Students gain real-world sports marketing experience
Dan Hall
Issue date: 2/3/10 Section: Sports
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A required class field trip to Talladega County to tour the Superspeedway and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame is an even greater rarity.
However, these course requirements were among many sports-related assignments in a Janterm course focusing on the growing field of sports marketing. Sports Marketing 417, offered within Brock School of Business, was taught by associate professor of marketing and first-year faculty member Darin White. White formerly served on the faculty and as men's soccer coach at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.
As an undergraduate, White played soccer at Birmingham-Southern. He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in marketing/strategy from the University of Alabama. After joining the faculty at Union, White began the men's soccer program in 1994. During his tenure as head coach, his team won the National Christian College Athletic Association national championship, and he was named national coach of the year by Adidas.
White's unique background and expertise in the sports industry and marketing inspired him to develop a new course combining the two fields.
"My background is in sports and the application of what I've learned in marketing in that environment," White said. "All that combined together to create a desire in me to teach a sports marketing class here at Samford."
After receiving approval for the course, White began to market it within the business school and the exercise science and sports medicine department. His original enrollment goal was 10 students, but a strong response forced him to cap the class at 25 and install a waiting list.
The class consisted of 16 business majors and nine sports administration majors and had a mix of athletes and non-athletes.
Through class field trips, guest speakers, group projects and research assignments, students were exposed to the business of sports at all levels, youth, high school, college and professional.
The class took field trips to the Superspeedway and Regions Park, where they learned about marketing strategies for professional sports venues from Talladega's senior director of marketing and sales, George Dennis, and Birmingham Barons director of promotions, Kyle Krebs. Both are Samford graduates.
The class also hosted guest speakers nearly every class meeting who represented various sectors of the sports world. Notable speakers included Papajohns.com Bowl manager of sales and marketing, Bo Kerr, Dreamland Bar-B-Que director of marketing and purchasing, Betsy McAtee, local high school basketball coaching legend Houston Kennedy and athletic director, Bob Roller.
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