Journeying for sports business management

LOS ANGELES — I’m at the tail end of a 15-day journey that has taken me to the University of Oregon (UO) in Eugene, Oregon; La Salle University in Mexico City and Cuernavaca in Morelos; San Diego State University (SDSU) in California; University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA); University of Southern California (USC) and St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, another De La Salle Brothers school.

The trip should have begun on Sept. 29 but was moved to Sept. 30 or two days after typhoon "Milenyo" mercilessly pummeled Metro Manila. The day I left, a large part of the metropolis was without electricity and water and phone services. It was therefore with a great sense of unease that I traveled to the United States and Mexico. A week after leaving Manila, emails I received stated that some offices still did not have water and internet connections.

First stop in the trip was the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at UO, alma mater of, among other select Filipinos, Dr. Aparicio Mequi, former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and now dean of the College of Physical Education of the Foundation University in Dumaguete, and Mark Molina, former Ateneo varsity basketball coach and presently sports director of the Far Eastern University.

The Warsaw Center was established in 1994 in honor of businessman and philanthropist James Warsaw. Now graduating its eighth Master of Business Administration (MBA) class, the center has become the premiere sports education and research program in the world and has evolved into probably the model for sports-business program in schools across the United States. Sports Illustrated has in fact recognized the UO as home to the best business program in its Oct. 7, 2002 issue. That program is the Warsaw Center.

The other sports business programs of note are: 1) University of Ohio with its MBA-Law/JD (Juris Doctor) in sports that caters to business graduates who are bar ready and eventually represent athletes in contract negotiations and formulate agreements for sports promotions and the like; 2) University of Massachusetts (UM); 3) Central Florida University (CFU); 4) San Diego State University (SDSU); 5) Arizona State University (ASU); and 6) University of San Francisco (USF).

In other parts of the world, a couple of Australian universities in Queensland and other cities Down Under offer world-class courses in sports and recreation management and in related areas like kinetics and human movement. Canada also has a number of universities known for sports and recreation management.

The main motive behind the visit to UO, SDSU, UCLA and USC was to find ways of further strengthening the course offerings of the De La Salle Professional Schools Graduate School of Business (DLS PS GSB) in Sports and Recreation Management (SRM) and Culture and Arts Management (CAM). By strengthening both programs through practice-oriented and highly relevant offerings, the DLS PS GSB hopes to serve both the sports and culture and arts community and the country in a more positive way.

It is believed that face-to-face contact with the administrators and faculty of the best sports and culture and arts programs in the world will facilitate benchmarking, research on the latest and most innovative course offerings, promoting partnerships in technology transfer through faculty exchange, accessing teaching cases and case studies, creating diversity and adjusting to globalization through student exchange and international internship. All these should redound to the benefit of all sports and culture and arts stakeholders.

A partnership with Warsaw therefore makes sense. As the first endowed sports marketing MBA program to be housed within a university, the Warsaw Center is a pioneer in educating tomorrow’s industry leaders.

The sports industry generates as much as US$500 billion in revenues worldwide. Founder James Warsaw recognized the financial impact of sports and thus created the Warsaw Center to train influential leaders within the sports industry.

MBA students from the Warsaw Center have consulted on projects for the United States Olympic Committee, Nike, Adidas and the Portland Trail Blazers, to name a few.

Sports business students at UO are mentored by an esteemed faculty of professors, experienced staff and visiting lecturers and instructors who are practitioners and visionaries within the sports industry. Among those in UO’s powerhouse faculty are: Dennis Howard, Ph.D., former director of Ohio State’s graduate program in sport management, a leading authority of stadium economics, sport finance and league marketing; Paul Swangard, MBA, award winning sports broadcaster with more than 15 years experience in sports media and technology marketing; and Jim Terborg, Ph.D., academic director, whose current research interests include examining organization, leadership and management topics within the context of sport. 

When Jim Warsaw founded the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, his goal was to develop genuine, intelligent, well-rounded and business-minded men and women who would use their education and practical experience to positively influence the business of sport. Warsaw’s father grew up in the sports business. His father’s company, Sports Specialties, was the first to license the National Football League (NFL) brand, and Warsaw’s network of colleagues and friends reached every corner of the industry.

At a certain critical point in his career, Warsaw realized there was an opportunity to improve sports business by creating an environment where students could acquire their business degree, learn the nuances of the sports industry, gain practical experience in the field and ultimately give back to business and society.

In all these years three attributes remain consistent in the Warsaw program: passion, integrity and leadership. The Warsaw Center is indeed a worthwhile partner in promoting sports business for the country’s overall development.