Mount Union's Sport Business program attracts many athletes hoping to make a career

Very few athletes who compete at the Division III level have the ability to move to the next level once their college careers are over.

That is the reality of Division III.

However, that does not mean they cannot stay connected to their favorite sport once they leave the hallowed halls.That is especially true at the University of Mount Union, which offers 52 majors for its approximate enrollment of 2,300 students.

Welcome to Sport Business, which happens to be one of the most popular majors on campus, university officials said.

“It is one of the largest majors on campus and has been for decades,” said Dr. Lori Braa, associate professor of Sport Business, who keeps tabs on approximately 125 Sport Business majors, including 36 members of the nationally-ranked football team.

“And that doesn’t necessarily include all the freshmen who haven’t declared a major as of yet,” said Braa, who is in her 12th year as head of the program initiated by Professor Emeritus Dr. James Thoma and Associate Professor Dr. James Kadlecek.

Running back DeAndre Parker, safety Ian Sexton, wide receiver Wayne Ruby Jr., defensive tackle Duke Hill, placekicker Thomas Piccirillo and center Mason Fortner are just part of the football players majoring in Sport Business.

The major is not restricted to males, although men are an overwhelming majority. Mackenzie Tubaugh, a senior volleyball player and pole vaulter from Carrollton, and Lexi Drewek, a sophomore softball player from Lordstown, are two of about 12 female enrollees.

The number of students also does not include those who switch majors once they have spent time on campus.

“I think what happens is that once they have been on campus and acclimate themselves to the campus life and they see the different programs that they are in and they shift over,” said Braa. “They might not think that the major or what they were interested is something they were actually interested in. So, they shift over.”

Sport Business is a growing area of study at the University of Mount Union

Braa estimates that between one-quarter to one-half of the students who change majors switch to Sport Business.

“That’s the great part of college,” she said. “You get a chance to explore, to take different classes. I tell students all the time that it’s just as important to kind of weed out things that you think you like as it is to figure out what you do like.”

What athletes like is athletics. They have spent practically all their lives involved in athletics and were talented enough to play collegiately. It is not easy to simply walk away. They want to stay involved when it comes to earning a living.

And, the bottom line is that working in sports, be it in media relations, public relations, marketing, promotions, merchandising, sales or any other available endeavors, can be a lot of fun.

Someone once said that if you work at something you truly love it really isn’t work.

“The number one answer I receive when I ask a student why they are interested in sports business or sports management or sports administration almost always they say, ‘I have been participating in sport all my life. I want to continue with it,’’’ said Braa. “But they know it most likely won’t be in the professional manner but they want to stay in something they love.”

But, is it different than an exceptional business student wanting to become head of a large corporation or an exceptional music student wanting to become the director of the Cleveland Orchestra?

“The sport industry is like no other industry or business that we see out there,” Braa continued. “So, it’s even different than business. There’s a difference between going to work for Timken or Goodyear and going to work in the sport industry. So, that’s why we developed and made our own discipline, because of the need of students wanting to continue with athletics.

“And that goes back to that feeling that it is fun, it really is. We make it fun because we deliver our content and curriculum in a different way.”

That way is a little outside the box. Simply, it called hands-on, learning on the job.

University of Mount Union's Sports Business program is nationally-recognized

“We have been nationally recognized for our program and what makes it unique is we don’t necessarily do the higher-education way of delivering curriculum, which is through books and traditional tests and power points,” Braa said. “Our program is an experiential-type of program. Instead of giving students instruction on how to do a sponsorship plan and that they will be tested on that, we actually give them a sponsorship plan.”

Students are then taken to Cleveland and talk with marketing people from the Cavaliers, or the Sports Commission or the Browns. Those marketing departments tell the students what sponsorship plan they are trying to land. The students return to class with the assignment of developing a plan to land that program.

“When they are done they return to those organizations and present their plans,” Braa explained. “We don’t do testing in the traditional sense. Do we do quizzes and want to make sure they are understanding? Yes. But it is more of a hands-on, all of it. I truly feel we are getting them ready for their next stage in life.”

Braa said one of the top minors at Mount Union is Entrepreneurship. More and more students are majoring in Sport Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship.

“I have seen a growth in that,” she said. “Students are thinking about owning their own businesses. Sport Analytics is another class that is coming on.”

Sexton, a safety from Dover, is scheduled to graduate with a degree in Sport Business. He hopes to land a job in sales with either a college or professional sports franchise.

“When I came in as a freshman I was really undecided on a major,” he said. “I was thinking about criminal justice or maybe some kind of business. But I got a chance to evaluate myself and I took one class in the Sport Business major and decided that’s what I wanted to do.”

University of Mount Union's Sport Business program's 'hands-on' approach has been beneficial to football player Ian Sexton

He said he feels the “hands-on” approach has worked well for him.

“The university does a great job of getting us involved,” he said. “The professors have really helped me out. They opened my eyes to all the areas you can take in Sport Business, from sales to event management. I think they prepare you for the field you want to go in.”

It is no secret that legalized gambling, especially in this part of the country, is a rapidly-growing endeavor. Analytics is a big part of that industry.

Parker, from Crystal River, Fla., scheduled to earn his degree in December, is interested in analytics. He also is interested in the business of sports betting, citing websites such as DraftKings, FanDuel and Barstool Sports.

“I looked at all the majors when I came here and saw Sport Business,” he said. “I actually was looking for a major in coaching but there was no major in coaching. Sport Business was the closest thing. I realized I needed a major that would prepare me for what I would do in the real world. Sport Business has done that.”

Parker is hopeful of landing a job in the sports betting industry.

“I want to get in early,” he said.

More and more females are becoming involved in all aspects of the sports industry at all levels. Crain’s Business recently named 60 women who currently hold major positions in sports business. Closer to home, Sarah Otey is the Ohio Athletic Conference Commissioner, Lindsay Miller is an associate commissioner and Bryn Mangold is an assistant commissioner.

That is the direction that softball player Drewek wants to follow and why she is a Sport Business major.

“I have been competing in sports since the age of five and it has taught me to never give up,” said Drewek, a sophomore aiming to become an athletic director at the collegiate level. “Sports has been a male-dominated field for a long time. Women have always been under-represented. The program at Mount is exceptional. I took a course where we had to develop a whole program on event and venue management.”

Tubaugh has used her experience to help increase a successful food truck operation that she owns.

“I took a sales class that I loved,” she said. “It helped me become more confident and I feel I can talk to people about business.”

This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Mount Union Sport Business major is nationally-recognized