FALL 2020 NEWSLETTER
F L O R I D A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
M A N AG E M E N T
F L O R I D A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y
M A N AG E M E N T
CONTENTS A Message from the Chair ............................................................................................. 4 Sport Management Ph.D. Program Ranked #1 by College Choice ........... 5 Sports Sales Initiative ....................................................................................................... 6 Sport Management’s Combined Degree Pathway ............................................. 7 Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Kylee Studer O’Daniel ......................................................... 8 Alumni Spotlight: Kali Williams .................................................................................... 9 Alumni Spotlight: Jordyn Fields ................................................................................... 10 Alumni Spotlight: Chris McLeod .................................................................................. 11
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR The year 2020…I am not sure if it is a year to forget, or a year we will always remember. It has definitely been a year unlike any other I have experienced. The global pandemic has brought many challenges to us all both personally and professionally. Depending on your local situation, you may have dealt with mandatory curfews, stay-at-home orders, a mask wearing ordinance, and social distancing everywhere you would go. On the “professional front,” the faculty, staff, and students at FSU dealt with the shift to fully remote learning, then to a mix of online, remote, and in-person learning. In Spring 2021 we are taking steps to offer more in-person classes according to the university’s distancing and cleaning protocols. FSU has reported positive COVID-19 cases, but overall I am very proud of the efforts by our leadership to maintain our operations while being sensitive the wide range of thoughts and opinions about the pandemic and what to do and not to do. The faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Sport Management have been FANTASTIC during the pandemic. Everyone has adapted to new plans for delivering classes and has been able (and willing) to make changes on very short notice. When volunteers were asked to teach responsibly in person, we had individuals step forward to fill the gaps as needed. A special acknowledgement to our office staff who have worked on rotating schedules to make sure there is always someone in the office and responding to questions and calls. It came as no surprise to me that everyone in the Sport Management family has done their part, and been willing to do even more. Amidst all the craziness of 2020, our programs have continued to grow and improve. As you will read in this newsletter, the Sport Sales Initiative is underway. We have focused primarily on the academic portion of the initiative due to restrictions, but we have plans for two other major components. You will also read in this newsletter about our Combined Pathway Program, which is off to an incredible start. The program makes it possible for our truly outstanding undergraduate students to get a “jump start” on a master’s degree. We are very excited to have some of our best and brightest students transitioning directly to the master’s program. Many may remember from a previous newsletter that the master’s degree program was recognized by College Choice as the #1 program in the nation. The strength of our degree programs continues to be acknowledged. For those who missed the most recent news, the doctoral program has recently been recognized by College Choice as the #1 doctoral program in the nation. This is a very nice recognition, and is due to the effort of the fantastic faculty members delivering our doctoral program. My decision to join the department in 2003 was influenced by the opportunity to work in a larger doctoral degree-granting program. I am very pleased that our efforts to continue improving the program and to prepare future scholars are effective and recognized by others. The great value of an FSU degree is driven by the faculty members delivering the programs and the students and alumni learning and utilizing the knowledge they acquire. Congratulations to all for this recognition. Finally, we are not “resting” on the current accolades. We continue to think about the future and further strengthening and improving our programs. We currently have two faculty member searches in progress. We are seeking a specialized faculty member who will join our ranks and work with our undergraduate students specifically, and a tenure-track assistant professor with expertise in data analytics. With the latter position, we are working to develop additional content to add breadth to our current programming. While there are some things we might like to forget about 2020, there are many things we must remember, and also be glad about. One thing we have learned this year is that no matter what goes on around us, the faculty, staff, and students in the Department of Sport Management will continue to excel. Best wishes for 2021 and all that it may bring. Dr. James
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PROGRAM NEWS SPORT MANAGEMENT PH.D. PROGRAM RANKED #1 BY COLLEGE CHOICE By Courtney Beck, doctoral student
A distinctive quality of the FSU’s Ph.D. program is the emphasis on the training for students to become active researchers and to recognize their own philosophy of inquiry. Students are encouraged to establish their specific philosophy relating to quantitative and qualitative tools within research.
Tully Gym
Florida State University’s doctoral program in sport management was recently recognized as the #1 in the field by College Choice. “Our ranking is a testament to the commitment our students and faculty make to rigorously and innovatively push the scientific limits of what we can know about sport—and what we can do with that knowledge to make the lives of sport consumers, participants, and athletes better along the way,” said Joshua Newman, doctoral program director and associate chair in the Department of Sport Management. The rankings from College Choice are established upon the school’s reputation, accreditation, tuition costs and return on investment of the program. These criteria are developed from the following sources: PayScale, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. News and World Report, Princeton Review, websites of official colleges and universities and catalogues of courses. The doctoral program provides a foundational basis of knowledge inclusive of four thematic pillars, including Legal & Policy Issues in Sport, Management in Sport, Sport Marketing, and Sport Media & Culture Studies. The seminars within the program allow students to be introduced to current research within these respective areas and challenge their critical thinking skills.
During the program, students have the opportunity to shadow mentor with faculty members who assist with the preparation for lecture courses at the undergraduate level. This experience allows students to establish a foundation upon which they will develop their instructional abilities to utilize in the classroom. The sport management doctoral degree ultimately equips students for a career path in various settings, whether that is with a private organization at various levels of athletics or positions within higher education. The faculty in the program are leaders and experts within their respective fields, which contributes to this ranking. The ability to work with these highly distinguished faculty members is advantageous to the students as they pursue their doctoral degree, and also elevates the overall program. "The strength and quality of our program begins with the outstanding faculty members we have and is carried forward by the fantastic people who earn the doctoral degree. It is a combination of delivering excellence, and those learning carrying on that excellence. We are recognized for who we are locally and by extension. Many thanks to all our faculty, students and alumni," said Jeffrey James, professor and chair of the Department of Sport Management. To learn more about the College Choice ranking, please visit https://www.collegechoice.net/rankings/ best-phds-in-sport-management/.
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PROGRAM NEWS SPORTS SALES INITIATIVE By Sidney Dyer, undergraduate student Alan Zucker
of Business Seminole Sales showcase and networking fairs, something no sport management student before us had been allowed to do. The connections made with scouting companies and their associates put me ahead of my peers, and as we all know, there no greater place to be in the sports industry.
The Sports Sales Initiative concluded with a class that gave us the opportunity to hear from those successfully selling in the sports industry each class. One of those being FSU alumnus Alan Zucker, a donor and catalyst for this initiative. Zucker is currently a partner at Excel Sports Management, the Sport management students looking to understand third-largest talent management company in the the sales side of the industry, like myself, were for- nation. tunate enough to take part in the department’s three-part Sports Sales Initiative program with the “Seasoned sport sales executives wished they had College of Business. We were granted the ability to been able to participate in a program like the Sports take two classes with the College of Business’s best Sales Initiative at Florida State,” says Zucker. “They professors and a special topics class with the sport realize the great value in the coursework and netmanagement’s best, including both professors and working opportunities.” For that reason, he came to his alma mater to “create a legacy of value for stualumni. dents now and into the future.” The program began with a class in professional selling focused on refining our personal selling skills, including creating a perfect resume, learning the language of sales and working through the fear of role plays with the College of Business’s most experienced professors. In this first class, the other sport management students and I felt a professional growth that applied outside of just sales; we gained the ability to also sell ourselves. As we came to learn in the class, selling is a fundamental part of not just business, but everyday life. The second part of the program was focused on selling the products, or driving revenue off the field. We had the chance to practice spotting potential sales opportunities and how to seize that in a solution-oriented approach. During both of these classes, we were given the ability to attend the College
Through this final part of the program, we have been fortunate enough to learn from and build personal connections with directors of sports sales, directors of sports development, top sales managers, and senior directors of ticket sales in our weekly sessions. Zucker made it clear that he believes “the skills associated with sales are not just for selling tickets. Selling is really about interpersonal communication, and the students participating in the Sports Sales Initiative will be better prepared and equipped to make a difference from day one on the job.” Florida State has armed me with in-depth sales training as well as a professional network I can tap into for the rest of my career, making me one of the most well-equipped graduates in the nation for the industry. 6
PROGRAM NEWS SPORT MANAGEMENT’S COMBINED DEGREE PATHWAY: REFLECTIONS FROM A CURRENT STUDENT In 2019, the Department of Sport Management added a combined degree pathway to its offerings. The combined bachelor’s/master’s pathway in sport management enables students to complete 12 graduate credit hours of coursework that will count towards both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Jose Hidalgo, a student from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was among the first students to enter this program. Hidalgo will graduate with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the summer of 2021, confident in his ability to enter the workforce. Read on to learn more about Hidalgo’s experience in the program:
because it would help me reach the next step in my life.
As the great Bernice Johnson Reagon said, “Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they’re supposed to help you discover who you are.” As a firstgeneration college student, having the opportunity to pursue an education in my lifelong passion has been a dream come true. Education and passion are the two most important values on which I have been raised. Whether it be in sports or life, I was taught to pursue everything with love, and as a result, I will learn from it.
When I was offered the opportunity to start the combined pathway, I had little hesitation. I never imagined that I would be the first in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree, much less a master’s. However, the program at Florida State has helped me build a strong network with people I can trust. When becoming one of the first students to start the combined pathway, I felt confident that I could go to any of my prior or current professors for advice, and with their advice I was able to start the process successfully. Nonetheless, my first classes at the master’s level were difficult and it took time to adjust, but through the skills I developed throughout my time in the program I felt comfortable to accept the challenge.
Through my journey at Florida State University, I was able to discover what I wanted to do and the path I needed to follow to get there. For many individuals, it feels as though pursuing a college degree is something you have to do to enjoy your interests in life. At Florida State, the opportunity to pursue a career in sport management is unique, not only because it is a degree in what I enjoy the most, but also because of the opportunities the program offers to its students. I first learned of the sport management program when Dr. Pappas came to speak in my anthropology class. At the time, I was studying international affairs. I was in shock that there was a program that allowed me to combine my love for sports and a college degree. During that presentation, I learned of the foundation of sport management at Florida State and the opportunities they provided their students to continue their passion for sports. Instantly, I knew that I had to do whatever it took to get into that program
Now that I have spent almost three years in the program, I am beyond grateful to have joined. As Dr. Pappas has always preached to his students, “if you love what you do, then you never work a day in your life.”
To thrive in the sports industry, an individual has to be knowledgeable, willing to work and truly love the lifestyle that comes with a career in sports. I believe my journey at Florida State has prepared me to pursue a path in what I love and with this opportunity I hope to never work a day in my life!
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FACULTY SPOTLIGHT DR. KYLEE STUDER O’DANIEL By Courtney Caswell, master’s student
As Seminoles, we are all familiar with the sound of the Warchant echoing through Doak Campbell Stadium, or the buzz of Landis Green throughout the semester, but for Dr. Kylee Studer O’Daniel, no space is more meaningful than the classrooms within Tully Gymnasium. A native of Ohio, Studer O’Daniel attended Miami University (OH) where she obtained her bachelor’s in health and sport studies while actively participating in sport as a student-athlete within the cross country and track and field programs. After graduation, she continued her education at The Ohio State University, to which she credits the development of her love for the classroom and teaching. “I’ve always been around sport, played sport, I love to watch it – and ultimately I now get to talk about sport,” she says. After completing her doctorate in 2012 in sport and exercise humanities, Studer O’Daniel began her teaching career at Rice University in Houston, Texas. A year later, she moved to Houston Baptist University to work within the kinesiology department. While at Houston Baptist, she began to perfect her craft and became well-versed in dozens of different topics – knowledge that would soon serve her well. In conjunction with President Thrasher’s “Drive to 25” mission, the Department of Sport Management looked to enhance the student experience through smaller class sizes and renowned teaching faculty. The opportunity to teach at an R1 research institution, along with her love for big campus life, made
the transition to Florida State a no-brainer. A Seminole by marriage, Studer O’Daniel and her family swapped orange and blue for garnet and gold in August of 2018 and her journey in Tallahassee began. In just over two years, Studer O’Daniel has nearly touched all aspects of undergraduate coursework, as she has taught Ethics in Sport, Human Resource Management, Diversity in Sport, Sport Governance, Issues in Sport, and Sport Law. Her passion for law can be seen through a new course offering for master’s students in 2021: Title IX in Sport. The special topics course will focus on making students aware of the law and what impacts the legislation has on the high school and intercollegiate level. “It can be applicable in a lot of ways, as the law is shifting,” she says. “Individuals campus wide will be sharing their perspectives and we will be examining future implications of the law. I have a real affinity for it, particularly as I feel I am a product of Title IX.” Aside from her commitment to coursework, Studer O’Daniel is one of the many pieces resulting in the recent #1 Ph.D. program ranking from College Choice. She mentors doctoral students as they progress through their studies and develop their own instructional abilites. She finds this to be an equally fulfilling and important part of her role in the Department of Sport Management. Whether it’s walking across campus, taking in various sporting events, or being directly in the classroom, Studer O’Daniel’s love and dedication to her craft is evident. As a whole, our program is stronger when Studer O’Daniel is a Seminole.
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ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT KALI WILLIAMS (B.S. ‘18) By Jessie Cobble, master’s student
The undergraduate program in sport management at Florida State has proven time and time again that it can help students secure a job post-graduation. Kali Williams is an exceptional example of this. A native of Boca Raton, Florida, Williams completed her B.S. in sport management in the fall of 2018. Her interest in the major sparked during the summer of 2017 when she studied abroad with Florida State’s Global Sport Management program in London. She “absolutely fell in love with the program,” and after getting back to campus she began taking all of the classes necessary to join. During her undergraduate studies, she interned with the Sport Marketing department for a year where she sent out promotional items and tabled at every game. Upon graduation, Williams was communicating with a member on the Miami Dolphins staff who invited her to come visit their offices. After a three-hour meeting and tour, a few days later they hired her to begin working in January of 2019. She gives credit to all of her experiences at FSU with the sport marketing department and the events she participated in with the Sport Management Student Association; she believes this got her over the edge. “I started as a staff assistant with the Dolphins in corporate partnerships, but more specifically business solutions, which involved executing multi-year deals with our sales team and making sure that everything that’s written in the contract is getting executed from an activation standpoint,” says Williams. “My core responsibilities focused more specifically on the creative side, so I was building texts for these sale representatives and pitching multi-million-dollar deals. It was an amazing situation to be a part of because it forced me to think differently on how to present to a CEO of a multi-million-dollar company. I really got creative and took the Dolphins brand and
made it something that was presentable to these companies.” “I ended up getting promoted within the first six months to a coordinator,” she continues. “My position took off from there because I had more responsibilities to handle. I was doing CRM analysis, which is the management program where all of the information is housed – essentially the nucleus of the department. Ultimately, I was involved in contract development, but overall, it was a really encompassing job title and I absolutely loved it.” Williams currently works for Dugans Holdings Group as a project manager and helps them outline their business program. “I want to keep challenging myself because I want to get continuously better,” she says. When she first heard about the position, she was excited because she grew up around the restaurant business and had interned as a distributor in South Florida. She has worked with them for a little over a month now and loves it. Taking what she’s learned from the Dolphins, corporate partnerships and data analytics, she’s creating a sales program here. In terms of advice for students who are trying to break into the sports industry, Williams says, “The biggest takeaway that I learned was experiencing networking and how it is really about marketing yourself in a way that’s personable – getting your hands on every single aspect you can, whether it’s different departments or being involved in different events. Don’t be afraid to ask your advisors, professors, or even a professional in the industry about what you could be doing or what they did that made a difference in their life. Market yourself in a way that makes you stand out and not blend in with everyone else. You have to make yourself known in this industry. Just never settle and always be willing to say ‘yes’ to things and do more than you think you can, because you never know when that little extra step is going to get you even further.” 9
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT JORDYN FIELDS (M.S. ‘18) By Olivia Friedley, master’s student
er women to follow.
The story of Florida State alumna Jordyn Fields is an inspiring and encouraging one of a woman who paved the way for herself in the sport industry and left a blazing trail for oth-
After receiving her undergraduate degree from Kent State, Fields returned home to Tallahassee to attend Florida State University where she would receive her master’s degree in sport management. During her time at Florida State, her passion for football propelled her to work in the football office where she was responsible for helping the office run efficiently and effectively. Additionally, she was a tutor with student athlete academic services, had an internship with player development and received a graduate assistantship within the sport management program. She says that “figuring out how to balance all of my responsibilities at Florida State taught me the importance of time management,” which she has carried with her into her career. Following her time at Florida State, Fields went on to work at The University of Kansas as the assistant director of football operations. She also spent some time with the University of Cincinnati as the football recruiting operations coordinator before landing at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is the assistant director of player personnel.
states that learning how to communicate with different people has been the biggest challenge thus far. “There are 110 football players to communicate with – who may not always want to communicate with you – coaches and businessmen and women. I have had to learn to adapt the kinds of conversations I have with each group of people. Learning how to effectively communicate with a variety of people groups has provided me great success in my role at Texas.” Through her past experiences and her time at the University of Texas at Austin, Fields continues to emphasize the importance of relationships and communication within and outside of the sport industry. Especially in our current social climate, relationships are more vital than ever before. When asked to give advice to anyone seeking to enter the sport industry, Fields says, “make as many connections as you can and work as hard as you can. People always say you have to go in and immediately try and ‘prove yourself,’ but if you go in and work as hard as you can, your work will speak for itself.” As the first Black female to be on staff in the history of the University of Texas football program, Fields continues to be a trailblazer for not only the women in the sport industry, but all who seek to make a difference in their own right. She truly encompasses what it means to be a Florida State Seminole: strength, skill and character.
In her current role, Fields is responsible for communicating with the athletes, coaches, business offices and academic services in regard to the status of the players, scheduling and other personnel aspects vital to the program. When discussing the challenges associated with her current role, she 10
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT CHRIS MCLEOD (PH.D. ‘17) By Kristopher White, doctoral student
Immediately following his graduation from the Ph.D. program in 2017, Dr. Chris McLeod accepted an assistant professor position in the Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management at Texas Tech University. In his first three years as an assistant professor, he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in Financial and Economic Aspects of Sport and Social Issues in Sport and wrote several articles and book chapters. Standing out as an emerging scholar in the field, he accepted an assistant professor position in the Department of Sport Management at the University of Florida. Within this past year, amidst transitioning to a new location and position, having his first child with his wife Alex, and enduring a pandemic, he managed to publish seven peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. His work ethic and embodiment as a trove of knowledge is complemented by his thirst for scholarship and altruism for inquiring minds. Although his many achievements could have allowed him to point in the mirror, when asked about his experiences in the FSU sport management program and how they influenced his career today, McLeod gave much credit to the people he was surrounded by during those few years. Like many who have spent time as a student in the sport management doctoral program, he had a fervent appreciation for the mentorship he received from the distinguished faculty members as well as the esprit de corps of his cohort. He acknowledged his cohort in helping him get on the research and publishing train early on in his time as a Ph.D. student, which allowed him to be quite productive before getting on the job market. Explaining why there is no better place to be than
the FSU sport management program, he remembers the faculty and how “the mentorship is fantastic! Obviously with Dr. Newman [his advisor] but also with other professors like Dr. James and Dr. Giardina.” He believes one of the things that makes his work stand out is that he can draw on a diverse field of ideas, literature and philosophy that were a part of the readings discussed in seminar classes (and of course from the prodigious supply of books Newman nudged his way). Accordingly, McLeod gives credit to the wide range of reading he did while in the program. “This is what set the standard,” he says. “We read, and reading is one of the key skills that makes a good scholar.” Another piece to being a fruitful scholar, to him, was learned in Dr. James’ marketing seminar, which “teaches you to write a lot and how to write very well.” He has published 25 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, seven of which were written during his time here in Tallahassee. In his closing remarks, he had a few tips for current/incoming students looking to become a scholar while in the Ph.D. program. He emphasized the importance of selecting an advisor who works well with you and how vital it is to do the extra work. Ultimately, he believes going the extra mile doing research and publishing articles is what will separate our students from others = applying for positions after graduation. McLeod aspires to become a world leader in labor issues in sport. Along the way, he hopes to be a research fellow for the North American Society for Sport Management and the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport. He has also recently started collaborating with labor organizations such as More Than Baseball and hopes to do work that makes the sport industry more just, equitable and sustainable. Lastly, like any noble professor, he ended our discussion by suggesting a book to read: “How to Write a Lot” (Silvia, 2007). 11
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