Sports Management

The BBA in Sports Management is designed to prepare you for career opportunities in a wide range of sport-related areas – from professional and amateur sports organizations to sports-related industries such as the manufacturing and marketing of sports equipment and services.

Wherever your TU degree takes you, you’ll be well prepared, having immersed yourself for four years in an active, hands-on, real-world sports management education.

• You’ll study with professors who bring years of industry experience, having worked in a variety of athletic administrative roles including athletic director, marketing, fundraising, NCAA compliance, facility management and advising, as well as international work as a leading authority on global and intercollegiate sport administration.
• Tiffin University is one of the only sports management programs in the world coordinating an academic experience at the Olympics. Since 2004, our students have traveled to the Games to interact with Olympians, IOC members, and directors associated with the host city organizing committee.
• Our students have nationwide access to sport professionals with a connection to Tiffin University. These relationships make possible invaluable mentorships, internships, professional connections and even job opportunities.
• Our program has a strategic partnership with the MLB Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians), NBA Detroit Pistons, MiLB Toledo Mud Hens, and the Toledo Walleye hockey organization. Students are able to interact with team administrators, gaining practical, hands-on training and experience.
• Our Sport Management Advisory Council is comprised of alumni and practitioners in the sports industry who provide input on current trends, insights to ensure a relevant curriculum and experiential learning opportunities such as internships, practicums and mentorships.
• On a national standardized test by Peregrine, in the area of Management, Tiffin University School of Business students scored on average 13.57 percentage points higher as compared with students from ACBSP schools.

BBA to MBA Program

This accelerated pathway allows you to take classes that count as dual credit towards both your BBA and MBA degrees, giving you the ability to earn a bachelor’s and master’s in just five years, saving you both time and money. Learn about our MBA programs.

Linking industry knowledge to professional practice, our degree program provides a real-world sports management education that provides guidance and opportunities to enhance the competencies of TU students who aspire to work and thrive in the business of sports.

A Professional Program Taught by Professionals

Various courses in the program are taught by professionals in the field, including a certified NBA sports agent, President of the National Olympians Association in Sierra Leone, former Director of Media Relations for the Boston Celtics, Marketing Coordinator for the Atlanta Braves and others.

Everywhere, Internships

TU students have interned with myriad sports organizations, including pro franchises such as the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia Force and Indiana Fever. Our students have secured internships at college athletic departments all across the country – from Wake Forest University, to the University of Notre Dame, to Boise State. And, they’ve interned in nearly every area of sport such as the NCAA Final Four, PGA tour events, professional tennis tour events, Cleveland Sports Commission, Tampa Bay Sports Commission, the Sugar Bowl, ESPN, Women’s Sports Foundation, LRMR (LeBron James) Marketing Company, CCTV Sports Network and many others.

Sports Management Advisory Council

Our sports management department brings together alumni and industry professionals in an advisory council, which provides invaluable professional insights and guidance to all areas of our program. The council includes a sport lawyer from Harvard who practices in Washington DC and China; a five-time Olympian from Puerto Rico with extensive executive experience with national governing bodies of sport; an associate strength and conditioning coach with the Green Bay Packers, and an Olympian from Romania working as professor of kinesiology from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The council also currently includes five alumni who work with the MLB Guardians (ex-Indians), NFL Pittsburgh Steelers; eBay, MiLB Louisville Bats, Michigan State University (strength and conditioning) and with Pyramid Sports and Entertainment as an NFL agent. Industry professionals and alumni extended invitations for 2022 include a scout for the NFL Indianapolis Colts and the VP of Operations from the AAA Louisville Bats.

In the TU sports management program you’ll develop career-ready skills in the best way possible – by doing. As part of a professional, hands-on education, you’ll apply learning and gain valuable experience as you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Complete an internship and field experience – both are required
• Collaborate on and present major projects – most courses incorporate them
• Analyze sport case studies
• Engage in a mock scheduling project for a Power Five FBS program – negotiate guarantees and media spots, execute contracts, create a budget, develop policies and calculate revenue sharing
• Pursue studies in the emerging field of sports analytics – the major requires a course in the topic
• Receive hands-on training in game operations
• Serve as a sales associate for a professional sport team
• Serve on committees for leadership development program
• Attend sport business conferences
• Design campaigns for rebranding a franchise
• Design sport tourism events
• Build and maintain sports-related websites
• Learn to use tools such as Canva and Adobe Spark to create media graphics
• Attend Sports Management Club speaker series – the club has recently featured speakers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, NHL Columbus Blue Jackets, The Ohio State University Athletic Department, the Detroit Tigers and the National Fastpitch Softball League.

CURRICULUM

Sports Management Core 

• SMG160 Introduction to Sports Management – 3 hours
• LAW260 Legal Issues in Sports – 3 hours
• SMG360 Business of Sports (w) – 3 hours
• SMG370 Sport Management Professional Development – 3 hours
• SMG405 Sports Analytics – 3 hours
• SMG450 Sport Revenue Generation & Sponsorship – 3 hours

Total – 18 hours

Some courses may have prerequisites. See course description for details.

Total BBA hours 121

This is a sample course sequence to illustrate course offerings for this major. Consult the official Academic Bulletin for detailed registration and advising information.

SAMPLE COURSES

Legal Issues in Sports and Recreation (LAW260) – Title IX, risk management, tort, liability, agency, contract, antitrust, constitutional, labor law and intellectual property law are examined as applicable for managers in the sport and entertainment industry. Actual court cases concerning legal issues are presented relating to sport events, special events, athletics, the hotel industry, tourist attractions, amusement parks and recreational settings.

Introduction to Sports and Recreation Management (SMG160) – This course will give students a fundamental understanding of the career avenues in sport and recreation. Industry specialists present an eclectic orientation of the sport and recreation field. Academic topics include industry definitions, evolution, curriculum components, experiential learning, career and internship opportunities, applied and theoretical research, leadership, governance and ethics.

Business of Sport (SMG360) – Course covers topics relating to league structures, the management of sporting clubs, branding and pricing, sponsorship, media contracting, financial valuation and facilities development in a variety of sport settings. The primary method of instruction is case development and analysis. This is a writing intensive course.

Sports Analytics (SMG405) – The focus of this class is applying analytic techniques to the decisions that athletes, coaches, general managers, and other decision makers encounter in the sports world. Tools used in the class will include statistics, probability, regression analysis and hypothesis testing.

Internship and Professional Development Seminar (SRMG475) – Students majoring in Sport and Recreation Management or Hospitality and Tourism will be required to gain a minimum of 150 hours of volunteer or paid practicum experience related to their chosen field. Hours may be accumulated from May 15 during the summer preceding the class. In addition, the course will cover such elements as interviewing, dining etiquette and business career information.

FORMAT

On Campus – Offered in a 15-week semester format with a start date of January and August

Other CONCENTRATIONS

Other Sports Management program concentrations:

• Esports Management
• Sports Marketing
• Athletic Administration

The global sports industry is worth up to $620 billion today. With growth that is faster than global GDP, the industry’s long-term prospects appear strong. Highly sought after by sports-related organizations, Tiffin University sports management graduates are succeeding in all sectors of the sports industry.

CAREERS

• Amateur & Professional Sports
• Assistant Athletic Director: Career Enhancement
• Associate Director of Athletics Development
• Associate Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
• Athletic clubs
• Client Manager & Agent Assistant
• Director of Finances and Events Team
• Director of Football Administration
• Director of Major Gifts
• Director of Premium Seating and Hospitality
• Featured Sports Columnist
• High School & College Athletic Departments
• Manager of Business Development
• Marketing & Event Manager
• Media Manager
• NFL Agent
• NFLPA Contract Advisor
• Parks & Recreation Facilities Manager
• Promotions and Events Manager
• Sport Consultant
• Sports Editor
• Sporting Goods Firms
• Sports Complexes
• Stadium & Arena Management
• Stadium Operations Manager

WHERE TU GRADS HAVE WORKED

• Alliance Management Group
• Arizona Coyotes (NHL)
• Beijing Starz Sports International Management Co.
• Bleacher Report
• Bowie Bay Sox
• Bowling Green State University
• CCTV (Beijing, China)
• Cleveland Browns
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Cleveland Guardians
• Cleveland Soccer Club
• Creative Artists Agency
• Indianapolis Colts
• KingsTalent
• Louisville Sluggers
• Michigan State University Athletics
• National Fastpitch Softball Association
• National Football League
• Northwestern University Athletics
• Oakville Basketball Club
• ONE Championship
• Penn State University Athletics
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Privit
• Southern Maryland Blue Crabs
• Southern Methodist University Athletics
• Tiffin Parks & Rec
• Weber State Sports Properties
• Yale University Athletics