New sports management major making waves

As the old saying goes, “If you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

That’s exactly how some students are feeling about sports management.

The recently added sports management major has already begun to make waves. According to the latest modification report sent to the curriculum committee, enrollment for the major is projected to be around 60 students by the year 2017-18.

In a report dated March 2015, the university has already officially changed the name of the major from Sports & Event Management to just Sports Management.

The demand is there, as shown by the recent luncheon hosted by the Wilkes Alumni Department. The panel included Jason Griggs ‘90, president and CEO of Maxout Strength Systems; Drew Amoroso ‘06, fitness lawyer and senior associate at Reed Smith LLP; and Dave Jannuzzi ‘00, sales professional with Corr Jensen and GNC, who all spoke about their current careers.

The event attracted numerous interested students and faculty from within the department.

The opportunity is there as well. Whether it be working a women’s volleyball game with the University’s Athletic Department as a work-study, or contributing to the planning of events sponsored by the WIlkes University Programming Board (WUPB), sports management students have plenty of chances to gain experience.

Valerie Woods, WUPB President, notes that the WUPB is a great place for Sports Management students to hone their skills.

WUPB is known for planning weekly events, most of which are held on Thursday nights.

“We plan two very large concerts, book comedians and host weekly events that give you this real life experience speaking with agencies, making phone calls and planning the logistics of an event,” Woods said.

She also reminds those interested to stop by during a WUPB meeting. They are held at 11:30 a.m. every Thursday in the Miller Room.

Freshman Seth Frankenfield, who has just recently declared his major to the sports management field, has aspirations of either working within professional sports or overseeing a school’s athletic department, even possibly returning to his local high school to become the athletic director.

“I’m excited to work in the sports management field with what I am going to do. I’m glad the university has something that I can really be interested in working in.”

Elmer Strollis, a freshman within the major, feels that major will be a rewarding experience and believes he made an easy choice.

Strollis reflected back on his high school playing days where he contributed to the GAR Memorial boy’s soccer team.

“By my junior and senior year, I saw that there were jobs working in sports and I got extremely excited. Working within sports would allow me to stay connected with something I love.”

With the opportunity, demand, and excitement about sports management, the major will certainly exceed expectations in the coming years.