Southern Nazarene University (SNU) students from the Master of Arts in Sport Management and Administration (MASMA) program recently embarked on the program’s fourth Professional Connections Trip. The trips take place every two years, giving students the opportunity to visit major league cities all over the country. Along with MASMA’s extensive sport management network, the Professional Connections Trip is a valuable resource for students pursuing careers in sports management and administration.
“The purpose of the trip is to get our students connected with executives in the Sports Industry,” explains program director Dr. Sylvia Goodman. “We meet with Vice presidents, Directors and Athletic Directors in Professional Sport and Division I athletics.”
Each trip focuses on two major league cities. Previous trips have visited Toronto and Detroit,
Portland and Seattle, and Chicago and Milwaukee. This year’s trip took place July 7-12, with students traveling to Boston and then New York. One of the students in attendance was Christa Crawford, who says she enjoyed the entire trip.
“During my recent travels to Boston, I had the opportunity to visit several key sports and recreation organizations with my group,” says Christa. “We met with Paul McCaffrey from Boston Parks and Recreation, and Blake James and Craig Anderson from Boston College Athletics, where we gained valuable insights into their operations.”
The group also toured TD Garden, Boston’s multi-purpose arena. “Our discussions continued with Lauren, the Project Manager for Race Productions at the Boston Marathon, and Susan, the Director of Community and Engagement with the Boston Athletic Association,” Christa explains.
According to Christa, one highlight of the trip was attending a Boston Red Sox baseball game versus the Oakland A’s at Fenway Park. The group made one final connection before leaving Massachusetts. “On the fourth day, we met Fred Kirsch, the Vice President of Content for the New England Patriots, and toured the Patriots Hall of Fame before heading to New York by train,” says Christa.
There, Professional Connections Trip attendees made even more connections. “In New York, we toured Yankee Stadium with Sergio and Austin and had a conversation with Brett Searson, the Director of Tours,” Christa explains. “We then met Greg Crawford, the Director of Partnership Development with BSE Global, and capped off our trip by watching a WNBA basketball game between the Chicago Sky and the New York Liberty at the Barclays Center.”
Christa says that the Professional Connections Trip makes the MASMA program stand apart from others in several ways. “This trip provided excellent opportunities to meet and interact with industry professionals that I would not have been able to connect with otherwise,” she says. “Speaking with all the individuals at the different organizations, offered invaluable insights and networking opportunities.”
It is clear that the Professional Connection Trip is not only an amazing, one-of-a-kind experience, but truly is an opportunity for students to grow their network and connections. “None of the other schools I have attended has offered anything like the MASMA Connections Trip,” Christa explains, adding “This unique experience not only enriches our education but also significantly enhances our professional development by providing first hand exposure to industry leaders and their operations.”
MASMA is one of two programs offered through SNU's Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation and Sport Sciences. If you are interested in learning more about the Master of Arts in Sport Management and Administration or Master of Science in Exercise Science (MSES), please visit our website or contact us at pgsadmissions@mail.snu.edu.
*Photo taken by MASMA program student K. Johnson.
