips,
and volunteers in the com-
munity.
The Sport Management Club meets at
7 p.m. Tuesdays during the academic year
in Falk 200. Students from all majors are
welcome. For more information, contact SPM
Club president Sam Marteka (svmartek@syr.
edu), executive vice president
Connor Monzo (cdmon
zo@syr.edu), vice presi-
dent of community service
Steven Soriano (sjsorian@
syr.edu), vice president
of programming Jonah
Wheeler (twheel01@
syr.edu), vice president of
membership Kaitlynn Miller
(kmille16@syr.edu), or
vice president of admin-
istration Andrew Bush
(anbush@syr.edu).
S TUDENT S
SPM Club vice president Connor Monzo (left) and former
SPM Club co-advisor Kate Veley (second from left) present
a check for $55,195 to representatives from the Syracuse
Rescue Mission on Jan. 18, 2019 at the Carrier Dome.
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Support Sport Management
We continually strive to offer a variety of opportunities to support our Sport Management students. From scholarships and nancial as
sistance to immersion programs and experiential eld trips, along with inviting distinguished guest lectures to campus and hosting relevant
symposiums, Falk College’s sport management education goes beyond the textbooks and the walls of our classrooms. David Salanger,
Falk College assistant dean for advancement and external affairs, would welcome the opportunity to talk and/or meet with you to discuss
program support and student learning opportunities. Please contact David at 315.443.8989 or dasalang@syr.edu.
The New York Yankees received assistance in Summer 2019 from numerous Sport Management interns, including
Caitlin Alessi (second from left), Connor Monzo, Nico Basile, Andrea Ghanian, Seth Kourpas, Erica Krumbine,
Peter Appel and Tom Adams. They are shown with John Madden (far left), manager of inside sales
S T UDE NT S
Sales Club assists SU Athletics, Crunch selling tickets
During the 2018-19 academic year, the Sport
Sales Club’s focus was to increase member-
ship, strengthen its partnership with Syracuse
University Athletics, increase sales for its
project with the Syracuse Crunch, hold a
community service event, and welcome guest
speakers from the sport industry.
In conjunction with SU Athletics, the stu-
dents helped break the program’s Night Sales
record, selling more than $24,000 in tickets
for SU men’s basketball, women’s basketball
and football games. Club members cold-called
prospects and worked sales events such as
the annual Spring Game Select-A-Seat Event.
At that event, SPM freshman Connor Howard
set the record for most season ticket sales in a
single event.
The club worked with the Crunch on its an-
nual “SU Night” for the Crunch’s game against
the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in March of 2019.
To achieve their sales goals, members prospect-
ed student organizations, athletic teams, and
local businesses to pack the War Memorial that
evening. The club partnered with the Rescue
Mission to donate a portion of the proceeds to
help feed those in need in Syracuse.
The club welcomed numerous guest
speakers, including Mario Oliveri of the New
York Yankees, Kevin Rochlitz of the Balti-
more Ravens, Andrew Sidney of the Houston
Rockets, Steve McMahon of the Philadelphia
76ers, Jentry Mullins and Blake Pallansch of the
Phoenix Suns, David Campbell of the Miami
Marlins, Nate Medrano of the Miami Dolphins,
Alexandria Anneheim of the Charolette Hor-
nets, Howard Cole of the New York Mets, Mark
Hayes of the Syracuse Crunch, Foster Baker of
Paycom, and David Hammond of Catapult.
The Sales Club was established in 2015
and serves as a medium for members to gain
hands-on experience in the sport sales indus-
try, as well as provide networking opportuni-
ties for students to earn jobs and internships.
In Summer 2019, several members of the
Sales Club interned with the New York
Yankees, while other members interned with
the University of Illinois, Philadelphia Soul,
Syracuse Crunch, and Hartford Yard Goats,
among others.
Club ofcers for 2019-20 are Seth
Kourpas, president; Drew Bush, executive
vice president; Niko Armstrong, vice president
of programming; Cooper Self, vice president
of events; Devan Dachisen, vice president of
membership; and Ian Benepe, vice president of
administration.
The Sales Club meets at 6:30 p.m.
Thursdays during the academic year in Falk
400. For more information, contact Kourpas
at sbkourpa@syr.edu or club advisor David
Meluni at dmmeluni@syr.edu. All Syracuse
University students are welcome to attend.
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SPM-NYY pipeline
Seven SU Sport Management alumni are currently
working for the New York Yankees:
Nico Basile ’19,
junior sales associate, inside sales
Lucas D’Aversa ’19,
sales associate, inside sales
P.J. Davidson ’13,
assistant manager of group sales and service
Richard Granato ’11,
ticket operations representative
Jordan Harris SVEM ’19,
sales associate, inside sales
Erica Krumbine ’19,
junior sales associate, inside sales
AmandaRae McLean ’13,
community relations coordinator
Industry experts conrm that sales, and specically ticket sales, is the most
common career path into professional sports. To this end, the Department
of Sport Management established a partnership in 2012 with the New York
Yankees toward the training and employment of SPM students in ticket sales.
During the academic year, adjunct professor Al Weinberger and assistant
teaching professor David Meluni explain essential sales skills and develop
students’ understanding of the importance of sales to sport organizations.
The SPM 350/650 Sports Ticket Sales class and SPM 215 Principles of
Sales in Sports class involve collaboration with the Yankees and their sales
executives.
The organization hosted the students at Yankee Stadium in April 2019
for a panel discussion with ve Yankees staff members, including several SU
alumni. The students also enjoyed a facility tour and watched that night’s
game from a private suite.
In addition to sales training, employment possibilities are a key aspect to
the partnership between SPM and the Yankees. During each year of the part
nership, the Yankees have interviewed SPM students for full-time positions
on their inside sales staff, resulting in several hires, both as summer interns
and permanent positions.
“The New York Yankees have one of the best sales programs in all of
sports, and for them to give our students this kind of exposure is invaluable
and unique,” Meluni said. “We are thankful for this partnership and condent
that our best students will continue to earn internships and jobs with the
Yankees for years to come.”
Connect with SU Sport Management
Department of
Sport Management
Syracuse University
402 MacNaughton Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
315.443.9881 or
315.443.2630
(fax) 315.443.9716
Michael Veley
Director and Chair
mdveley@syr.edu
Kathryn Tunkel
Administrative Assistant to
Michael Veley
kmtunkel@syr.edu
Margie Chetney
Administrative Assistant
mchetney@syr.edu
Gina Pauline
Undergraduate Program Director
gapaulin@syr.edu
Jeff Pauline
Graduate Program Director
jspaulin@syr.edu
Rodney Paul
Analytics Program Director
rpaul01@syr.edu
David Salanger
Assistant Dean, Advancement,
Falk College
dasalang@syr.edu
Web:
falk.syr.edu/sport-management
Facebook:
SU Falk College Department of
Sport Management
Twitter:
@SUSportMgmt
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/school/
sufalkcollege
S TUDENT S
SPM partners with Yankees to teach ticket sales tactics
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Classes pitch ideas to sport industry think tank
During the Spring 2019 semester, Dr. Patrick Walsh’s SPM 444 Sports
Marketing Management class and David Meluni’s SPM 215 Principles
of Sales in Sport class collaborated with brand consultant Jeremy Darlow
on a variety of projects.
Darlow, former director of football and baseball marketing for
Adidas, has worked with and developed marketing strategies for top
university brands such as Notre Dame, Michigan, and UCLA; athletes
such as Aaron Rodgers and Lionel Messi; and celebrity inuencers such
as Kanye West and Snoop Dog. Following his time at Adidas, Darlow
created the Brand Food Think Tank, which provides weekly brand mar
keting strategies and tactics for industry professionals. He currently acts
as a brand consultant and is also the author of two books, “Brands Win
Championships” and “Athletes are Brands, Too.”
In each of the classes, Darlow provided a monthly challenge on a
current topic facing the sport industry. In SPM 444, students developed
ideas for how professional sport teams and facilities can utilize legalized
sport gambling to best engage with fans in-stadium on game days while
enhancing the overall fan and brand experience.
In a separate challenge, SPM 444 students developed ideas for how
a college football player can use the NFL Draft as a platform to build
brand awareness and develop a unique brand image.
SPM 215 students developed ideas around March Madness and
a piece of merchandise that could go viral surrounding an upstart team
making a run through the bracket. Also, SPM 215 students looked to
maximize attendance throughout Major League Baseball along with gen
erating a sponsorship idea to be showcased during the PGA Tour’s U.S.
Open, the Kentucky Derby, Indianapolis 500, or French Open. Student
ideas from both classes were then reviewed by SPM faculty and Darlow,
and the best ones were featured on Brand Food Podcasts throughout the
semester, as well as on Darlow’s Twitter account (with 90,000 followers)
and the Brand Food Think Tank website.
“The feedback I received from students was fantastic,” Meluni said.
“They really enjoyed the real-world exercise as if they were professionals
trying to solve challenges that industry leaders face daily.”
Active WISE members busy networking, volunteering
Women in Sports and Events (WISE)
is a nationally recognized group whose
goal is to be a leading voice and re-
source for women who currently work
in, or aspire to be a part of, the profes-
sional eld of sports and events. In
2009, Syracuse University was voted in
as the rst collegiate chapter of WISE’s
national organization, and since its in
ception on campus, has offered multiple
professional development opportunities
for membership.
With the help of SPM graduates
Ian McFate ’08, Sam Spector ’16, and
Jake Silverman ’08, the club organized a
two-day trip to Philadelphia in Octo
ber 2018 to network and learn from
industry professionals at the Philadelphia
Phillies, Sixers, Flyers and the University
of Pennsylvania. The women toured Citi
zens Bank Park, Wells Fargo Center, and
University of Pennsylvania athletic facilities, speaking with women who
work throughout different sectors of the sport organizations.
Students also attended the UPenn vs. Columbia vol
leyball game and Flyers vs. Golden Knights NHL game.
“We are so lucky to have alumni who are more
than happy to take time out of their days to host our
group, giving us tours of their facilities and setting up
panels of amazing women willing to share their ex
periences and insight” said WISE president Kristen
Rogers ’20.
In Spring 2019, WISE members volunteered at
the Ronald McDonald House in Syracuse to cook
and serve meals to families staying at the facility.
“We believe that it is extremely important to give
back to the community that has given us our home
away from home,” Rogers said.
The group co-hosted workshops
focusing on campus resources and
resumes; partnered with Witty Wicks,
a homemade candle company, and Chi
potle, to fundraise for future network
ing trips and events; and welcomed
numerous guest speakers to campus or
via Skype.
“WISE provides a fantastic way
for young women to hold leadership
positions and create opportunities for
members, such as hosting events or
collaborating with other on-campus
groups,” Cost said. “These are great
talking points when networking as well
as on interviews, not to mention a solid
way to learn skills for when they leave
campus.”
Keep up with SU’s WISE Club on
Social Media: Twitter: @WISE_SU;
Instagram: WISE_Cuse; and Face
book: Women in Sports and Events at Syracuse University.
The club ofcers for 2019-20 are Kaitlynn Miller, president; Elaine
Johnson, vice president of recruitment; Caroline Johnson, vice
president of internal programming;
Danielle Parr, vice president of
external programming; Hanna Kou,
treasurer; and Devan Dachisen, direc
tor of social media.
WISE, which meets at 5:45
p.m. Tuesdays in Falk 175, includes
women from all majors on campus
interested in pursuing careers in sports
and events. For more information,
email WISE co-advisors Nicole Cost
(nmbrog@syr.edu) or Lisa Liparulo
(lmliparu@syr.edu).
S TUDENT S
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Football Analytics Club focuses on research
The Football Analytics Club was established during the 2017-18 aca
demic year and grew from four to 40 students this past year. The Club was
recently accepted as an ofcial Syracuse University Registered Student
Organization beginning in Fall 2019. Weekly meetings are a combination
of football discussion and research projects or activities.
In Fall 2018, the club partnered with the XFL, the spring football
league started by Vince McMahon, to help the league research poten-
tial changes to the game. Members worked with SPM alumnus Bryan
Kilmeade ’18 to analyze NFL, AAF,
and CFL games. Data was collected
and analyzed to develop conclusions
the XFL utilized to formulate its rules.
Members also worked on a
research project showing how win-
ning/losing streaks impacted future
winning chances and betting lines.,
nding that for each additional win
on a team’s winning streak, the point
spread swung about one point in their
favor and that the home team’s likeli
hood to win the next game improved by 6.6 percent. For the away team,
it improved by 3.9 percent. In addition to these projects, the Club also
researched ideal cities for XFL teams and predicted free agent contracts.
The club traveled to New Era Field in Buffalo to watch the Bills beat the
Tennessee Titans on a last-second eld goal in October 2018. During that
trip, students met with SU Sport Analytics senior Evan Weiss ’19, who
was interning for the Bills’ Analytics Department. The club also held an
NFL Draft Party.
Club ofcers for the 2019-20
academic year are Zak Koeppel
(president), Sean Kenney (vice
president), Dylan Blechner (director of
research), Joe Pickering (director of op
erations) and Will Friedeman (treasurer).
The Football Analytics Club meets
at 6 p.m. Mondays during the academic
year in Falk 400. All Syracuse University
students are welcome to attend.
For more information, email Koeppel
at zkoeppel@syr.edu.
ANAL YTICS
Inaugural Berlin Sport Analytics Symposium
highlights rising importance of data in sport
“Calculating the Future of Sports
Through Analytics” was the
featured theme of the inaugural
Andrew T. Berlin Sport Analytics
Symposium, presented by Syracuse
University’s David B. Falk College
of Sport and Human Dynamics on
April 3, 2019, at the Westin Michi
gan Avenue in Chicago.
Now more than ever, informa-
tion and data are driving the sports
industry, the fth largest economic
sector in the U.S. economy that gen-
erated slightly less than $500 billion
in 2016-17. Scouts and agents rely
on sport analytics to identify unusual
talent and athletic capabilities.
Performance data helps professional
athletes monitor tness and predict likelihood of injury. Sport marketing
executives value data analytics to improve the fan experience.
The Berlin Sport Analytics Symposium brought together leading
industry innovators and Syracuse University faculty members to take a
closer look at the critical issues in sport analytics. Chicago Cubs senior
vice president of player development and amateur scouting, Jason
McLeod, gave the keynote address. McLeod began his front-ofce
career with the San Diego Padres and served as scouting director for the
Boston Red Sox.
A panel discussion was moderated by Michael D. Veley, founding
director and chair of Falk College’s Department of Sport Management,
and the Rhonda S. Falk Endowed Professor of Sport Management, with
remarks from Dr. Rodney Paul, SU’s sport analytics program designer,
director, professor.
The panelists included:
• Dafna Aaronson, founder,
Be Sports Minded
• Sean Ahmed, analyst, research and
development, baseball operations,
Chicago Cubs
• Kevin Brilliant, business
strategy and analytics senior man-
ager, Chicago Bulls
• Dr. Shane Sanders, sport
analytics associate professor, Syra-
cuse University
• Dr. Robby Sikka, professor,
associate director, data analytics
for sports medicine, Mayo Clinic
• Hart Zwingelberg, manager,
business intelligence, Chicago Fire
Soccer Club
Berlin Scholars participated in a senior thesis poster presentation dur-
ing the pre-event reception. The featured student presenters included
Syracuse University sport analytics seniors Cody Barbuto, Charles “CB”
Garrett IV, Justin Perline, and Evan Weiss. Falk College’s Department of
Sport Management also presented the inaugural “Pioneer in Sport Analyt-
ics Award” honoring Theo Epstein, president of baseball operations for the
Chicago Cubs.
The Berlin Sport Analytics Symposium event was made possible by the
generosity of Syracuse University Trustee and alumnus, Andrew T. Berlin
’83. Berlin is a partner investor of the Chicago Cubs, chairman and owner
of its minor league Cubs afliate, the South Bend Cubs, and chairman and
CEO of Berlin Packaging.
The second annual Berlin Sport Analytics Symposium is planned for
Spring 2020.
Andrew Berlin (center) is shown with the four Syracuse University sport analytics majors
and Berlin Scholars who presented their senior thesis research posters at the event.
From left are Charles “CB” Garrett IV, Cody Barbuto, Justin Perline and Evan Weiss.
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Sport analytics is a growing segment of
the industry, where many young, aspiring
sport professionals are choosing to make
a career. They’re data-driven—and they’re
catching the eye of sports teams all over the
In fall 2016, the program welcomed its
rst ofcial class as the rst undergradu
ate degree of its kind in the nation. The
intensive program with coursework in
economics, mathematics and computer
programming has attracted competitive
Since its launch, sport analytics at
Here are some program highlights:
• The rst four Berlin Scholars were named: class of 2019
• Barbuto
Kraft Analytics Group in Foxborough, Mass., after
graduating in May 2019.
• Garrett,
on Player Performance in Different Weather Condi
tions” won top honors at the 2019 Falk College Student
Research Celebration, spent the summer
the NBA’s Indiana Pacers in their performance analytics
department.
• Perline
Pittsburgh Pirates after interning with the team in summer
2018. He spent part of his 2018-19 winter break in the
Dominican Republic scouting for the Pirates.
Cody Barbuto, Evan Weiss, Charles “CB” Garrett IV and Justin Perline (from left) are the rst four graduates of the Sport Analytics program at Syracuse University.
They completed their degrees in May 2019, while also serving as Berlin Scholars.
On a Winning Streak: Sport Analytics students
Jonathan Bosch ’21 (left) and Alex Pesantez ’21 spent part of
their 2019 summer in Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon’s Summer
Undergraduate Research Experience in Statistics.
ANAL YTICS
Assembling a championship-caliber team and a protable business
organization is a challenge that sports owners, executives and managers
face every day in the ultra-competitive world of sports. Increasingly, they
are turning to data analytics for an advantage. Whether it is predicting
player performance, athlete injury recovery or enhancing an organiza-
tion’s bottom line, analytics is changing the methodology of how teams,
leagues and sport managers are competing to make better, quantiable
decisions.
with teams in Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Students and faculty have published and presented research internation-
ally. In addition, they have competed and placed in prestigious industry
and academic competitions, including SABR Diamond Dollars Case
Competition, MIT Sloan Sports Analytics, ACC Meeting of the Minds,
and the NFL’s inaugural Big Data Bowl earlier this year.
seniors Cody Barbuto, Charles “CB” Garrett IV,
Justin Perline and Evan Weiss.
accepted a full-time analytics position from
world.
-
whose research on “Impact of Birthplace
-
interning with
students from around the world.
accepted a full-time analytics position with the
Syracuse has celebrated many suc-
cesses. The program has established
student-industry collaborations
with EDGE10, XFL, Spotted, and
Syracuse University Athletics. Stu-
dents have secured professional
job placements prior to graduation
16
• During his junior year at SU,
Weiss was hired as an intern
to work with the Buffalo Bills
during the Fall 2018 semester.
He returned to campus in January
2019 to complete his degree and
was retained by the team full-time
after graduation in May 2019.
• In August 2018, Perline and Gar-
rett presented their research at
the European Sports Economics
Association (ESEA) conference
in London, titled “Minor League
Team Success and Its Impact on
MLB Player Performance.”
• Barbuto and Nick Riccardi ’20
presented their research at the
2019 Academy of Economics and Finance conference in Tampa,
Florida. Riccardi won the student paper competition with his study,
“Canadian Hockey League Game-To-Game Performance.” He also
presented the paper at the ACC Meeting of the Minds conference at
the University of Louisville in March. Barbuto’s paper was titled “GINI
Coefcients in the NBA.” Riccardi also presented his research the
past two years at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Hockey
Analytics Conference and co-authored research that was published in
the International Journal of Financial Studies titled “Attendance in the
Canadian Hockey League: The Impact of Winning, Fighting, Uncer
tainty of Outcome, and Weather on Junior Hockey Attendance.”
• Perline co-authored a paper with Sport Analytics associate profes-
sor Dr. Shane Sanders titled “Informed Voters, Uninformed Voters,
and Electoral Outcomes: A Natural Experiment from Major League
Baseball MVP Voting,” which Sanders presented at the 2019 Public
Choice Society Annual Meetings in Louisville, Kentucky. Sanders
was then invited to present the same paper at Indiana University in
Bloomington, Indiana.
• Sport Analytics students Dylan
Blechner, Zak Koeppel,
Will Friedeman and Cameron
Johnson entered their research to the
NFL’s inaugural Big Data Bowl com
petition. The competition provided
participants with access to NFL player-
tracking data to create proposals on
one of three topics: player speed, game
rules and receiver routes. Their entry,
“Route Clustering,” placed in the top
nine from more than 100 submissions
and was one of ve entries to receive an
honorable mention.
• Jonathan Bosch ’21 and Alex Pesantez
’21 spent part of their 2019 summer in
Pittsburgh at Carnegie Mellon’s Sum
mer Undergraduate Research Experi-
ence in Statistics. The program provided
participants with hands-on experience
working with real data, on real
problems, in a stimulating, collabora-
tive, and supportive environment.
The students have worked with
Syracuse University Sport Analyt-
ics professors Dr. Rodney Paul and
Dr. Shane Sanders on research
projects while attending classes and
being active members of student-run
analytics clubs on campus. “Jon and
Alex’s hard work and commitment
to research led to the well-deserved
opportunity at Carnegie Mellon,”
Paul said.
• Perline, Weiss, Kyle Liotta ’20
and Josh Hentschel ’19, along with
Paul, Sanders and Sport Analytics
Program Manager Francesco Riverso attended the MIT Sloan Sport
Analytics Conference in Boston in March 2019, where they heard
presentations about current topics impacting the industry and inter-
acted with executives. The students also benetted from networking
sessions and a career fair.
• Barbuto, Garrett, and Liotta co-authored a paper with Dr. Paul titled
“Celebrity Attraction in the Minors: the Case of Tim Tebow” that was
published in the Journal of Economics and Finance.
• Sport Analytics students were asked by SU’s ofce of alumni relations to
give a presentation to alumni before two SU football games in Fall 2018
and two SU men’s basketball games during the 2018-19 season.
• Well-known New York Post sports columnist Ken Davidoff wrote
about the sport analytics program’s success in September 2018 in a
column titled “Next Generation of Sports Fans Ready to Take Over
Baseball.”
• Here’s a sampling of where Syracuse University Sport Analytics
students interned in Summer 2019: Dylan Blechner, Spotted, Inc.;
Bailie Brown, Florence Red Wolves; Zachary Crowe, Falmouth Com
modores; Jacob Cummis, Indiana Pacers; Jack Dolitsky, BSE
Global; Whitaker Ellis, Clover Sonoma; Cameron Johnson,
Reign FC; Sean Kenney, Parametric Technology Corpora
tion (PTC); Kyle Liotta, Milwaukee Brewers; Samuel Mar-
teka, Orleans Firebirds; Stephen McClain, University of
Pittsburgh Football; Colby Olson, EBSCO Industries; Justin
Philbin, New York Lizards; Joseph Pickering, Rookie Road;
Hughston Preston, Cape Cod Baseball League; Nicholas
Riccardi, Bankers Healthcare Group; Joseph Sabel, Costa
Del Mar; Nicholas Schloop, Wasserman Media Group.
• As of May 2019, 50 students at Syracuse University are
minoring in sport analytics.
• Falk College will welcome 59 sport analytics freshmen
to campus in Fall 2019, as well as two new sport
analytics faculty members in Dr. Justin Ehrlich and
Dr. Jeremy Losak.
Nick Riccardi ’20 presented his research at the 2019 Academy of Economics and
Finance conference in Tampa, Florida. He won the student paper competition with
his study titled “Canadian Hockey League Game-To-Game Performance.”
Kyle Liotta ’20 spent his 2019 summer
interning for the Milwaukee Brewers in their
strategy and business analytics department.
prove they’re ready to storm the industry
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High schoolers test drive analytics at summer academy
Twenty-four high school students spent two weeks on campus in Summer 2019 enrolled in the inaugural Berlin Sport Analytics Academy. The
program, which was held July 29 to August 9, provided students the opportunity to explore data’s role in understanding and prioritizing informa
tion to maintain a competitive advantage in the sports industry.
The group consisted of 23 students from the United States and one from China. They were shown how analytics are being used in a variety of
sports, and learned skills in various applications that are currently being used in Sport Analytics courses at Syracuse University and in the sport
industry, including R, Tableau, SQL and more.
Guest speakers were brought in to discuss industry trends, research topics and sample careers. Students were taught by SU sport analytics
professors Dr. Rodney Paul, Dr. Shane Sanders, Dr. Justin Ehrlich, and Dr. Jeremy Losak. Sport Analytics program manager Francesco Riverso
planned experiential learning trips for the students to the Syracuse Crunch, Buffalo Bills, Syracuse Mets, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
ANAL YTICS
Club members share same zest for basketball
The Syracuse University Basketball Analytics Club concluded its
third year in 2018-2019, expanding its membership to more than 40
members who strive to uncover statistical trends in basketball through
research, as well as maintaining a fun environment to discuss and debate
all things basketball related.
The organization was assembled to conduct analysis on the NBA,
NCAA, and high school basketball. Over the past year, members have
researched topics such as “Which NCAA Conferences Produce the Best
NBA Players,” “The Consequences of Over-Playing Starters in the NBA,”
and “Does College Shooting Translate to the NBA.”
The club aims to gather students who share the same zest for
basketball, in addition to their drive for research. Members practice their
analytical skills in Excel as well as utilize their research skills on basket-
ball databases to nd appropriate data for analysis.
In February 2019, club members Jonathan Bosch, Nick Riccardi,
Zach Anhalt, Alejandro Pesantez, Fletcher Wilson, Isaiah Freedman,
and John Litchenstein attended the McCormack Sport Analytics Trade
Deadline conference at UMass Amherst. They acted as general manag-
ers in a simulation of the NBA trade deadline. Attendees were broken
into groups and assigned an NBA franchise. The groups then began
trading and transforming their rosters for the duration of the day. The
event gave students the opportunity to practice rst-hand what takes
place during NBA trade negotiations in regard to trade rules, salary cap
management, and the Collective Bargaining Agreement, among others.
Other projects included taking part in the Falk College Research
Celebration and hosting guest speakers in person or via Skype, including
basketball analytics professionals from the Houston Rockets, Phoenix
Suns, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Ofcers for the 2019-20 academic year are president Jonathan
Bosch, executive vice president John Lichtenstein, vice president mar-
keting Brendan McKeown, director of social media Sean Kenney, and
project coordinators Alejandro Pesantez and Danny Emerman.
The club meets at 7 p.m. Mondays in Falk 175 and 1 p.m. Fridays in
Falk 104 during the academic year. All Syracuse University students are
welcome to join. Contact Bosch at jbosch@syr.edu for more information.
Club members John Litchenstein, Fletcher Wilson, Jonathan Bosch, Isaiah Freedman, Zach Anhalt, Alejandro Pesantez and Nick Riccardi (from left) attended the McCormack
Sport Analytics Trade Deadline Conference at UMass Amherst in February 2019.
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Full speed ahead for active Sabermetrics Club
Sabermetrics is the study of advanced
baseball statistics. And who better to study
that than Syracuse University Sport Analytics
students?
The student-led club conducts in-depth
discussions about current topics in the indus-
try, takes part in research projects, attends
national competitions, hosts guest speakers,
and runs a fantasy baseball league.
Club members Charles “CB” Garrett IV
’19, Cody Barbuto ’19 and Kyle Liotta ’20
published a research paper in conjunction with
club advisor and Sport Analytics professor
Dr. Rodney Paul on how minor league baseball
player Tim Tebow affected attendance for
teams during the 2017 season. The paper,
titled “Celebrity Attraction in the Minors:
The Case of Tim Tebow,” was published in the
Journal of Economics and Finance.
Club competes in Phoenix
For the fth straight year, Club members par
ticipated in the Society of American Baseball
Research (SABR) Analytics’ Diamond Dollars
Case Competition in Phoenix, Arizona, over
Spring Break in March 2019. The competition
is for undergraduate and graduate students
from universities across the country to
compete against each other by researching
and presenting on a current baseball analytics
topic. Presentations were made to a panel of
judges consisting of Major League Baseball
executives. Five SU teams competed in
Arizona in 2019, with two teams winning their
respective divisions.
The topic was “Developing a Strategy for
Pitching Usage,” and teams were tasked with
dening a strategy (or multiple strategies) that
MLB teams can follow to assess the optimal
way to deploy their pitching assets over the
course of a 162-game schedule. Teams had to
show how their strategy would impact team
run prevention and ultimately team perfor-
mance. Teams made their presentations by
using programs such as R, Excel, and Tableau.
With the help of gifts from Falk College
donors Jeff Lomasky and Andrew Berlin, 25
students competed at this prestigious event.
The competition is part of the annual SABR
Analytics Conference in Phoenix, which
featured industry speakers, as well as a net
working event and job fair for the students to
engage with executives who work in the base
ball analytics eld. Students also attended
spring training games and an Arizona Coyotes
game, along with meeting members of the
Arizona Diamondbacks’ business analytics
team, including Syracuse SPM graduate Greg
Ackerman ’15.
The students were accompanied by
Dr. Paul, Sport Analytics program manager
Francesco Riverso, and Sport Management
assistant teaching professor David Meluni.
NYU Case Competition
Two teams representing the Sabermetrics
Club competed at the SABR Diamond Dollars
Case Competition at NYU on November 16,
2018. Sport Analytics majors Kyle Liotta
(’20), Warren Schatten (’22), Drake Mills
(’22), Daniel Preciado (’22), Joseph Sabel
(’20), Zachary Crowe (’22), Steven Dimaria
(’22), Colby Olson (’21), Gareth Jobling (’21)
and Zak Koeppel (’21) competed against
other universities such as Tufts University and
Fordham University.
The teams were tasked with predicting the
contracts of MLB free agents Bryce Harper
and Manny Machado. Students were given
ve days to collect data, create a model, and
prepare a 30-minute presentation on the topic
that was given in New York City. Judges for the
competition included Cameron Barwick of
MLB and Chris Pang of the New York Yankees.
“We are very proud of the way our
students compete at these events,” said Dr.
Paul. “It’s a terric way for them to showcase
their research in front of industry profession-
als as well as gain experience outside of the
classroom.”
Ofcers for the 2019-2020 academic
year are president Kyle Liotta, vice president
Brendan McKeown, director of research
Steven DiMaria and director of outreach
Hughston Preston.
The Club meets at 6:45 p.m. Wednesdays
in Falk 200. Email Dr. Paul at rpaul01@syr.
edu or Liotta at kaliotta@syr.edu for more
information.
Sport Analytics majors and minors represented SU at the 2019 Society of American Baseball Research Diamond Dollars Case Competition in Phoenix, Arizona.
ANALYTICS
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19
Dr. Jeeyoon Kim
Assistant professor
Dr. Kim received notication from the Falk College
Promotion and Tenure Committee that her third-year
review was positive and she has been given another
three-year contract at Syracuse University. She pre-
sented her research at the 2018 Sport Marketing
Association Conference in Dallas and the MEMOS
Olympic Sport Management Convention in Portugal.
Dr. Kim will be on research leave for the Fall 2019
semester in South Korea.
Dr. Jeremy Losak
Assistant professor
Dr. Losak is a 2016 Syracuse University Sport
Management graduate, who completed his PhD in
economics at Clemson in Summer 2019. His research
focuses on sport economics, baseball arbitration and
betting markets and has been published in Manage-
rial Finance and Academy of Economics and Finance
Journal. Losak will teach sport analytics courses begin
ning in Fall 2019. His research has been accepted for
presentation at the 2019 European Sports Economics
Association Conference in Spain.
David Meluni
Assistant teaching professor
Meluni spent four years as an adjunct professor in
Sport Management before joining the faculty full
time in Fall 2018. He has 20 years of experience in
the sport industry, including at Florida State Athletics,
IMG College, SIDEARM Sports, Innity Sports and
Entertainment, and Skoresheet. Meluni teaches sales,
marketing, sponsorship and promotion courses at SU,
and has created class projects with the Syracuse Mets,
Syracuse Crunch and Brand Food.
Dr. Rodney Paul
Professor, Analytics program director
Dr. Paul presented his research at the 2019 Academy
of Economics and Finance Conference in Tampa and at
the 2018 European Association of Sport Economics in
England. Dr. Paul, a sports economist, serves as advisor
of the SPM Baseball Statistics and Sabermetrics Club,
teaches Sport Analytics courses at SU and oversees
senior thesis projects.
Dr. Gina Pauline
Associate professor, undergraduate program director
Dr. Pauline, who has taught at SU since 2006, is
conducting research focusing on gender differences
in organizational leadership as well as event manage
ment practices. She works on curriculum, assessment
planning, and evaluation for the department, and is also
involved with SU Project Advance in the offering of
sport management classes to high school students.
The 2018-19 academic year was productive for SPM faculty and staff on
campus, domestically, and internationally. From presenting research at con-
ferences worldwide to mentoring students on campus and in the community,
SPM faculty and staff continue to bring new and important perspectives
impacting today’s most critical issues in sport. Listed below is a small sampling
of select accomplishments. We invite you to visit the Falk College and
Department of Sport Management web sites regularly (falk.syr.edu/sport-
management) to stay current with SPM students, faculty and staff news.
Rick Burton
David B. Falk endowed professor
Burton presented his research at the 2018 Sport
Marketing Association Conference in Dallas, and at
tended the NCAA National Convention in Orlando. He
co-authored “Forever Orange: The Story of Syracuse
University” in honor of SU’s 150th anniversary. Burton
also serves as SU’s Faculty Athletic Representative to
the NCAA and ACC.
Dennis Deninger
Professor of practice
The former ESPN production executive and three-time
Emmy Award winner teaches Sport Communications,
Super Bowl and Society, and Sports, Media and Soci-
ety courses. Deninger, who was the founding director
of the Sports Communications graduate program at
the Newhouse School, lead a group of three SU student
journalists to Atlanta to cover Super Bowl LIII.
Dr. Justin Ehrlich
Assistant professor
Dr. Ehrlich comes to Syracuse University in Fall 2019
after teaching in the School of Computer Science at
Western Illinois University since 2010. Ehrlich will
teach sport analytics classes as part of a Syracuse
University-wide cluster hire. Ehrlich, whose research
is focused on sport epidemiology, sport analytics, and
data visualization, received his Ph.D. in computer sci
ence from the University of Kansas.
Dr. Mary Graham
Professor
Dr. Graham presented her research at the 2019
American Sociological Association Conference in New
York City and continues as an editorial board member
for the journal Human Resource Management. She
also serves as a Provost’s Faculty Fellow, where she
works closely with the Syracuse University Senate
to implement campus-wide shared competencies for
undergraduate students.
SPM news and notes
F A CUL TY AND S T AFF
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Dr. Jeff Pauline
Associate professor, graduate program director
Dr. Pauline presented his research at the 2018 As-
sociation of Applied Sport Psychologists (AASP)
national conference in Toronto. He serves on the AASP
Continuing Education Committee and is also a member
of AASP, the SU Appeals Board, and Falk College’s
Grievance Committee. Pauline took students in SPM
101 to the Syracuse Rescue Mission to serve meals
and log volunteer hours.
Patrick Ryan
Associate teaching professor
Ryan mentors the SPM Learning Community. He works
closely with Falk College information technology staff
to best outt the college with the necessary equipment
for the Milton Conrad Technology Center. He also
accompanied SPM 356 students on an experiential
learning trip to Lake Placid.
Dr. Shane Sanders
Associate professor
Dr. Sanders presented his research at the 2019 Public
Choice Meeting in Louisville, the 2018 Midwest
Sports Analytics Meeting in Iowa, and at Indiana
University. Dr. Sanders is the advisor for the SPM
Basketball Analytics Club and teaches Sport Analytics
courses at SU.
Michael Veley
Director and chair, Rhonda S. Falk endowed professor
Veley is the founding director of the Sport Manage-
ment program at SU. He serves as vice president of
the Syracuse Sports Corporation, is the public address
announcer for SU football and basketball games, and
the advisor of the Sport Management Club. Veley,
who spent nearly two decades working as a Division
I athletic administrator, serves on the advisory board
of the Center of Sports Business and Research at Penn
State University.
Dr. Patrick Walsh
Associate professor
Dr. Walsh presented his research at the 2019 Global
Sport Business Association Conference, had articles
published in Journal of Applied Sport Management
and Journal of Contemporary Athletics, and signed a
contract to be a co-author on a leading sport marketing
textbook. He currently serves on the editorial boards of
Sport Marketing Quarterly, the International Journal
of Sport Management, and the Journal of Global Sport
Management.
Dr. John Wolohan
Professor
Dr. Wolohan spoke at the Clinton School of Public
Service in Arkansas as a William J. Clinton Distin
guished Lecturer, as well as attended the Australia/New
Zealand Sports Law Association Conference and the
2018 United States Sports Congress Conference in
Daytona Beach, Florida. Dr. Wolohan also teaches in
SU’s College of Law.
Sport Management staff updates
Margie Chetney nished her sixth year in Sport
Management as an administrative assistant. She works
closely with students and faculty, manages department
calendars, organizes SPM events, serves as editor of
the SPM newsletter and handles social media and news
for the department.
Nicole Cost (SPM class of 2008) nished her third year
as an internship placement coordinator in Sport Man-
agement. She works with SPM seniors on Capstone
guidance, undergraduates on internships and advising,
as well as being a liaison for department alumni. She is
the co-advisor of the SPM Women in Sports and Events
(WISE) Club and also teaches SPM 201 and SPM 455.
Lisa Liparulo nished her rst year as an internship
placement coordinator in Sport Management. She
works with SPM seniors on Capstone guidance, as well
as undergraduates on internships and advising. She is
the co-advisor of WISE, teaches SPM 201 and SPM
455 and acts as a career advisor for SVEM graduate
students.
Kevin McNeill joined the department as an internship
placement coordinator in February 2019 after spend-
ing 12 years at Le Moyne College as associate athletics
director for marketing. He works with SPM seniors
on Capstone guidance, as well as undergraduates on
internships and advising. He will teach SPM 201 and
SPM 455.
Francesco Riverso nished his fourth year in the
department, and as the program manager for Sport
Analytics has shifted focus to advising Sport Analytics
majors, connecting them to internships and working
to develop partnerships to benet the program. He
assists in the coordination of the Berlin Sport Analytics
Symposium and the Berlin Sport Analytics Summer
Academy at SU, as well as teaching HSH 101 and
SPM 201.
Kathryn Tunkel, who celebrated her 26th year at Syra-
cuse University in 2019, is the administrative assistant
to SPM director Michael Veley. She works closely with
students and faculty, handles all SPM course schedul-
ing, classroom assignments, Intra-University Transfer
and SPM minor applications, and student enrollment.
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21
SU football counts on
SPM students
These students assisted the Syracuse
University football team in the 2018-19
academic year as interns or managers:
Luke Adelstein, Ethan Barnowitz, Nick
Cohen, Aaron Cornelius, Cameryn
Cortese, Will Dalton, Dan Geraci, Nate
Glazer, Jordan Heller, Adam Israel, Jake
Kleban, Marielle McLoughlin, Drew
Meyer, Austin Natowitz, Mike Powell
and Ethan Yoo.
Sport Management majors Austin Natowitz, Sean Onwualu and Drew Meyer (from left) are shown at the
Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida, in December 2018. Natowitz served as a video intern for the
team, Onwualu played defensive back and Meyer worked in football operations.
NEWS AND EVENT S
A major win for Sport Management students in Orlando
SPM seniors cherish hands-on football experience
By Mary Beth Horsington
homework than I was in my
Syracuse University News
own. So I transferred into
one of the best programs in
When Austin Natowitz
the country.”
was weighing his college
The Camping World
options, the Scarsdale,
Bowl energized the senior
New York, native says
sport management majors
he decided on Syracuse
as their academic program
University for two reasons.
neared the nish line.
The rst was reputation.
Natowitz hopes to parlay
“I wanted to be where
his impressive academic
people were proud to say
record—as well as hands-on
they went to school,” he
experience at Syracuse,
remembers, “and I wanted
a summer internship with
a career in a eld where
sport-tech company
consumers are passionate
Grabyo, and a nal semes-
about the product. The
ter capstone project at the
sport management major at
University of Tennessee—
Falk College was what put
into a career as an athletics
SU over the top.”
director at a prominent
As his nal semester
university.
at Syracuse approached,
“Falk and Syracuse
Natowitz, who served as
have set me up for success
a video intern for the SU
in reaching that goal,” Na-
football team, couldn’t
towitz says. “I don’t want
have imagined a better
to scare him, but my dream
nale than the one he wit-
job is currently occupied by
nessed on December 28,
John Wildhack,” Syracuse’s
2018. He accompanied the
director of athletics.
Orange football team to
the Camping World Bowl
in Orlando, where they
took on West Virginia in
their rst Bowl game since
2013 and came away with a 34-18 win. And
Natowitz got to lm the whole thing.
“The Bowl opportunity meant everything
to me,” Natowitz says. “I worked for the team
for three years, and seeing it all pay off with
an amazing season—capped off with the Bowl
experience—was a dream come true.”
Students like Natowitz gained something
beyond the thrill of victory in Orlando. Expe-
riential learning is a cornerstone of the sport
management program, and for the students
enrolled in the major, the Bowl game presented
a live-action laboratory of hands-on experi-
ence. It encompassed nearly every aspect of
the sport management curriculum—adminis-
tration, business, sales, facility management,
marketing and promotion, analytics, athletic
compliance, law, and more.
Drew Meyer, a sport management senior
from Baltimore, had been working with Brad
Wittke, SU’s director of football operations,
since his rst year at Syracuse. “We focused
on travel plans and team itinerary so Coach
Babers could focus on the team and the game
without distractions,” Meyer says. “If we did
our jobs well, we went unnoticed because
everything ran smoothly.”
Sport management is a popular program at
Syracuse. It’s also demanding and exciting – a
lot like playing on a team. “Falk is all about
working on group projects that will ultimately
prepare us for a career in the industry,” Meyer
says. Natowitz concurs. “It’s really selective,
so when I was accepted, I knew I had to be the
best student I could be.” That resolve led Na-
towitz to take on minors in marketing through
Whitman and public communication through
Newhouse. His hard work paid off in May,
when he graduated magna cum laude.
Sean Onwualu, a sport management major
from Los Angeles, played defensive back for
the Orange team. He didn’t plan on a sport
management major when he came to Syracuse.
“I was a psychology major until my sophomore
year, but my roommate was in sport manage-
ment and I was much more interested in his
Meyer’s professional
goals lean toward athletic
marketing and branding.
“Last summer I had a great
experience working with the Baltimore Ravens
in marketing. I’m condent that with the sup-
port of Brad Wittke, sport management intern
coordinator Nicole Cost, and countless profes-
sors who helped me over the years, I am well
prepared to pursue a career in this competitive
industry.”
22
Students immerse themselves in New England sports culture
Eighteen students enrolled in SPM 300 spent eight days during Mayme-
ster 2019 in the Boston area touring sport-related facilities, and meeting
with industry executives from nearly 20 venues and organizations. The
New England Sports Immersion course compares and contrasts busi-
ness practices, marketing strategies, branding initiatives, social media
outreach and the organizational culture of competing sports franchises
and entities in the greater New England market.
Students conducted professional networking and met and inter
acted with more than 70 industry executives and practitioners in the
sporting industry, including 13 Syracuse University graduates. The
course was taught by Sport Management Director Michael Veley and
Sport Management assistant teaching professor David Meluni.
“Building the Syracuse Sport Management footprint throughout
New England is important for our students and our program,” Veley said.
“We met with a multitude of executives, alumni and practitioners in
nearly every facet of sports, which was a transformative experi-
ence for the students.”
This year’s trip included meetings with professionals from
the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, TD Garden,
Kraft Analytics and Sports Entertainment Group, Basketball Hall
of Fame, New England Sports Center, Tennis Hall of Fame, UMass
Lowell Athletics, American Athletic Conference, UMass Amherst
Athletics, Major League Lacrosse, ISlide, Baseballism, and Boston
Athletic Association.
“The engagement, support and welcome from all of the organi-
zations was incredible,”
Meluni said. “Our students made important connections with
numerous executives as they begin to pave their path for the future.”
Students attended a professional soccer match between the
New England Revolution and Chelsea; a minor league baseball game
at historic McCoy Stadium, home of the Pawtucket Red Sox; a
Boston Red Sox game; a collegiate baseball game between Boston
College and Notre Dame; and visited Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
“Seeing so many facets of the industry truly opened my eyes to
what I could do with my career, from managing sports complexes
to sales,” said sport management major Tasha Getten ’21. “I made
connections that will help me in my future for sure.”
NEWS AND EVENT S
SPM professors awarded ’CUSE Grants
Sport Management professor Dr. Mary
Graham and Sport Management assistant
professor Dr. Jeeyoon Kim have been awarded
’CUSE (Collaboration for Unprecedented Suc
cess and Excellence) Grants from the Syracuse
University ofce of the Vice President for
Research.
Graham teamed with Falk College Public
Health assistant professor Bhavneet Walia and
Distinguished Professor of Economics William
Horrace of the Maxwell School of Citizenship
and Public Affairs, on a proposal titled “Man-
agement Team Diversity and Misconduct by Male Professional Ath-
letes.” The research team seeks to build upon a study by Graham, Walia,
and SPM graduate Chris Robinson that found that teams with greater
numbers of women executives experienced fewer instances of miscon-
duct by National Football League players. The grant is for $20,000.
Kim teamed with Falk College Sport
Management associate professor Dr. Shane
Sanders, Public Health assistant professor
Dr. Bhavneet Walia, School of Education
assistant professor Bong Gee Jang, as well as
assistant professor Eui Jun Jeong from Konkuk
University in Korea. The project is titled
“E-sport, psychological well-being, and sport
participation: Data collection and natural
eld experimental analysis.” Their grant is for
$30,000.
The purpose of the ’CUSE Grant is to
enhance interdisciplinary collaborations, to grow the research enterprise
and enhance scholarship at Syracuse University in order to increase
extramural funding and high-quality scholarly output. The program is de
signed to support faculty in becoming competitive in securing external
funding and sponsorship.
Kim Graham
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23
Students learn how LA sports mecca operates
Los Angeles is quickly becoming the
sports capital of the world. Home to
11 major professional sports teams,
and having recently won bids for
the 2020 Major League Baseball
All-Star Game, 2022 Super Bowl LVI,
2023 College Football Playoff National
Championship Game and 2028 Summer
Olympics, Los Angeles offers a mecca of
opportunities for students eager to learn
about the sport industry.
Twenty Syracuse
University Sport
Management students
did just that over their
March 2019 spring
break, spending
eight days immersing
themselves in LA’s
sport industry.
The intensive
trip to Southern
California is part of
a course (SPM 358)
that allows students
to interact with
industry executives
and practitioners
from nearly every
sector of the in-
dustry. The course
compares and
contrasts business
practices, market
ing strategies,
branding initiatives, social media outreach
and the organizational culture of compet
ing sports franchises and entities in the
greater Los Angeles market.
“It was an amazing opportunity
to meet with so many well-respected
professionals in a large sporting indus-
try such as LA,” said Sport Manage
ment major Victoria Kelly ’22. “The
culture of the sports world in LA is
unmatched to any other city and has
opened my eyes to the professional
techniques needed to be successful
in the industry.”
A highlight of this year’s trip
was a dinner meeting at profes-
sional Basketball Hall of Famer
Bill Walton’s house. The group
also visited Hollywood, Hoag Clas
sic, NASCAR, UCLA, LA Clippers, Dodger Stadium,
LA Marathon, FOX Sports, LA Rams,
LAFC, Staples Center, AEG, Santa
Monica Pier, Rose Bowl, USC, LA
Kings, LA Coliseum, NFL Network,
and Legends.
“We strive to introduce students
to non-traditional sectors of the in-
dustry and opportunities they won’t
see in Syracuse,” said Michael Veley,
Sport Management director and
Rhonda S. Falk Endowed Professor,
who teaches SPM 358. “We have
more and more of our SPM alumni
working in LA, with many securing
their jobs from connections made
on this trip.”
Stu-
dents also
attended
a Clippers
vs. Celtics
NBA game
and Kings
vs. Nash-
ville NHL
game.
“I
knew this
would be
a once in
a lifetime
oppor-
tunity,”
said Sport Manage-
ment major Marc Orlin
’21. “Eating dinner and
spending three hours at
Bill Walton’s house was
truly amazing. He pro
vided me with helpful
information on how I
should live my life. As
a hockey fan, it was an
incredible experience
to step onto the LA
Kings’ ice.”
The students
were accompanied
on the trip by Veley.
Portions of the ex-
perience are made
possible by a gift
from Jeff and Andrea
Lomasky.
NEWS AND EVENT S
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24
Advocating for inclusive facilities access
To prepare students in the Venue Management course to advocate for inclusive facilities access
as future sport venue and events professionals, assistant professor of sport management
Dr. Jamie Kim incorporated “Inclusive U” training into her SPM 437 syllabus in Fall 2018.
Twelve students took the 10-hour online training program offered by the Inclusive Recreation Resource
Center, supported by the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (NYS DDPC). As part
of the training, students used measurement tapes, door pressure gauge, and inclinometers to examine spaces,
access, and equipment. After completion of the training to learn about accessibility and inclusive buildings,
students were Certied Inclusivity Assessors and able to conduct inclusivity assessments.
“Inclusive access to public buildings is a civil right for people with disabilities, which should be better
promoted and has a lot of room to improve,” Kim said. “It is critical for students, as future venue managers, to
acknowledge the importance of and understand the standards for inclusive access.”
Students in the class found the certication process helpful.
“Through this class, I was met with a new sense of profound awareness about making public recreation
areas and buildings accessible for all people of all ages no matter what circumstances they might have,” said
Sport Analytics major Sam Marteka ’21.
During the training, students used
measuring tapes, door pressure gauges, and
inclinometers to examine spaces around
SU’s campus.
NEWS AND EVENT S
Graduate students host Orange Guardians charity benet
Syracuse University’s Sport Venue and Event Management (SVEM)
graduate program raised $15,000 during its Orange Guardians Kickoff
fundraiser to benet Grifns Guardians on April 8, 2019, at Embassy
Suites at Destiny USA in Syracuse. The event included more than 150
attendees, a dinner and reception, entertainment, silent auction, and
process was a great way to learn and develop as industry profession-
als,” said Sport Venue and Event Management graduate student Baylee
Douglas ’19. “Grifn’s Guardians is such a deserving partner and we really
cherished furthering their efforts in bringing awareness to pediatric cancer.”
The students worked on the event as part of their SPM 665
Advanced Event Management class and SPM 635 Marketing Sport
Venues and Events class. Students were responsible for all aspects of the
event, including selecting the community partner, operations, marketing,
hospitality, fundraising, and sponsorships.
“The students decided to plan a different event than what was done
in previous years,” said Dr. Gina Pauline, Sport Management associate
professor and undergraduate director. “The result was the creation of a
top-notch experience for attendees that included guest speakers, cancer
survivors and athletes such as Rex Culpepper and Rob Long, specialty
food, music, and an incredible keynote speaker. Falk College is proud of
our graduate students for bringing awareness to pediatric cancer while
helping to raise funds for this very worthy cause.”
guest speakers.
Monies raised will support Grifns Guardians, which provides nan-
cial assistance to families in Central New York that have a child battling
cancer.
“It’s through organizations like Grifn’s Guardians that patients and
their families receive the resources they need to ght this disease,” said
Syracuse University head football coach Dino Babers. “I commend the
Sport Venue and Event Management program for organizing this event.”
This event connected event management courses, including
experiential learning opportunities and social responsibility, which are
hallmarks of all academic programs across Syracuse University’s Falk
Syracuse University football coach Dino Babers (left) served as keynote speaker for
the Orange Guardians Kickoff fundraiser on April 8. The event beneted Grifn’s
Guardians, which is named for Grifn Engle, who passed away from brain cancer in
2014. Babers is shown with Grifn’s sister Grace, mother Erin, brother Everett, and
father Adam.
25
College. The execution of this event is part of the SVEM curriculum that
requires students to organize an event to gain hands-on learning experi-
ence in the sports industry.
“Being involved in all steps of the event planning and management
ACC honors SPM
student-athletes
Ten Syracuse University Sport Manage-
ment student-athletes were named on the
Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll for
the 2018-19 academic year. The Honor
Roll is comprised of student-athletes who
participated in a varsity-level sport and
registered a grade point average of 3.0 or
better for the full academic year.
The SPM honorees are:
Cody Conway, football
Drina Domic, soccer
Lindsay Eastwood, ice hockey
Joey Eovaldi, track and cross country
Josie Kiesel, rowing
Alexandra Olnowich, ice hockey
Sean Onwualu, football
Tara Ryan, rowing
Kristen Siermachesky, ice hockey
Ryan Smith, crew
NEWS AND EVENT S
European Olympic Odyssey highlights four countries in 19 days
Fourteen students from across the University
and the Department of Sport Management,
led by SPM assistant professor Dr. Jeeyoon
Kim, traveled to Europe in May as part of
SPM 357, a 19-day, four-country Olympic
Odyssey trip.
The program began in London, where
students experienced the impact of the 2012
Summer Games. From there, they traveled
to Paris, birthplace of the modern Olympic
movement and host of the 2024 Summer
Games. The students visited the French Para-
lympics Committee and INSEP (the National
Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance)
as well as attended a PSG Ligue 1 match. Next,
the group traveled to Lausanne,
Switzerland, to inspect the present-day
“Olympic Capital” and headquarters of
the International Olympic Committee
(IOC) since 1915. Students met with
IOC representatives from Television
and Marketing Services, The Court of
Arbitration for Sport, and the Olympic
Studies Center. They also visited the
Olympic Museum and tried archery at
the World Archery Excellence Centre.
The group then headed to Greece
and toured the ancient facilities at
Olympia, Delphi, and Marathon. The
trip concluded in Athens, site of the
2004 Summer Games.
“This was the trip of a lifetime,”
said sport management major
Andrew Perodeau ’22. “Learn-
ing about the Olympics while
touring four amazing countries is
a rare opportunity that most people won’t
experience. My eyes have been opened to a
whole new world of job opportunities, with
the IOC or even partner organizations and
Olympic committees.”
The group also visited Wembley
Stadium, the British Museum, Buckingham
Palace, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Alps,
Parthenon, and the New Acropolis Museum,
among other sites.
Students spent the Spring 2019 semester
learning about the Olympic Games as part
of SPM 356 Olympic Sport Management.
They kept a blog of the trip. Find it online
at spm357.blogspot.com.
Syracuse Sport Business
Conference set for Spring 2020
Syracuse University’s Department of Sport
Management is planning the inaugural
Syracuse Sports Business Conference for
April 17, 2020. The conference, originally
devised by Syracuse University students
Evan Weinberg (Sport Management ’20),
Benjamin Alon (Marketing Management
and Finance ’21) and Ryan First (Economics
’20), looks to feature the latest trends and
issues facing the sports industry. The confer-
ence will focus on the role of legalized sports
betting and its evolving impact across the
sporting landscape.
Planning for the conference began in the
spring of 2019 with the goal of hosting a
premier undergraduate-run sports business
conference, featuring speaker panels, indus-
try leaders and top professionals highlighting
the latest trends and forecasting the future
of sport. The one-day event will look to
attract industry professionals, academics
and students across New York State with an
interest and passion for the sport industry
and the latest developments regarding
sports wagering.
With the planning and organization of
the event, SU students are earning real-
world experience assuming leadership roles
in planning the conference, securing speak-
ers and presenters, developing marketing
and communication plans, selling ticket and
sponsorship packages, managing nances
and organizing event logistics.
Visit falk.syr.edu/sport-management
for more information as it becomes available,
including the event date and location.
Email questions to Kevin McNeill at
kjmcneil@syr.edu or call 315.443.1546.
26
Former minor leaguers talk Business of Baseball
In November 2018, the Department of Sport
Management hosted a panel discussion titled
“The Business of Baseball” featuring former
Minor League Baseball players Steve Bean and
Nick Sinay as well as Marc DelPiano, a scout
for the New York Yankees who also played two
seasons of minor league baseball.
The panelists discussed opportunities in
professional baseball operations, scouting,
front ofce administration, and analytics. They
also provided insight on how players progress
through the minor league system, from signing
a contract to agent relations, nutrition, and
endorsement opportunities.
Sport Management assistant teaching
professor Dave Meluni organized the event and
moderated the discussion.
“It was a tremendous opportunity for our
students to hear from these professionals who are
knowledgeable in all aspects of the game, from a
player perspective and from the business side,”
said Meluni, who teaches sales, sponsorship and
promotion, and managing the sport organization.
Bean was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals
in the rst round of the 2012 MLB June Amateur
Draft and played more than 300 games for ve
teams in the minor leagues. DelPiano, a scout for
the New York Yankees, has also worked for the
Pittsburgh and Miami Marlins. Sinay was drafted
by Toronto in 2015 and played more than 175
games with three teams in the minor leagues.
DelPiano told the students, “You don’t have to
be a former player to make a career in the baseball
world, as determination and drive will keep you in
the game as long as you want.”
NEWS AND EVENT S
Experiencing Olympic history in Lake Placid
In February, undergraduate Sport Manage-
ment students (as part of their SPM 356
Olympic Sport Management class) traveled
to Lake Placid, accompanied by SPM assistant
professor Dr. Jamie Kim and SPM associate
teaching professor Pat Ryan. It was the 10th
annual Winter Olympic Odyssey trip to Lake
Placid for Sport Management.
The group stayed overnight at the United
States Olympic Training Center where Olym-
pic and Paralympic hopefuls were staying.
Students also had a chance to play basket-
ball and volleyball at the
Center, and learn about the management
of Olympic venues from United States
Olympic Committee operations manager
Jared Steenberg.
“Being able to see rst-hand where the
Miracle on Ice happened was spectacular.
Lake Placid is such a historic place in
Olympic history, and I’m so glad I was
able to go on the trip and learn so much
about its history,” said sport manage-
ment major Michael Feinberg ’19
Led by Lake Placid historian
and tour guide Jim Rogers, the group visited
the Olympic Center hockey arena, where
the 1980 “miracle on ice” took place, and
visited the 1932/1980 Winter Olympic
Museum. They visited the Olympic Jumping
Complex, where they took an elevator to
the top of the 120-meter ski-jumping tower.
Also, the students toured the Olympic Sports
Complex, home to the bobsled, skeleton and
luge tracks, and the biathlon range.
“Witnessing the Olympic legacy in person
and learning from Olympic experts is truly a
valuable experience for the students,” Kim
said. “This year’s trip was particularly special,
as we visited Lake Placid on the anniversary
of the ‘Miracle on Ice.’ It was a great chance
to see how the Olympics can bring pride and
social cohesion to the host country.”
27
Senior honored by Michigan Sports Business Conference
Sport Management senior Brigid Daly ’19 was
named a 2018 BIG Initiative Award Winner
by the Michigan Sports Business Conference,
an honor presented to 10 high-achieving sport
management students in the Unites States and
Canada. BIG stands for “Build, Inspire, Grow.”
Daly attended the prestigious conference
on Oct. 19 in Ann Arbor, Mich. She heard
from featured guest speakers and industry
professionals such as Jeff Wilpon, chief operat-
ing ofcer for the New York Mets; DeMaurice
Smith, executive director of the NFL Players
Association; and Estee Portnoy, senior vice
president of marketing for Live Nation.
“The panelists provided insight into where
the sport industry is headed, and I am de
nitely more interested in eSports and analytics
after hearing from them,” said Daly, who is
from Ellicott City, MD.
Launched in 2013, the BIG Initiative annu
ally recognizes outstanding student leaders in
sport business who have achieved an excep-
tional level of success. Each year, the MSBC
attracts top applicants from across the nation.
Those receiving the honor are selected on the
basis of demonstrated entrepreneurship, cre-
ativity, innovation and leadership. Nominees
must be students with a passion for the sport
industry that demonstrate a truly remarkable
curriculum vitae.
“I was able to network with a lot of the
speakers, Michigan sport management
students and other BIG Initiative award win-
ners,” Daly said. “I was incredibly impressed by
the other students at the conference and the
connections I made with fellow students were
most valuable.”
Daly completed her senior capstone in
Fall 2018 at Van Wagner Sports and Enter
tainment in New York City. She previously
interned with the NFL, Inside Lacrosse and
participated in a job-shadowing program with
the Washington Wizards. Daly graduated
Summa Cum Laude in May 2019 and has ac
cepted a marketing coordinator position with
Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis.
NEWS AND EVENT S
Vibrant Orange spirit brought transfer student to Syracuse
“Whether grabbing pizza at Varsity on Marshall Street, studying in Bird
Library or sitting in class, everywhere you look you see others wearing
orange, the color of their beloved University. This is why I love ’Cuse,”
said Sport Management major Alec Bieber ’19.
Bieber is from Scarsdale, just north of New York City. Following his
mother’s lead, a Syracuse alumna of the Class of 1988, he grew up visit
ing campus to cheer on the Orange in the Carrier
Dome every winter.
But Bieber didn’t start his college career
at Syracuse. After spending his freshman year
at another university, undecided about his
major, the undeniable school spirit at Syracuse
University captured his attention. “Not being
at SU my freshman year simply felt wrong,” he
says. “I visited campus and knew right away that
Syracuse was the place I needed to spend my
next three years. Just walking around, with every
other student wearing orange, made me realize
how proud people are of the University.”
It was at Syracuse that Bieber, an avid sports
fan, discovered the Sport Management major in
Falk College. “I could nd no better major for me
to combine my passion of sports and my ultimate
career goals and aspirations.” He was accepted
into the program and transferred to Syracuse
University in 2016.
In the Fall of 2018, Bieber completed his senior capstone with Lagar
dere Sports and Entertainment in New York City, as a strategic consult
ing intern for Lagardere Plus. He previously interned at Morgan Stanley
and MLB Advanced Media in the E-Commerce department.
Even when he’s far from campus, Bieber feels supported by Sport
Management faculty and staff, including internship placement coordi-
nator Francesco Riverso. “The advisors are
all easy to contact, talk to and are always
looking out for their students. From day one,
Francesco helped me nd internships and get
involved,” Bieber said.
In Falk College, every major has dedicated
internship coordinators to connect students
to opportunities regionally and internation-
ally. “Whether it is emailing about postings,
checking over cover letters or resumes, or just
giving advice for phone or video interviews,
the advising staff has been phenomenal,”
Bieber said.
Bieber, who graduated from Syracuse
in May 2019, also earned a minor in public
communications studies, and hopes to head
his own sport talent agency or sport media
company in the future.
Sport Management major Alec Bieber ’19 (left), who
transferred to Syracuse University in 2016, is shown with
former New York Mets rst baseman Keith Hernandez at
Citi Field in Fall 2018.
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28
Marc Albert, assistant manager of theater
operation, OnCenter
Lindsay Amstutz, senior vice president/general
manager, Fox Sports West
Steve Bean, former Minor League Baseball player
Jill Bodensteiner, athletic director, Saint Joseph’s
University
Brent Braden, Nike College Sports Marketing
Tiffany Brec, campus project coordinator,
Vera House
Leo Cardenas, senior manager of inside sales,
Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment
Jay Canell, managing director and portfolio
manager, J.P. Morgan Securities
Neil Canell, managing director and portfolio
manager, J.P. Morgan Securities
Andrew Cohn, director of marketing solutions,
Advantage.
David Coletti, vice president of media
intelligence, ESPN
Marc Delpiano, scout, New York Yankees.
Howard Deneroff, executive vice president,
Westwood One
Kristen Denick, director of ticket sales and
retention, Syracuse Crunch
Elizabeth Dulillo-Brown, senior vice president,
of marketing and communications, Little League
Emily Dumas, membership experience account
executive, Phoenix Suns
Erin Engle, president and founder, Grifns
Guardians
David B. Falk, college benefactor and founder,
FAME
Luis Guilamo, director of analytics, Buffalo Bills
Mike Gursha, chairman and CEO, Rookie Road
Brett Hammond, executive vice president of
sales for the Americas, Catapult Sports
Brad Horn, professor of practice public relations,
Newhouse, Syracuse University
Aaron Hugo, owner, Pinckney Hugo Group
Lawrence Hryb, director of programming,
Xbox Live
Peri Karslioglu, senior marketing coordinator,
NASCAR Foundation
Alex Kline, operations assistant,
New Orleans Pelicans Basketball
Jordan Leatherman, senior account executive,
Multicultural Development at NASCAR
Kevin Leveille, brand & event director,
Summit Lacrosse Ventures, LLC
Andrea Marino, senior manager of corporate
activation and marketing, Syracuse Crunch
Bill McConnell, president/manager,
Cortland Crush Baseball
Ian McFate, division manager of premium
services, Aramark
Rosemarie Nelson, president,
Mountain Goat Run
Mario Oliveri, manager of inside sales, New York
Yankees
Michael Patent, founder, Culture Group
Andy Pregler, operations producer, Topps, Inc.
Jason Riddell, senior sports scientist, EDGE 10
Kevin Rochlitz, senior vice president of corporate
sales and business development, Baltimore Ravens
Joe Rosen, lawyer, founder and managing
member, Brown & Rosen; attorney, principal agent,
Icon Sports Boston
Dominick Sabatino, Northeast Region senior
sales manager, PepsiCo. Foodservice
Jim Sarosy, chief operating ofcer,
Syracuse Crunch
Paul Schoeneck, designer and fabricator,
Kick’s Clothing
Jon Shepherd, co-founder/director, Australian
Sports Commission
Mikko Simon, chief operating ofcer,
POINT 3 Basketball
Nick Sinay, former Minor League Baseball player,
real estate agent, Hunt Realty
Jason Smorol, general manager, Syracuse Mets
Lynn Steenberg, president, Sports Physical
Therapy of New York
Eric Stensland, manager of integrated marketing,
Dunkin’
Scott Sugar, director of physical education and
athletics, Fayetteville-Manlius School District
Brittney Sykes, WNBA’s Atlanta Dream
Micah Tannenbaum, associate digital manager,
NBA
Jason Thomas, associate general manager,
IMG
Mark Trumbo, student-athlete engagement
coordinator, Syracuse University Athletics
Adam Vogel, senior director training and
development, Sports Business Solutions
Troy Waffner, director, New York State Fair
Cheryl Wells, Empower
Jill Weston, volunteer coordinator,
Rescue Mission
Mary Wilson, Empower FCU
Adam Winslow, general manager,
Auburn Doubledays
VIA SKYPE:
Alexandria Anneheim, manager of inside sales,
Charlotte Hornets
Brian Carroll, senior vice president, LPGA Tour
Jeremy Darlow, brand consult and author
Drew Esocoff, executive producer,
NBC Sunday Night Football
Buffy Filippell, president, TeamWork Online
Dr. Karen Freberg, associate professor of
strategic communication, University of Louisville
Fred Gaudelli, executive producer,
NBC Sunday Night Football
Erin Lewis, senior group sales, Boston Celtics
Michael Mariano, senior director of research and
analysis, Wasserman
Monte McNair, assistant general manager,
Houston Rockets
Jiyoon Oh, chief marketing ofcer,
Korean Olympic Committee
Laurie Orlando, senior vice president for talent
development, CBS
Seth Partnow, director of basketball research,
Milwaukee Bucks
Matt Perez, group director, Octagon
Mariana Quintanilla, organization committee,
Peru PanAmerican Games 2019
D.J. Shea, senior client solutions manager,
LinkedIn
Andrew Sidney, manager of group tickets and
inside sales, Houston Rockets
Jonathan Stahler, associate attorney, Kenner &
Imparato PLLC
David Tyree, director of player engagement,
New York Giants
Sam Walker, author
Pete Ward, chief operating ofcer,
Indianapolis Colts
Alex Wood, product manager, Teamwork Online
GUES T SPEAKERS
SPM guest speakers 2018-19
Lynn Steenberg Kevin Rochlitz Brad Horn Jason Smorol David Coletti
29
AD VISOR Y C OUNCIL
Chair
Brandon Steiner served
as founder and chairman of
Steiner Sports Marketing and
Memorabilia for more than
30 years. Considered a sports
marketing guru, Steiner served
as Falk College’s Convocation
speaker in May 2019. He’s
the author of three books, and
received Syracuse University’s
highest alumni honor, The
Arents Award, in October
2015.
Chair Emeritus
David Falk is the founder and
CEO of FAME. Considered to
be the most inuential player
agent the NBA has ever seen,
Falk was listed among the “100
Most Powerful People in Sport”
for 12 straight years. A gift from
Rhonda S. Falk ’74 and David
B. Falk ’72 in 2011 established
the Falk College of Sport and
Human Dynamics.
Ronald Bernard has over
35 years experience in the
entertainment, sports, and
media industries in both
senior operating and nancial
capacities. He is president of
LWB Consulting, a media/
sports consulting advisory to
private equity rms looking to
make investments in the sports/
entertainment industry.
Russ Brandon is a sports
executive, best known for his
tenure in the front ofce and
as president of the Buffalo Bills
and the Buffalo Sabres.
Nicholas Carparelli Jr. has
worked as senior director of
sports marketing at Under
Armour, as the senior associate
commissioner at the Big East
Conference as well as with the
New England Patriots and at
the University of Notre Dame.
He received his Master’s degree
from SU.
Howard Deneroff, an SU
graduate, is the executive
vice president of Westwood
One’s sports programming,
responsible for the coordination
of all on-air elements for
national radio play-by-play
broadcasts of the NFL; NHL;
College Football and NCAA
Championship properties; the
Olympics; the Masters; the
PGA Championship; and the
Triple Crown of Horse Racing.
Kelly Downing is a marketing
veteran with more than 20
years experience working with
sports teams, international
sporting events, athletes,
agencies, and consumer
brands. She currently consults
on business and marketing
strategies for a wide range of
clients.
Michael Duda is the co-
founder and managing partner
of Bullish Inc., a marketing and
consumer investment-driven
company whose portfolio
has included Under Armour,
Nike, Pelton, Casper, Harry’s,
and Warby Parker. Duda has
spent 25 years in the world of
Madison Avenue, overseeing
multiple Super Bowl campaigns,
sport company launches and
partnerships.
Patti Fallick is the managing
director of broadcast
operations at the United
States Tennis Association
(USTA), where she oversees
the broadcast department
for both the US Open and
USTA properties. Prior to the
USTA, she was a member of
the original team for MLB
Network’s record-setting
launch in 2009. The SU
graduate has won seven Emmy
Awards.
Shawn Garrity is the founder
and chief executive ofcer for
Circle TPR, a guest experience
production agency founded in
2013. Garrity has worked with
many global brands including
MGM, Warner Brothers, the
NBA, MLB, ESPN, Orange
Bowl Committee, Adobe and
NBC. Garrity was a scholarship
athlete at SU, playing football
from 1982-86.
Mark Geddis is president and
CEO of Geddis Holdings and
managing partner of Super Fan
Sports Fundraising. Prior to
that, he was the founder and
CEO of Collegiate Images and
was also director of marketing
communications for the Florida
Marlins.
Charma Harris, a 2013
graduate of SU’s Sport
Management program, is a
Talent Acquisition Coordinator
at CNA, a non-prot research
and analysis organization
based in Arlington, Virginia.
Prior to CNA, Harris worked
for ve years at the PGA Tour
as a Tournament Services
Coordinator and Manager
at the WGC-Cadillac
Championship in Miami,
Florida.
Pam Hollander is vice
president of consumer
marketing at Allstate, where
she leads the corporation’s
Sponsorship Marketing and
Promotions group as well as
Multicultural Marketing and
Local/Agent Marketing. She
joined Allstate in 2000 and
has been in the marketing,
communications and public
relations industry for more than
25 years.
Cliff Kaplan is chairman of
Equity Sports Partners (ESP), a
boutique sports marketing and
media company based in New
York City. Previous to founding
ESP, Kaplan, an SU graduate,
served as president and CEO
of Van Wagner Sports and
Entertainment. He has been an
industry leader for more than
25 years.
David Kleinhandler, an SU
graduate, is president and
founder of New Venture
Financial Wellness and has been
an entrepreneur for over 30
years. His other projects include
Dynasty Financial Partners
and Foundations, including
a partnership with Carmelo
Anthony’s “Courts for Kids.”
30
Rob Konrad, an SU
graduate, is the chairman of
Alterna Financial, a Florida-
based private investment
management rm. Konrad
began his career in the nancial
services industry during his
career in the NFL and served as
a long-time team representative
for the National Football
League Players Association.
Chris Lencheski is the chief
executive ofcer at Winning
Streak Sports. Prior to this
role, he worked with MP &
Silva, Phoenicia Sport and
Entertainment, and served
as chairman of the board of
managers and chief executive
ofcer for IRG Sports +
Entertainment (IRGSE). He has
worked in the global sports and
entertainment landscape for
more than 20 years.
David Levy, an SU graduate,
spent the last 30 years working
in television. He served as
president of Turner for the past
six years before leaving in early
2019. He led the company’s
advertising sales, afliate sales,
and sports units.
Deidra Maddock is vice
president of sports marketing
at ESPN. She oversees fan and
brand marketing efforts across
a variety of professional league
content, ESPN-owned events
and fantasy sports efforts.
Previously, she worked for
Comcast, Discovery Channel
and Ogilvy & Mather.
Sandy Montag is chief
executive ofcer of The
Montag Group, a talent
management, consulting,
content development and
media strategy company
focused in the world of
sports, entertainment and
lifestyle. Prior to that, Montag
spent 30 years at IMG. He
also developed and is chief
operating ofcer of Ari
Fleischer Communications.
Laurie Orlando is senior
vice president for talent
strategy at CBS News. The SU
graduate oversees recruiting,
development, and planning for
on-air talent. Prior to joining
CBS News, Orlando served as
senior vice president for talent
development and planning at
ESPN.
Michael J. Patent is the
co-founder and managing
director of Culture Group,
a pan-Asian entertainment
marketing agency founded in
2016. The entertainment and
brand marketing executive has
a 15-year history of developing
creative brand partnerships
and innovative brand strategies
in the U.S. and Asia. Prior to
founding Culture Group, Patent
served as senior vice president
with AEG Global Partnerships
in Shanghai.
Kevin Rochlitz is the senior
vice president of corporate
sales and business development
for the NFL’s Baltimore
Ravens. He previously worked
for Mandalay Sports and
Entertainment, and as an
assistant athletic director at the
University of Miami.
Jeffrey Rubin is the founder
and CEO of Sidearm Sports
(a Leareld IMG College
company), which provides
digital engagement platforms
to the largest brands in college
athletics. Rubin also serves
as an associate professor
of practice at Syracuse
University’s iSchool.
Ben C. Sutton Jr. (emeriti) is
chairman of Teall Capital, a
private equity company. Sutton
was previously chairman and
CEO of IMG College, which he
founded as ISP Sports in 1992
and built into a nearly billion
dollar enterprise.
Kathrine Switzer (emeriti)
is one of running’s most
iconic gures: her gender-
barrier breaking run in the
1967 Boston Marathon
launched the women’s running
revolution. The SU graduate is
an Emmy-award winning TV
commentator, author, speaker
and founder of “261 Fearless,”
a global non-prot to empower
women through running.
Mike Tirico, a broadcaster
for NBC Sports, has handled
a variety of assignments
for ESPN, ESPN Radio and
ABC Sports since 1991,
establishing himself as one of
the most recognizable faces in
the industry. In 1987, he was
the rst recipient of the Bob
Costas Scholarship, given to a
broadcast journalism student at
Syracuse University.
Tiffer Valente, a 2012
graduate of SU’s Sport
Management program, is chief
operating ofcer at Beat The
Bomb in Brooklyn. Previously,
he spent ve years working for
IMG College (now Leareld
IMG College), with roles in sales
strategy and operations, as well
as partnership marketing.
John Wildhack has served
as Syracuse University’s
Director of Athletics since
August 2016. Previously he
worked as executive vice
president of programming and
production for ESPN. The SU
graduate oversaw all of ESPN’s
production efforts, as well as
programming acquisitions,
rights holder relationship
management, and scheduling.
Roland Williams, an SU
graduate, is president and
chief executive ofcer of All
Pro Catalyst, a consulting
rm providing program and
staff development services to
school districts, municipalities
and non-prots. Williams, a
Super Bowl champion, is also
a motivational speaker, author
and social entrepreneur.
Michael Wohl (emeriti)
is a partner in Coral Rock
Development Group.
Previously, he served as
president of Pinnacle Housing
Group, which focuses on
the development of quality,
affordable housing in South
Florida. Wohl is an SU graduate.
31
y Leach, 2010
AL UMNI
To our SPM alumni,
Thank you for lling out our recent survey, allowing us to include you in
the pages that follow. If you didn’t receive the survey via email, or if the
information included here is inaccurate, please send your information
to records@syr.edu to be sure Syracuse University has your current
information.
There’s never been a more exciting time for students and alumni in the
Sport Management Department. Between on-campus events like SPM
Alumni in #SportsBiz to hosting students in the workplace during S.P.M.
Week, opportunities to engage with our Orange alums continue to evolve.
Here are some dates to save so you can join us in 2019-2020:
• October 18, 2019: SPM Alumni in #SportsBiz [Now We’re the Pros]
• December 2019: 15th Annual Charity Sports Auction
• January 6-10, 2020: S.P.M. Week
(Students and Professionals Meet)
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
SPORT MANAGEMENT
CLASS OF 2008
Blanchette, Jason Boston College Senior Associate Director of
Marketing
Cost, Nicole (Imbrogno) Syracuse University Sport Management
Internship Coordinator
Fernandez, Emmanuel ACE Programs Senior Job Developer
Fischer, Lauren The Willows Community Classroom Teacher
School
Friedman, Julie (Nemeroff) National Basketball Senior Manager
Association
We are so appreciative of yourwillingness to give back through donations
for the annual charity sports auction, your time on the phone or in person
during informational interviews, guest lecturing in our classes, hosting
students at your ofce, or becoming a Capstone site supervisor. We
wouldn’t be as special as we have grown to be without all of YOU.
To keep up to date on all SPM news and events,
visit falk.syr.edu/sport-management.
Be sure to follow Sport Management on Twitter
@SUSportMgmt, and “like” us on Facebook at SU Falk College
Department of Sport Management.
For job postings, visit https://www.linkedin.com/groups/5117648/.
Want to get involved? Contact me at 315.443.7418 or
nmbrog@syr.edu. We love to hear from our alumni!
—Nicole (Imbrogno) Cost, SPM ’08, internship placement coordinator
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Harrington, Kelly Droga5 Business Development
Director
Hayes, Mark Syracuse Crunch Vice President of Revenue
Development
McFate, Ian Aramark Sports and
Division Manager, Premium
Entertainment at Citizens
Services
Bank Park
Miller, Casey Grabyo Director, Partnerships and
Channel Sales
Peetoom, Brad Lhoist North America Ltd. Sales and Logistics Manager
Petrino, Jeff WarnerMedia Sports Director
Ross, Michael Atlanta Falcons Eastern Regional Scout
Ashley Robbins, 2011
Tom Brewster, 2010, Kevin Stone, 2010,
Allison Langeven, 2012, Justin Brown, SVEM 2015,
Matt Reynolds, 2010, and Chriss
Matt Gay, 2009, and Olivia Lavelle, 2019,
at the 2019 MLB All-Star Game
Come back to ‘Cuse!
Sport Management is hosting its third annual “SPM 205: 2.0 – SPM Alumni in #SportsBiz [Now We’re the Pros]” on campus on Friday, October
18, 2019. The day kicks off with a noon luncheon for alumni hosted by SPM director Michael Veley, followed by keynote speaker Kelly Downing,
alumni panel sessions, and networking with current students. The SU football team then takes on Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. at the Carrier Dome.
Please join us for a day of professional development and cheering on the Orange. For more information or to participate in the event, contact
SPM Internship Placement Coordinator Nicole Cost at nmbrog@syr.edu or 315.443.7418.
32
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Shur, Steven Giordano, Halleran and Attorney
Ciesla, P.C.
Silverman, Jake University of Pennsylvania Associate Athletic Director
Smith, Lauren Wayfair Manager, Learning and
Development
Stanmyre, Jackie Rutgers University School Teaching Instructor/
(Friedman) of Social Work Program Coordinator
Suskind, Alex Entertainment Weekly Senior Editor, Music
Taubin, Ian LoyalT Strategies Principal Consultant
CLASS OF 2009
Campbell, Lindsey The DeBerry Group Public Relations and Crisis
Lead
Freiberg, Jina Song Public Welfare Foundation Grants Manager
Galvin, John D.W. Clark, Inc. Operations and Production
Control
Gay, Matt Cleveland Indians Senior Account Executive,
Corporate Partnerships
Guha, Saurab Lazard Investment Banker
Harrington, Kelly Droga5 Business Development
Director
Intrater, Evan Lyft Senior Tech Recruiter
Juhas, Michael Digital Remedy Executive Vice President of
Client Services
Levenson, Samantha FanDuel Talent Acquisition
(Berschler)
Maljovec, Jorden Rosen Law Ofce of Jorden Rosen Attorney at Law Co-Owner
Maljovec at Trough Juice Bar
Martin, Nick McLaren Racing Group Partnership
Development Director
Mountford, Thornton SeatGeek Manager, Revenue
Operations
Perry, Matthew ServiceNow Manager, Global Sales
Development
Szklany, Greg American Dairy Association Public Relations Specialist
North East
Van Hoff, Ashley McDermott Will and Attorney
Emery
CLASS OF 2010
Abramson, Andrew Riviera Partners Director
Alken, Mark CBS Sports Digital Archivist
Bassewitz, Michael Paragon Marketing Group Account Executive
Brantman, Ashley Intersport Group Account Director
(Neiman)
Brewster, Tom Boston Bruins/Delaware Communications Manager
North
Bubier, Rachel Houston Astros Coordinator, Community
Relations, Astros
Foundation
Cohn, Andrew Deloitte Manager, Sponsorship
Activation
Elken, Erik ABC-7 El Paso Primetime Anchor
Gorsky, Jason MongoDB Senior Technical Recruiter
Kravec, Mike Feld Entertainment Tour Manager
Langlais, Nicole (Merrit) Big Noise Live Director, Brand Partnerships
Leach, Chrissy (Cronin) Boston Celtics Senior Manager, Group
Sales
Levy, Joshua WME Agent
Lewis, Josh Storelli Marketing Storelli
Mahaffy, Brandon Genius Sports Senior Project Manager
Masri, Lena (Dubensky) The Right Step Development Director
May-West, Eileen (Finn) Wasatch Adaptive Sports Program Director
Miksitz, Alyson Zurich Underwriter
Persoff, Joey Baker and Hostetler LLP Associate Attorney
Piken, Jonathan Prudential Financial Process Management
Specialist
Posser, Erick Stash Senior Legal Counsel
Prinsell, Jon Hamilton Tiger-Cats and director of business
Forge FC intelligence and data
analytics
Reynolds, Matt Boston Celtics Video Coordinator
Saxena, Aneesh Wayfair Senior Manager
Shreve, Michael MDS and Associates Manufacturer’s
Representative
Siegal-Eisman, Zach Artist Network Junior Manager
Management
Sotiropulos, Chris Oakland Raiders Senior Director, Stadium
Development and
Operations
Chris Robinson, 2015
Julie Rising, SVEM 2014
Jenna Harmer, 2015
33
anieri, 2017 Rancesca Fr
Chris Henderson, 2018
, and yeleVichael MWyler T
asserman, 2013,
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Spicer-Lloyd, Ashley U.S. Money Reserve Operations Project Sharkey, Brian Indeed.com Account Manager
Manager
Shimrat, Alexander PromoShop Account Manager
Staton, Sam Northern California Golf
Association
Director, Events and Travel
Woltz, Brett ROAR Digital Partnerships Manager
Stone, Kevin Boston Bruins and TD Ticket Sales Manager
Yeremian, Zack Integrated Digital Strategies Chief Operations Ofcer
Garden
CL ASS O F 2012
Taylor, Gordie
Watson, Matt
Implus Category Manager
Glover, Young, Hammack, Partner
Walton and Simmons, PLLC
Bongrazio, Caitlin
(Kalinowski)
Walt Disney World Recreation Guest
Experience Manager
Wood, Sam
Young, Tyler
PuckAgency
Braze
Client Representative
Director, People
Enablement
Cohen, Matthew
Czysz, Danielle
Davidson, Bryan
Riddle and Bloom
DraftKings, Inc.
Authentic Brands Group
Account Supervisor
Events Specialist
Counsel, Business and Legal
Affairs
CL ASS O F 2011
Edwards, Jennifer Kroenke Sports and Senior Account Manager,
Aponte, Adriel Robert Half Assistant Vice President of
Entertainment Partnership Activation
Software and Application
Development
Hochberg, Sam Oracle Technology Sales
Executive, National
Baldassarre, Adam SME Live Nation Vice President,
Accounts
Entertainment and
Speakers
Holden, Sarah Fleet Feet, Inc. Human Resources Business
Partner
Bleaken, Alyssa
(Burkgren)
Cornell University Financial Services
Representative
Irvin, Zuri Blue Duck Media Producer
Bourque, Basil Visa Inc. Director, AML/CTF
Compliance
Lazare, Zach The Madison Square
Garden Co.
Director, Account
Management
Carroll, Sarah (Tepper) Small Shindigs Owner
Nightingale, Josh Kraft Analytics Group Analyst
Cooper, Jordan Andela Account Manager
Norowski, Ben New York Red Bulls Youth Soccer Sales
Supervisor
DePoint, Devin Datto, Inc. Product Manager
Prisco, Anthony SIDEARM Sports Support Specialist/Account
Fair, Shantel City of Jersey City Youth Engagement
Manager
Coordinator
Proctor, Brian Special Care Systems Sales Executive
Heinen, Devon New Statesman Freelance Journalist
Resavy, Nick Northeast Elite Basketball Co-Founder/Head of
Hucal, Julian EY Engagement Manager, Data
Basketball
and Analytics
Tischler, Michael Comcast Facilities Amenities
Letterii, Marie SUNY Orange County Associate Director of
Manager
Community College Admission
Valente, Tiffer Beat The Bomb Chief Operating Ofcer
Meyer, Brian Endeavor Senior Account Manager
CL ASS O F 2013
Reagan, Katie Lyn
(Ciurzynski)
G&G Outtters Director of Accounts
Abrams, Jesse Harris Blitzer Sports and
Entertainment
Senior Manager
Robbins, Ashley UMass Lowell Director of Athletic
Communications
Alexander, George Jared the Galleria of Jewelry Certied Diamontologist/
Salvan, Morgan NYU Leonard N. Stern
School of Business
MBA Candidate
Altavilla, Drew University of Texas at San
Jewelry Specialist
Director of Facilities and
Antonio Event Operations
Paige Feldman, 2014, Tommy Matschiner, 2014,
Steve Kozar, 2014, and Zach Lazare, 2012
34
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Berkowitz, Jake Monumental Sports and
Entertainment
Event Manager Johnson, Mina Seneca Park Zoo Society Communications
Coordinator
Berman, Danielle DB Consulting Firm, LLC Founder and Chief
Executive Ofcer
Kim, Sunghwan ESL Gaming Junior Account Executive,
Brand Partnerships
Boepple, Ryan University of Colorado Law Student Kozar, Steven CSM Senior Account Manager
Bruno, Nicole (Salzman) CSM Sports and
Entertainment
Senior Account Manager,
Consulting
Lee, Mari Octagon Account Manager, Events
and Experiences
Costello, Sarah Tampa Bay Lightning Lightning Foundation
and Community Events
Manager
Lerner, Charles J.
Lewis, Marcel
Tao Group
IBM
Engagement Coordinator
Server Sales Specialist
Davidson, P.J. New York Yankees Assistant Manager, Group
Sales and Service
Lyons, Courtney New York Road Runners Coordinator, NYRR Run for
the Future
Firestone, Evan
Geant, Jim
Boston Private Wealth
New York Road Runners
Operations Specialist
Senior Manager, Business
Development and Strategic
Partnerships
Mankowski, Meg
Matschiner, Thomas
Scout Sports and
Entertainment
JPMorgan Chase and Co.
Event Manager
Sports and Entertainment
Marketing Associate
Harris, Charma CNA Corporation Talent Acquisition Associate
Morel, Javier SmartAsset Account Manager
Jacobino, Jonathan
Linowes, Rayna
Dow Jones
Spartan Race, Inc.
Senior Associate
Procurement and Planning
Manager
Murray, Robert
Pagano, Matthew
PepsiCo
Net Natives
Associate Manager, Global
Procurement
Account Manager
McWhirter, Ian MKTG Client Director
Peterson, Eric ADP Senior Recruiter
Noel, Taylor Bain and Company Executive Assistant
Philipson, Jeremy FanDuel Software Engineer
Pannucci, Lizzy
Reuben, Jeffrey
Princeton University
Access Sports Media
Manager of Intercollegiate
Programming
Accounts Director
Ross, Andrew
Schotz, Zach
Florida Tropics Soccer Club General Manager
Bodyarmor Social Media Associate
Manager
Rudy, Aaron Tulane University Athletics
Department
Associate Director of
Marketing and Promotions
Shapiro, Ben Washington Speakers
Bureau
Account Executive
Ruiz, Carlos Major League Baseball Senior Digital Producer
Solomon, Ian Octagon Account Manager
Samost, Matthew Tampa Bay Sports and
Entertainment
Vice President of New
Ventures
Sperino, David PGA Tour Tournament Operations
Manager
Voelker, Alvaro
Wallace, Logan
CLASS OF 2014
Octagon
Head-Royce School
Account Manager
Teacher
Steverson, Jennifer
Stranskey, Jan
NBCUniversal
Accenture
Manager, Agency
Partnerships
Senior Client Sales and
Support Analyst
Ackah, Rich Disney/ABC Television
Group
Sales Planner
Wasserman, Tyler National Basketball
Association
Salary Cap Analyst
Andre, Matthew
Ashe, Matthew
Ayres, Allie
Corasaniti, Peter
Universal Tennis
Octagon
U.S. Olympic and
Paralympic Properties
Syracuse University
Athletics Department
Account Executive
Account Manager
Coordinator, Partnership
Marketing
Director of Men’s
Basketball Operations
Wentzell, Jack
Wilson, John Vincent
CLASS OF 2015
Ackerman, Gregory
Atlanta Hawks and State
Farm Arena
Churchill School
Arizona Diamondbacks
Manager, Conversion
Operations
Teaching Assistant,
Mathematics
Analyst
DiDonato, Andrew
Dragona, Anthony
Gilroy, Molly
Greeneld, Brett
Haggerty, Kylee
Jacobson, Max
SportsEngine
National Basketball
Association
MiQ
Feiner Wolfson LLC
Bike New York
Home Team Sports, a
Division of Fox Sports
Support Team Lead
Global Events
Trader
Attorney
Associate Director of
Events
Account Executive
Agresto, Kevin
Albright, Zachary
Allam, Joseph
Amantia, Nico
Baren, Shaan
Barrie, Fergus
FanDuel
JP Morgan
ZS
Scout Sports and
Entertainment
LourdMurray
Nike
Customer Relationship
Manager/Retention
Marketing Specialist
Associate
Recruiter
Account Executive
Associate Wealth Manager
Brand Specialist
Beck, Michael Advantage Senior Account Executive
35
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Burke, Regina Eastern Foundry Chief of Staff Tavernier, Alex Genius Sports Business Development
Bynum, Keara The Madison Square Operations Coordinator,
Manager
Garden Company Suite Sales and Services Thweatt, Kyle The NASCAR Foundation Senior Programs
Coordinator
Caporizzo, Carly (Raimo) Phoenix Marketing Director, Sample
International Operations Williams, Delana D&D Lawgical Solutions, Co-Founder; Consultant
LLC
Carr, Kelly Sidley Austin Attorney
Del Guercio, Brooke Major League Baseball Senior Coordinator of
Wohlfarth, Derek YHW Management
Services
Accounting Supervisor
Sponsorship
DiDonato, James CSM Account Manager
Wood, Alyssa MKTG Manager, Sponsorship
Strategy and Activation
Eklund, Haley MKTG Manager, Sponsorship
Strategy and Activation
CL ASS O F 2016
Filippi, Matt Ballengee Group Analyst
Bengis, Julie Smile Train Associate, Team Empower
Frederick, Conor Bitly Account Executive
Biggins, Elijah Bleacher Report Integrated Marketing
Strategist
Gorman, Dan United Solutions LLC Business Analyst
Billitier, Hailey fuboTV Content Coordinator
Harmer, Jenna United States Golf
Association
Championship Coordinaor
Bocianski, Jakob Ogilvy Account Executive
Hill, Kevin The Aspire Group at
Manager, Service and
Brenner, Jayson Tough Mudder Account Executive
University of Maryland
Athletics
Retention
Cantwell-Papale, Gabriella Philadelphia 76ers Manager, Game
Presentation
Kevy, Scott Momentum Worldwide Senior Account Executive
Carlon, Tim Diligent Sales Development
Kopitz, Sandor Boston Red Sox Sales Academy Manager
Representative
Laifer, Harrison BSE Global Manager, Global
Merchandising and
Regan, Sky Los Angeles Clippers Account Executive, Group
Sales
Branding
Cohn, Caitlin ESPN Corporate Citizenship
Liemer, Colby Scout Sports and Account Executive
Coordinator
Entertainment
Cummings, Martin Active International Media Assistant
Low, Matthew BBDO Worldwide Senior Copywriter
Daniels, Jessica Make-A-Wish New Jersey Program Services Assistant
McAlmont, Sydney Policygenius Case Management
Associate
Doskow, Sydney Overtime Account Manager
Rechler, Benjamin Sports Professional
Management
Partner and Intermediary
Feinman, Danny Oracle Business Development
Consultant
Robinson, Chris Brooklyn Nets Basketball Operations
Freedman, Ben Beyond Sport Project Coordinator
Assistant
Garofalo, Jeffrey United States Basketball
Head Coach
Rose, Matthew CSM LeadDog Manager, Creative Strategy
Academy
Ruben, Kate The Montag Group Chief of Staff and Director
of Brand Development
Gomolka, Jacob Bucknell University
Athletics
Coordinator of Game
Operations
Schaeffer, Jay UCLA MBA Student
Hamill, Robbie Leareld-IMG College Partner Services
Coordinator
Skwiersky, David Marks Paneth Audit Intern
Hirschberg, Dean Multipet International Sales and Marketing
Stevenson, Austin Global Eagle Campaign Manager
Manager
Emily Dumas, SVEM 2015
Sky Regan, 2016
Dan Gorman, 2015
36
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
ALUMNI
Howe-Lubowich, Hannah UNICEF USA Integrated and Sports Maizes, Jeffrey Syracuse University Law Student
Partnerships Associate College of Law
Johnson, Blake Atlanta Hawks Basketball Senior Coordinator, McDonald, Zach Indianapolis Indians Community Relations
Club Community Basketball Coordinator
Programs
McGrory, Reid TracyLocke Account Executive
Karslioglu, Peri National Geographic Marketing Specialist
McHale, Casey Merry Go Round Playhouse Ticket Sales Representative
Koeppel, Max Koeppel Rosen LLC Director of Leasing
Miller, Mallory Fencers Club Programs Director
Larosche, Jacob Los Angeles Rams Seasonal Operations Intern
Milliken, Pierce Legends Premium Sales Consultant
Losak, Jeremy Syracuse University Assistant Professor, Sport
Analytics
Mizruchi, Mikayla American Lung Association Administrative Assistant
Lynn, Cameron Army Historical Foundation Digital Communications
and Product Manager
Montferret, Nick Air Force Academy Athletic Assistant Director of
Corporation Marketing
Moriarty, Jack Steiner Sports Account Executive,
Corporate Marketing
O’Brien, Dan UMass Director of Football
Operations
Rafferty, Hannah
(Visnosky)
Event Strategy Group Event Coordinator
Pongetti, Rebecca Under Armour Coordinator, Brand
Marketing
Rosen, Jacob Game Seven Marketing Account Manager
Ranieri, Francesca NHL Executive Assistant
Rosenwald, Ben BSE Global Senior Research Analyst
Reese, Kevin Momentum Worldwide Account Executive
Sadat-Tehrani, Tara Coldwell Banker Richard
Ellis (CBRE)
Client Services Coordinator
Rice, Jordan National Sports Forum Marketing and
Communications Manager
Sanford, Hanna Austen Everett Foundation Program Director
Romansky, Matt Optimum Sports Assistant Negotiator
Schneider, Jonathan Leverage Agency Account Supervisor
Rosenhaus, Talia BSE Global Coordinator, Global
Partnership Strategy
Sherfey, Sam Baltimore T-Shirt Company Operations Coordinator
Rotondo, Michael AEG - Nassau Coliseum Box Ofce Manager
Sparks, Jacquelyn CSM LeadDog Account Coordinator
Rousso, Eli The Madison Square Tickets, Suites and
Spector, Sam Prudential Center Premium Partnerships Garden Co. Hospitality
Tillotson, Jordan The Hoop Group Vice President of Schwartzman, Joshua MKTG Consulting Trainee
Operations
Serra, Paige MacWilliams Law PC Summer Associate
White, Marcus NBC Sports Bay Area Writer/Web Producer
Sewerin, Oskar Generation Pep Communication and Event
CLASS OF 2017
Manager
Avigdor, Harrison National Basketball
Association
Coordinator, USA
Basketball
Shea, Alex Radegen Sports
Management
Manager, Client Marketing
Brennan, Christina Premier Management
Group / CelebExperts
Vice President of New
Business Development
Shelmidine, Marcus Syracuse University
Athletics
Women’s Basketball Video
Coordinator
Diaz, Mateo Seton Hall School of Law J.D. Candidate
Trust, Bradley Paint Applicators
Corporation of America
Assistant Operations
Analyst
Ellman, Matt NBCUniversal Sales Planner
Tumminia, Sara Van Wagner Sports and Production Coordinator
Feola, Joseph AEG Data Analyst
Entertainment
Friedman, Samuel Uber Account Representative
Twomey, Nick Chime Sports Marketing Senior Account
Coordinator
Grassadonia, Meghan
Greenstein, Emily
Excel Sports Management
Reprise Digital
Marketing Coordinator
Associate
Vest, Jason New York Islanders Account Manager, Member
Services
Grotenstein, Joshua Namely Sales Development
Representative
Weinberg, Joey Havas Media Junior Data Analyst
(Universal Music Group)
Hoyle, Madeline Watertown Rapids Assistant General Manager
Weisman, Samantha Momentum Worldwide Account Executive
Kassoff, Jared KeyBanc Capital Markets Institutional Equity Sales
CLASS OF 2018
Larsen, Erika Ironman Senior Coordinator, Athlete
Services
Beach, Cobie Mach 2 Management Event Marketing Specialist
Linabury, Samuel Prolic 1 Business Development
Associate
Bongiorno, Joseph New York Yankees Associate, Ticket Services
and Strategy
Castro, Destiny Amberlyn New York City Football Ticket Sales Coordinator
Luna, Marcos Legends Hospitality/Dallas Special Event Coordinator
Club
Cowboys
37
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
ALUMNI
Essaghof, Joy
Harlow, Justin
Henderson, Chris
Legends
Syracuse University
Athletics
National Basketball
Association
Business Development
Analyst
Account Executive
Coordinator, Marketing
Partnerships, 2K League
Van Loon, Matthew
Weiss, Eric
Wood, Alex
Wysoczanski, Sydney
Digital Remedy
DraftKings
TeamWork Online
Major League Lacrosse
Media Buyer
Customer Experience
Associate
Product Manager
Operations Coordinator
Jordan, Lorenzo
Kent, Jeff
Looker
Vermont Lake Monsters
Business Development and
Analytics
Director of Marketing and
In-Game Entertainment
CL ASS O F 2019
Alechammas, Zach
Banner, Jonathan
Ogilvy
NFL Films
Client Financial Analyst
Production Assistant
Kilmeade, Bryan
Kropp, Benjamin
Lagerweij, Elise
XFL
The Aspire Group
Fenway Sports
Management
Football Operations
Coordinator
New Business Consultant
Special Events Associate
Basile, Nico
Becker, Evan
Belby, Shaun
New York Yankees
AEG
Syracuse University
Junior Sales Associate
Inside Sales Representative
Sport Venue and Event
Management Graduate
Student
Leiher, Sydney United States Peace Corps Volunteer
Bisson, Rebecca New York Mets Inside Sales Representative
Lynch, Billy Toast Business Development
Representative
Bitsimis, Jake Professional Sports
Publications
Ad Sales Representative
Marciello, Stephen Sports Info Solutions Baseball Video Scout
Breitenmoser, Jan Football Club Wil 1900 Sporting Coordinator
Morano, Caroline Thuzio Account Manager
Burke, Caitlin MKTG Hospitality Trainee
Moskowitz, Ari The Drone Racing League Partnerships and Business
Development
Conway, Cody Tennessee Titans Undrafted Free Agent
Contract
Newsome, Elijah Florida State University Graduate Student
Cornelius, Aaron POINT 3 Basketball Operations Assistant
O’Connor, Danny
Peters, Christopher
Premier Partnerships
The Madison Square
Garden Co.
Analyst, Consulting and
Valuation
Account Executive
Custis, Jamal
D’Aversa, Lucas
Daly, Brigid
Kansas City Chiefs
New York Yankees
Anheuser-Busch
Undrafted Free Agent
Junior Sales Associate
Inuencer Marketing
Coordinator
Potolski, Matt NBC Sports Group Communications
Coordinator
de la Fuente, Anthony CSM Sports and
Entertainment
Account Coordinator
Prescott-Moore, Da’sha
Prisco, Matt
Georgia State University
Namogoo
Graduate Student
E-commerce Specialist
Delabruere, Jonathan Kroenke Sports and
Entertainment
Inside Sales Representative
Ross, Gabriel
Rossetti, Ben
Rubenstein, Benjamin
Rubin, Paulina
Ryback, Austin
360Learning
NBCUniversal
Lime
CSM Sports and
Entertainment
BSE Global
Learning Advisor
Account Services
Representative
Brand Community Team
Account Coordinator
Account Coordinator,
Sponsorship Sales (Long
Island Nets)
Domic, Drina
Duerr, Hannah
Eckenrod, Marc
Feinberg, Michael
Gold, Nicholas
National Basketball
Association
U. S. Soccer Federation
Super Fan Sports
Fundraising
ESPN
Syracuse University
Business Intelligence
Analyst
Referee Operations
Coordinator
Business Strategist
Programming Coordinator
Executive Assistant -
Greenberg House (D.C.)
Shaiman, Ben The Strategic Agency Junior Account Executive
Goldberger, James New York Law School Law Student
Jordan Rice, 2017
Julie Bengis, 2016, and Erika Larsen, 2017
Jack Wentzell, 2014
38
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Hamilton, Daniel University of South Florida Graduate Student
S P ORT A N A LYTI CS
Herrington, Owen Syracuse Crunch Account Executive
Israel, Adam New York Mets Ticket Services
CL ASS O F 2019
Representative
Barbuto, Cody Kraft Analytics Group Consulting Analyst
Katz, Joshua Baltimore Ravens Business Analyst
Garrett, C.B. Indiana Pacers Performance Analytics
Lavelle, Olivia Cleveland Indians Communications and
Intern
Digital Products Intern
Perline, Justin Pittsburgh Pirates Quantitative Analyst
Mannix, Chance U. S. Soccer Federation Development Academy
Associate
Weiss, Evan Buffalo Bills Analytics Associate
Massino, Kellan Super Fan Sports
Fundraising
Account Executive
S P ORT V E N UE A N D E V E NT
M A N AGE M E NT
Mattarell, Victoria Syracuse University Sport Venue and Event
Management Graduate
Student
CL ASS O F 2013
McLoughlin, Marielle Mississippi State University Football Operations
Assistant
Byron, Monica Kenny Leigh and
Associates
Paralegal
Meyer, Andrew Baltimore Ravens Community Relations Intern
Carlson, Melissa Atlanta Braves Senior Sales Coordinator,
Special Events
Mong, Jocelyn CSM LeadDog Account Coordinator -
Independent Contractor
Firestone, Evan Boston Private Wealth Operations Specialist
Natowitz, Austin Major League Baseball New Media and Content
Hills, Katherine Syracuse University Ofce Coordinator
Marketing Team
Kim, Min Jung University of New Mexico PhD Candidate
Newman, Alex BSE Global Inside Sales Representative
(New York Islanders)
Manecio, Matthew NYS Ofce of Temporary
and Disability Assistance
Program Inspector
Onwualu, Sean Deutsch Assistant Account
Executive
Porth, Laura Tulsa Sports Commission Manager of Sports and
Events
Pessar, Ayal Radegen Sports Client Marketing
Ricco, Richard NBC Sports Technical Logistics
Ricketts, Samoya Turner Sports Social Media Analyst
Rudy, Katie University of Virginia Director of Event
Selig, Sean Chicago Sky Operations Assistant
Athletics Department Presentation and Fan
Engagement
Spyropoulos, Eric Kroenke Sports and
Entertainment
Staff Writer
Upmalis, Jordan KPItarget Director of Social Media
Stanley, Sara Tarleton State University Athletic Communications
CL ASS O F 2014
Assistant
Bayanker, Chari Topps Live Ops Producer
Steele, Cameron Monumental Sports and
Entertainment
Inside Sales Associate
D’Arcy, Danielle The Madison Square
Garden Co.
Supervisor, Guest Relations
and Disabled Services
Tabak, Aaron New York Law School J.D. Candidate
Fiorini, Emily Spartan Race, Inc. Festival Manager
Wang, Wei HUPU Anchor Sports Business Manager
Jackson, Taylor Dynata Senior Account Manager,
Whitman, Grifn LFG Sports Co-Founder
Consulting and Investment
Williamson, Bradley Van Wagner Sports and Account Executive
Perlo, Elissa (Roberts) Dartmouth-Hitchcock Dermatology Medical
Entertainment
Medical Center Assistant
Sam Linabury, 2017
Kevin Reese, 2017
Ben Rubenstein, 2018
39
ALUMNI
NAME EMPLOYER TITLE NAME EMPLOYER TITLE
Rising, Julie Boise State Athletics Game Operations Manager Tartaro, Daniela Le Moyne College Adjunct Professor
Sun, Wendong Spark Sports and Account Manager Zhang, Kaili SECA Worldwide Project Manager
Entertainment
CLASS OF 2017
CLASS OF 2015
Banno, Sean Brown University Athletics Coordinator, Facilities and
Bracken, Emily Lincoln Healthcare Conference Manager
Department Operations
Leadership
Barrie, Fergus Nike London Brand Specialist
Brown, Justin Boston Celtics Account Executive
Chulock, Rachel Special Olympics Events and Schools
Bryant, Jordan Canvas Worldwide Senior Analyst
Massachusetts Coordinator
Davidson, Hannah WorldClaim Administrative Assistant
Hewitt, Dan Comcast Spectacor Senior Operations Manager
Davis, Lauren Syracuse University Carrier Dome Events
Liu, Yang Lander Sports Facility Operations
Production Manager
Development Co. Manager
Denick, Kristen Syracuse Crunch Director of Ticket Sales and
Olson, Arek Lehigh University Athletics Assistant Director, Facilities
Service
and Events
Dumas, Emily Fiesta Bowl Senior Manager, Business
Sena, Candace Pegula Sports and Coordinator of Premium
Development
Entertainment Seating
Gao, Fei China University of Political Associate Professor
Zuo, Chengji Chinese Badminton Foreign Affairs Assistant
Science and Law
Association
Johnson, Kelly Syracuse University Associate Director of
Recreation
CLASS OF 2018
Lublin, Jason University of South Florida Facility Manager
Burke, Brett Burlington Royals Director of Operations
Alumni Center
DuVal, Marisa Syracuse University Operations and Game
Peters, Jordan Boilermaker Road Race Sponsor and Marketing
Athletics Management Assistant
Director
Hammond, Paige Milwaukee Bucks Event Coordinator
Sloan, Vicki
Zhang, Hao
Charlotte Regional Visitors
Authority
SECA Worldwide
Visitor Information
Coordinator
Account Manager/Agent
Jifu, Yao
LaRoussa, Jessica
Aurora Motors
MetLife Stadium
Supply Chain Analyst
Special Event Coordinator,
Operations and Service
CLASS OF 2016
Marks, Brendan MKTG Sponsorship Strategies and
Activation Trainee
Hines, Keith University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marketing Project Manager
Martuscello, Kevin SMG Operations Supervisor
Johnson, Riley Le Moyne College Athletics Head Softball Coach
Meisenzahl, Kelsey Chicago Bears Marketing
Kolinski, Daniel Empire State Development Deputy Director
Vergara, Anna Legends Concessions Supervisor,
AT&T Stadium
Liu, Mingtao Hangzhou Dragon Sport
Center
Assistant Facilities Manager
Williams, Janelle AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Community Relations Intern
Tour
McCaslin, Carolyn NCM Associates Client Services and
Meeting Coordinator
Zorn, Anna SMG Facilitiy Manager
Nakata, Kensuke Dome Corporation (Under Ofce of CEO Team
CLASS OF 2019
Peters, Jordan
Armour Japan)
Boilermaker Road Race Sponsorship and Marketing
Harris, Jordan New York Yankees Sales Associate
Director
Phillips, Brian Rich Entertainment Group / Director of Operations,
Be Our Guest Buffalo Waterfront
Keith Bremer, 2018, and Evan Weiss, 2019
Jocelyn Mong, 2019, and Paulina Rubin, 2018
40
Calling all alumni!
If you’d like to participate in our next job-shadowing program, held during
Winter Break, January 6-10, 2020, email Lisa Liparulo at lmliparu@syr.edu
with your contact information, location, and employer.
Here are the students and alumni who participated in the 2019 event:
Student Host site Alumni
Andrew Blutig Octagon Ian Solomon ’14
Andrew Bush Philadelphia 76ers Sam Spector ’16
Justin Butterman FanDuel Jeremy Philipson ’14
Nicholas Felicetti MKTG Iain McWhirter ’13
Jinyi (Cherie) Hong Atlanta Hawks Blake Johnson ’16
Zach Leichtman Major League Lacrosse Sydney Wysoczanski ’18
Jenna Parker Octagon Matthew Ashe ’14
Matthew Pignatella Advantage Andrew Cohn ’10
Kristen Rogers Event Strategy Group Hannah Visnosky ’16
Dylan Schwartz VaynerSports David Jafn ’18
AL UMNI
SPM alumni step up to mentor students
The inaugural Sport Management Students and Professionals Meet
Week, or S.P.M. Week, was held January 7-11, 2019, giving current
students the opportunity to learn more about careers in sport with
the help of alumni who hosted them at their workplaces. Ten students
participated in the job-shadowing experience.
Cherie Hong ’19, a graduate student in the Sport Venue and Event
Management graduate program, visited Sport Management alumna
Blake Johnson ’16 at the Atlanta Hawks. “I learned about all the moving
parts involved with working in sports, and am very grateful to the de-
partment for organizing this incredible opportunity for us,” Hong said.
Alumni hosts introduced the students to their industry and orga-
nization, providing an opportunity for the students to observe their
daily responsibilities and ask questions. S.P.M. Week is intentionally
designed to be exible, so each shadowing experience ts the inter-
ests of the student and their alumni host.
“It is great to see all the new initiatives the SPM department is
taking to help students succeed,” said Sydney Wysoc-
zanski ’18, an operations coordinator for Major League
Lacrosse. “It was not a burden at all to have someone in
the ofce for a portion of my day. It is always exciting to
connect with younger students to talk about my experi-
ences at Syracuse, where I am now, and how I got here.”
Event organizer Lisa Liparulo, a Sport Management
internship placement coordinator, said students and
alumni agreed the inaugural S.P.M. Week was a success.
Alumni were given the liberty to create the day’s agenda,
and students were able to gain rst-hand industry insight,
as well as network with professionals throughout the day.
“My hope is that this program gains more traction for
next year, and we can match twice as many students with
our amazing alumni,” Liparulo said. “It was certainly bene-
cial for our students to experience a typical day in the ofce,
and we are grateful to our alumni who welcomed them.”
Sport Management alumna
Matthew Pignatella (left) shadowed SPM alumnus
Andrew Cohn ’10 at Advantage.
Blake Johnson ’16 (left), senior
coordinator of community
basketball programs for the
Atlanta Hawks, hosted Cherie
Hong ’19, a graduate student
in SU’s Sport Venue and Event
Management graduate program.
Andrew Bush (left) learned from
SPM alumnus Sam Spector ’16
at the Philadelphia 76ers.
41
Meet Justin Brown
SVEM ’15, account executive,
Boston Celtics
My time at Syracuse University was invaluable
as it helped me decide on a career path as well
as provided me with real-world experience.
After meeting with my advisor and discussing
career interests, it became clear that sales was
the right place to start my career.
I got right to work, interning with SU Ath
letics and the Rochester Rhinos. These experi-
ences prepared me for the future, particularly
when I traveled to the Mount Union Sports
Sales Workshop and Job Fair in Cleveland,
Ohio. I interviewed with several professional
sports organizations at the event, including the
Boston Celtics, who offered me an entry-level
role on their sales team.
After graduation, I moved to Boston to
begin my career with the Celtics. I felt very for
tunate to be part of such a well-respected and
successful organization, and I worked hard to
make the most of the opportunity. After lead
ing the Inside Sales Team in revenue genera-
tion during my rst season, I was promoted to
a full-time role. In early 2017, I began my cur
rent role as an account executive. I work with
individuals and businesses in the Greater New
England Area to develop client entertainment
options, corporate outings, and memorable
experiences through the Celtics.
Boston is a fantastic sports city, the NBA is
an incredible league and I have really enjoyed
my work here. I plan to grow my career with
the Celtics as we strive for another NBA title,
while continuing to develop skillsets in sales,
business analytics, and related elds as I look
toward future career opportunities.
My advice to students: Put yourselves out
there and make the most of every opportunity
that comes your way. Even after you are hired
for an internship or job, the work does not stop
there. Treat every day like an interview and
make an impression on every single person
you meet. This industry is all about developing
relationships.
Meet Kelly Harrington
SPM ’08, business development
director, Droga5
Meet Jon Prinsell
SPM ’10, director of business
intelligence and data analytics,
Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Forge FC
I graduated a semester early from Syracuse
University in December 2008. I was eager to
jumpstart my career... but then, of course, that
thing called the recession happened. After
several interviews, handshakes, and thank-you
notes, I found myself working in media, buying
TV space for MillerCoors. I loved my job and
the people I worked with. Not much could be
better for a 22-year-old than buying TV space
for a beer brand across sport properties like
ESPN and CBS Sports, right?
Though I loved my rst job, I knew I
wanted to be making ads not just buying me
dia space for them. After a few strategic career
moves, one that included a brief stint in Los
Angeles, I found myself on Madison Avenue
working at Roberts + Langer making ads for
Neutrogena.
Since that rst creative advertising job,
I have worked on accounts and in categories
that ranged from beauty to retail to
telecommunications to nancial services,
managing $4 million accounts and $20 million
accounts. I’ve worked with several Fortune
500 companies, helped produce two Super
Bowl commercials, created an App, and lmed
with one of the shark extras from “Jaws,” as
well as with Kevin Durant and JJ Watt.
It is because of these experiences I was
able to pivot from account management to
business development. I work closely with
Droga5’s chief marketing ofcer to help
brands meet their business objectives through
creative advertising. Some call it marketing,
some call it advertising, I call it fun! Every day
is truly different and exciting.
My advice to students: enjoy the ride and
take control of your own narrative. You have
the power to be and do whatever you want.
Resources are all around you. Be condent.
Be bold. And laugh when it doesn’t go exactly
to plan, because it all works out. And one day,
you’ll be writing a feature like this thinking,
“Wow, where did the time go!”
After graduating from Syracuse University in
2010, I landed an internship in Boston with
Octagon, creating awareness for a mobile 4G
WiFi hotspot product. After three months, our
entire team was let go, as the brand signi
cantly cut their marketing budget. Fortunately,
I found another internship opportunity, a proj-
ect to help author a business plan for a start-up
hockey venture in Europe. A colleague had a
connection with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of
the Canadian Football League. I reached out to
his connection and was offered a full-time job.
My experience with the Tiger-Cats
organization has been phenomenal. I have
been promoted into different roles over the
past eight years, including operations/logistics,
sponsorship service, new stadium business
development, ticket operations, and business
intelligence. I helped organize two Vanier Cups
(the Canadian university football champion
ship), where we broke records for ticket sales
and TV viewership. I was privileged to work on
a new stadium for the Tiger-Cats, as part of the
team that sold the sponsorship naming rights
to Tim Hortons, Canada’s largest fast food
chain. We just launched a soccer team, Forge
FC, in a new Canadian professional soccer
league. Hamilton also just won the rights to
host the 2021 Grey Cup (the CFL champion
ship game).
Along the way, the organization sponsored
me as I earned my MBA in 2017, after which
I was promoted to director of business intel-
ligence and data analytics.
My primary piece of advice to students is
that your career may have some “bumps in the
road” but not to get discouraged. If our Octa
gon group had not been downsized, I probably
would not be with the Tiger-Cats organization
today. Also, continue to network and gain as
much experience as you can in different elds.
You never know who or what might be the
catalyst for your next career move. And if you
have the opportunity, further your education.
AL UMNI
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Event becoming a tradition for alumni and students
As part of its ongoing commitment to
enhancing students’ professional growth and
networking opportunities, Sport Management
hosted the second annual “SPM 205: 2.0
SPM Alumni in #SportsBiz” on November 9,
2018 with over 100 students in attendance in
Grant Auditorium.
“Students now look forward to welcom
ing back alumni every Fall on campus for this
event which, as an alumna myself, is so exciting
to see their enthusiasm and the importance
of connecting with SU alumni,” said SPM
internship placement coordinator and event
organizer Nicole Cost.
The event kicked off with a luncheon
for alumni with Sport Management Director
Michael Veley and department faculty and staff
before SPM Advisory Council Member and
Managing Partner of Bullish, Inc., Michael Duda,
opened the afternoon program as the keynote
speaker. Duda’s presentation focused on his
career, the sport industry from his perspective,
and navigating the career journey.
A panel of SPM alumni discussed their
experience as Syracuse students and offered
advice. Alumni and students then moved into
classrooms in Falk College to take part in panel
sessions covering topics such as transitioning
from Capstone to career and utilizing analytics
for business development and more.
“The value of a degree from Falk is not
limited to the four years on campus and the
classroom experiences,” Duda said. “It is the
connective tissue to the network at Syracuse
University for ongoing collaboration, bench-
marking, and advice.”
AL UMNI
Meet Rebecca Pongetti
SPM ’17, coordinator of brand marketing, Under Armour
In 2017, after completing my
senior Capstone at Under Ar-
mour in Toronto and graduat-
ing from Syracuse University,
I was offered a full-time job
with UA as coordinator of
brand marketing.
While on Capstone, I ex-
perienced many areas of mar-
keting such as retail/wholesale,
sports, events/activations,
and brand marketing. It was
through this exposure that I discovered my passion for brand marketing.
It is my job to support the execution of marketing activations within
sport-specic categories such as train, run, team sports, basketball, golf,
global football, hockey and more. Projects and tasks involve public rela-
tions, traditional media, digital and social media, inuencer marketing,
sports marketing, retail and wholesale marketing, activations, events,
e-commerce and direct-to-consumer touchpoints.
I also cross into merchandising, planning, operations, and sales to
help drive strategic alignment and gain full knowledge of the Canadian
business. Understanding the business from a cross-functional perspec-
tive has given me the opportunity to identify efciencies we can leverage
in our go-to-market strategies and activation plans of Under Armour in
the Canadian marketplace.
One of the major components of my job is the management of the
Canadian Inuencer Marketing Program, where I build the marketing
strategy and objectives, plan our product and storytelling per season,
and grow our ambassador roster portfolio.
SU’s Sport Management program prepares its graduates to work in
sport by offering very relevant courses that highlight key areas of the in-
dustry. SPM’s dedicated professors ensured we were ready to handle the
fast-paced environment and challenges through their interactive classes
and projects. The immense support I received, and continue to receive,
from SPM truly has made a difference in my career.
My advice to current students: Be determined, dedicated, and resil-
ient to the challenges and effort required to grow your career. Be present
and patient in your journey as it will never be exactly what you expect
nor easy; but, if you are willing to persevere, work hard and go the extra
mile, you will put yourself in a position to succeed.
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Meet Joy Essaghof
SPM ’18, business development analyst, Legends
During my sophomore year
in Sport Management, I was
fortunate to go on the depart-
ment’s Los Angeles Immersion
trip over spring break. During
the trip, I met my current men-
tor and had the opportunity to
connect with key executives
in the sport and entertainment
industry. Little did I know that
four years later, I would be
working in Los Angeles.
Here’s how I got there: After the LA Immersion trip, I kept in touch
with the executives I met, and by using my newly developed network, I
was able to secure my senior Capstone at the Los Angeles Football Club
(LAFC). Through that internship, I discovered my passion for working in
corporate partnerships and sponsorships.
Soon after graduating from SU in 2018, I began working at MKTG in
sponsorship strategies and activation with brands such as Mars Wrigley
Confectionary and the NFL, while also providing account support for
Jack in the Box and the 50th Woodstock Festival.
Throughout my college and post-graduate career, I maintained
strong relationships with the network of professionals I had the privilege
of meeting during the LA Immersion trip, previous internships and on my
senior Capstone. Which led me to this decision …
After four months at MKTG, I was offered an opportunity I could not
pass up and moved across the country in November 2018 to Los Ange-
les to pursue a career with Legends as a business development analyst
in their Global Partnerships Division. I work closely with properties such
as LA Stadium and Entertainment District (future home of the Rams and
Chargers), Las Vegas Stadium (future home of the Raiders), Carolina
Panthers, Notre Dame Athletics, and LA2028 Olympics.
My experience at Legends has been incredible. Every day, I col-
laborate with amazing people from all over the country. I am excited to
be part of this company’s exciting journey in the ever-changing sport and
entertainment industry.
My advice to current students: network, network, network. Building
and maintaining relationships is extremely important to future opportu-
nities. Don’t be afraid of failure. If you fail, make sure you learn from it.
43
NON-PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE
PAID
SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY
SYRACUSE, NY
Syracuse University
David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
Department of Sport Management
402 MacNaughton Hall
Syracuse, NY 13244
2018-2019 Newsletter
Sport Management
CALLING ALL SPM ALUMNI: To be sure Syracuse University has your most up-to-date information, please
email your current mailing address, phone number, e-mail, employer, title, business e-mail, and business address to records@syr.edu. This ensures that
you will receive important communication from the University as well as Falk College and Sport Management. And don't forget to send us photos
from your work, family or alumni gatherings. Shown above are Syracuse University alumni working at CSM in New York City. Back row, from left:
James DiDonato ’15, Paulina Rubin ’18, Matt Rose ’15, Noah Diorio ’20, Steve Kozar ’14, Chris McCarthy ’16, and Nick Twomey ’17. Front row,
from left: Alicia Torres ’19, Hanna Bird ’14, Morgan Begy ’14, and Amanda Ben-Menachem ’14.
44
