By Brett Brecheisen ('11)
After a busy Friday afternoon filled with quality speakers and interactions between undergraduate students, MBA’s, MSA’s, and PMSA’s, Jason Bitsoff had the honor of presenting the keynote address to all students in attendance of the Sports Business Forum. But before Bitsoff took the stage, Director Jim Kahler had a couple of key announcements.
Mr. Kahler informed the audience that not only was Bitsoff a keynote speaker who also was a current student in the PMSA program, but that Bitsoff was speaking to the largest gathering of graduate students in the Ohio University Sports Administration program’s history.
It was an interesting rise to the top for Mr. Bitsoff and he covered every step in a presentation entitled The Rollercoaster of Sports & Entertainment. Mr. Bitsoff captured the audience with his witty remarks and great sense of humor. It began when the Kentucky Thoroughblades hired him as an undergrad. Mr. Bitsoff knew it was time to move on during an afternoon in the community when he was handing out hockey pucks trying to rally support for the team. One lady looked at the puck and asked him why he gave her a can of dip.
From there Mr. Bitsoff moved to the Kansas City Blades, another minor league hockey team. The first day he showed up for work he was reading the newspaper and found out the team was for sale. After another minor league hockey stop, Mr. Bitsoff went to Houston to work for the Houston Rockets of the NBA in a move that would ultimately be a big stepping-stone for his career.
Once he arrived in Houston, Mr. Bitsoff told his wife that he would either be fired or bring in a lot of revenue in the next six months. This was because the Rockets had just constructed a new arena and were trying to sell the naming rights. After many tedious negotiations, Mr. Bitsoff and the Rockets finally landed Toyota as the naming sponsor.
As he continued his climb in athletics, Mr. Bitsoff spoke about how important it is to use your network. His network allowed him to get interested in other positions and after his tenure with the Rockets, Mr. Bitsoff moved to Nashville to become the Vice President of Sponsorships for the Nashville Predators. It was an intriguing situation because the owners of the franchise were interested in selling the team at the same time they needed a new naming sponsor.
Now Mr. Bitsoff is the General Manager and Vice President of Sponsorships and Strategic Alliances for FELD Entertainment. FELD is the “the largest team I’ve ever worked for,” Mr. Bitsoff said and is a worldwide media leader showcasing Ringling Brothers, Disney On Ice, Disney Live!, and FELD Motor Sports.
At the end of his presentation, Mr. Bitsoff gave a lot of advice to the eagerly listening students. “Don’t worry about the logo on your card,” he said because the most important part of your job is who you are going to work for and the leadership of the organization. He also told the students they must take advantage of any opportunity to interact with people who can hire your or help you get hired.
Mr. Bitsoff showed why he has been so successful in his career with his desire to help the many students in attendance and give back to his new Ohio Sports Ad family. It was an honor to have him take part in the Sports Business Forum and an even bigger honor having him be part of the inaugural Professional MSA class.
