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Sports business is focus of Warsaw Center

12/11/2009 - 11:32

It’s one thing to be passionate about sports. It’s entirely different to be passionate about sports business.

The University of Oregon has never been about sports or business as usual – from legendary track star Steve Prefontaine, to having the first certified environmentally friendly business school facility in the nation.

The UO’s Warsaw Sports Marketing Center was the country’s first sports business program housed at a college of business (the Lundquist College of Business) 15 years ago. Today, the center is recognized by ESPN, Sport Illustrated, Sport Business Journal and more as the leading think tank and training ground for the sports business industry.

Warsaw Center’s managing director, Paul Swangard, is frequently called upon to provide national and international expertise about the most-talked-about sports business topics.

“Sport is the DNA of the University of Oregon,” said Swangard. “It was only natural to have the Lundquist College of Business school step up to the plate and incorporate sport business into the curriculum. In the process, the Warsaw Center has created a category of education that is now copied – but never quite duplicated – by colleges and universities around the world.”

At the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, students experience an immersive-focused blend of classroom instruction with real-world practice. For the past four years, students traveled to China, including in 2008 for the Beijing Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. Students have face-to-face interactions with industry change makers, such as NBA Commissioner David Stern, and benefit from active mentoring from alumni and industry partners. Graduates have gone on to become leaders at adidas, the NBA, Nike, Octagon, Visa International and more.

Faculty members have published research on topics ranging from stadium finance to consumer behavior and sponsorship. They recognize the importance of training future leaders of the sports industry to be versed in all aspects of sports business, including finance, law, marketing and sponsorship. More information, including a blog, is available at the Warsaw Center Web site.

(Photo)Students even worked with ESPN when GameDay rolled into town. Warsaw students worked with ESPN's GameDay.



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