The San Diego Sports Consulting Project began in 2011 as a way to give students an opportunity to leverage their existing business skills, as well as develop new ones, in an exciting and challenging sports business environment. The goal of the San Diego Sports Consulting Project is to provide students with an experience they will remember as one of the most meaningful and important ones in developing them personally and professionally.
Seven graduate students from Ohio - Grace Dawson Beatty, Aaron Henderson, Sam Morgan, Ryan Schulman, Drew Shaw, Marissa Tebeau, and Kelli Zeese – mentored undergraduates from Ohio University, DePaul University, and the University of Iowa.
Aaron Henderson stated that "being asked to lead extremely talented undergraduate students was an experience like no other, but one that has made me a more qualified leader and better equipped to handle the challenge of managing my peers in the future."
Students began the project with one week of on-ground coursework at their home institution. This included research for local clients, preparation of a recommendation document, and live presentation. Once in San Diego, students participated in a Nielson/Scarborough workshop and 24-hour challenge for the Padres. This was followed by initial client meetings with each partnering organization and the student team.
"In working with our established clients from the industry, we were able to propose applicable solutions based on our varying experiences to address the problems they had given us," recalls Drew Shaw. "It was a great atmosphere of hard work and learning, that by the end of the week we could enjoy the weather and activities San Diego had to offer. The time and efforts I spent was an investment in my future as I gained valuable insights and experience I will apply to future jobs."
This year, the Ohio University Center for Sports Administration expanded the number of partners to seven, including the PGA Farmers Insurance Open, University of San Diego Athletics, the National Sports Forum, San Diego Hall of Champions and San Diego Sports Commission, Connexions Sports & Entertainment, and the San Diego Chargers.
Additionally, the graduate students presented tips on life, work, and the balance of it all.
"Being able to present to all of the undergraduates on some of my personal ethos was a rewarding experience," says Aaron. "I was happy that the students took away positive things from my message and was glad to be able to share a little bit of my story."
The key challenge each team of five faced was formulating research and data analysis into recommendations and presentation preparation. On Friday, June 27th, the groups delivered their final presentations.
"The most influential aspect of the trip was helping to guide, lead, and manage a group of undergraduate students who were also passionate about the sports industry. Watching my group deliver our final recommendations to the Chargers staff was the highlight of the trip," says Marissa Tebeau. Ryan Schulman fondly states the project's impact, "From Old Town San Diego to Pacific Beach to PetCo Park and everywhere in between on our two week stay, the project was an invaluable personal and professional experience that afforded us platforms for continual learning and development, both in life and in work."
A huge thank you goes out to Packy Moran, Anna Jensen, Dan Matheson, Andy Clark, Jim Kahler, and all those responsible for making this trip a possibility!
