Sport Management Majors Go Pro
by Grant Riggs ’19
Recent graduates of McKendree University’s sport management program now represent the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL and athletic departments within the NCAA Power
Five, Mid-Major and Division II collegiate conferences.
In a short time, sport management has grown to become one of McKendree’s most popular
and successful majors. Initially a small and concise program started in 2011, it was
based largely on theory, with about 30 students. In 2018, it has developed into a
program of up to 90 students, with 14 to 20 graduates each year and classes that incorporate
hands-on experience.
The difference? Credit Dr. Elisabeth “Lis” Erickson, the assistant professor who became
the program’s first fulltime faculty member in 2014 after a seven-year teaching stint
at the University of Iowa. “In the four-plus years I’ve been at McKendree, we have
moved from mostly theorybased classes to classes that almost always incorporate real-life
experiences and guest speakers who are currently in the field,” she said.
Assignments range from service-learning projects with local nonprofit organizations
to developing marketing plans for students’ potential sport-related opportunities.
“Sport marketing requires students to volunteer at least 15 hours for a nonprofit
agency that works with sport. They then work together to develop a comprehensive marketing
plan for that agency’s sport effort,” Lis said.
Seniors in the Sport Event & Facilities Management capstone class must research, plan,
execute and evaluate a fundraising sporting event. In 2018, they posted a profit of
more than $5,000 on a 5K/10K race for Christian Activity Center in East St. Louis
and the Sport Management Society.
Lis is proud that the program is generalist in nature. “We can work with students
who have aptitude and interest in working in every area of the field, from athletic
communications to athletic fundraising at the college level, to community relations
to ticket sales to sponsorship to facility operations to guest services. We help them
develop those interests and skills, and find positions that fit them.”
In order to ensure students are obtaining the right knowledge, she utilizes her connections
within the sport management field. “I am in regular communication with people who
work in the sport field and I adjust the information I share with students, in and
out of class, to reflect what current professionals say is happening in both professional
and collegiate sport,” she said. “Our curriculum has adjusted to ensure students have
both the theoretical knowledge and the practical experiences employers tell us they
want their entry-level employees to have.”
Her students have taken advantage of the number of NCAA events hosted in the St. Louis
area every year. “In previous years, they have volunteered at the Missouri Valley
Conference men’s basketball tournament, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Regional, the NCAA
Women’s Frozen Four, and the NCAA Division I Wrestling National Championship. All
of these were just a Metro ride away from McKendree,” Lis said.
Using their education, experiences and internships, McKendree graduates have made
an immediate impact. Trevor Brumleve ’17 is an operations manager at NRG Park, a sports, entertainment and convention complex
in Houston, where the NFL’s Texans play. “Being in one of the first classes in the
program was beneficial because we were able to work with Dr. Erickson and other professors
in the department to help build the program into what it is today,” he said. “I think
the most beneficial part of the program is the opportunity to get hands-on experience
in the industry and connect with industry professionals.”
Trevor, who oversees the set-up and tear down of all events at NRG Park, said his
student experience of running an event from start to finish still stands out. “I was
able to get a good sense of everything that goes into an event, even though it was
on a small scale. I was able to get experience dealing with vendors, set-up and logistics,
which are some of the main responsibilities that I have in my current position.”
Erica Schuelke ’17, fan experience representative for the Kansas City Chiefs, agrees. “Having the ability
to proactively learn in the sport management program through outside assignments or
opportunities really allowed me to excel. Without classes like Sport and Event Management,
I wouldn’t have had these ‘real world’ experiences prior to graduation,” Erica said.
“Participation and actively learning how the sport world works was something so beneficial
to excelling outside of the University.”
Another common theme among graduates is internship experience, which their professor
emphasizes. “Internships are imperative in the sport field, and though the curriculum
only requires students take one for credit, we strongly recommend that students do
at least two during their time here,” Lis said. “They are how students gain ‘real-world’
experience and begin to build their own networks.”
In order to land these valuable internships, she encourages students to work with
one another. “I’ve worked really hard to create a culture where sophomores, juniors
and seniors share résumé, cover letter and interview ideas among themselves. Our seniors
and more experienced juniors will help sophomores and less experienced juniors with
their résumés,” she said. “They'll share tips on preparing good questions to ask interviewers
and questions to anticipate in an interview.”
An Internship Forum has taken place every fall for the last three years. Hosted by
the sport management program, it allows other students to learn from the success of
juniors and seniors. “We talk about everything from how to find housing and navigate
living in another city for almost four months, to some of their biggest challenges.
It’s really helpful to hear these stories from current students,” Lis said.
Lewis Brown ’18, a business consultant with Spurs Sports & Entertainment (San Antonio Spurs), found
success through his internships, which included experience in golf operations, guest
services with the St. Louis Blues, and sales at Florida Atlantic University. Lewis
said, “I held three different internships during my time at McKendree. Without these
experiences, I probably would not have been as fortunate as I was when it came time
to decide on where I wanted to go after graduation.”
Lauren (Putbrese) Carro ’16 and Kendall Butler ’16 also found direct success because of internships. Lauren is the senior manager of
guest services and event operations for the St. Louis Blues NHL hockey team. “At the
end of my sophomore year, I went to Career Services and they set me up with the tools
I needed to land my internship with the Building Operations Department of the St.
Louis Blues,” she said. 
“I’m thankful to have started in building operations, even though I’m not in that
department now. Having the understanding of how the building works and what needs
to happen behind the scenes has prepared me for my role today in guest services.”
Kendall, who majored in marketing but took many sport management classes at McKendree,
also utilized connections from an internship with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons to land
her current position as premium sales consultant for Las Vegas Stadium, future home
of the NFL’s Raiders. “My internship helped me immensely,” she said.
“When I was with the Pistons, I not only gained valuable experience but also made
connections around the sports world, which helped me when I started my job search.”
As Lis looks at the program she has built in just five years, the progress is evident.
In-class experiences, hands-on projects and internships are allowing McKendree graduates
to make immediate impacts in their field. “Employers—both at the internship and full-time,
‘real’ job level have repeatedly told me that our students’ and alumni’s abilities
to speak to these experiences put those folks head and shoulders above other candidates
for the same position,” she said.
“I’m extremely proud of where our alumni have landed. I can’t wait to see where we
go from here.”
Grant Riggs, a senior public relations major and sport management minor, produces video for Bearcat athletics and calls baseball games on the Bearcat Sports Network.
