60 MINUTE SYMPOSIUM 

Sean Daly (University of Oklahoma) & Patrick Leary (Dean College)

Preparing the Next Generation: A Symposium on Essential Competencies for Entry-Level Sport Business Professionals

The rapid evolution of technology, changing consumer behavior, and digital transformation in the sport business industry have fundamentally altered the skill requirements for entry-level professionals. However, a gap exists in understanding what competencies hiring managers prioritize for emerging talent, how these priorities are shifting, and, of course, how we can successfully develop ourselves and our students to meet this changing need. This symposium presents findings from an industry survey that investigates the critical competencies entry-level sport business employees will need to succeed over the next 3-5 years, then engages attendees in hands-on professional development planning.

Using a hybrid survey methodology, this research will examine current versus future competency importance across technical, digital, business acumen, and interpersonal skill categories among hiring managers, department heads, and HR professionals across diverse sport business sectors. Based on preliminary research and industry observations, we believe the findings will reveal significant shifts in required competencies, particularly around AI tool utilization, data literacy, project management, and revenue generation mindsets, along with notable preparation gaps between academic preparation and industry requirements.

The symposium will be structured in three interactive components: (1) presentation of survey findings highlighting key competency trends, industry perspectives, and identified gaps; (2) facilitated discussion where attendees share insights, challenges, and experiences related to the findings; and (3) hands-on workshop activities where participants develop actionable professional development plans tailored to their specific contexts—faculty will create strategies for curriculum enhancement and experiential learning integration, while students will build personalized skill development roadmaps addressing identified industry priorities.

Attendees will leave with data-driven insights about industry needs, practical tools for competency development, and collaborative strategies for bridging the academic-practitioner divide. This symposium directly addresses the conference's focus on teaching best practices and prepares both educators and students to respond effectively to the evolving demands of the sport business marketplace. All participants will receive a summary of findings and workshop templates for continued implementation.

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PRESENTATIONS

Russell Bonacchi: Providence College 

Mental Health Support for College Student-Athletes: Challenges, Gaps, and Applied Institutional Strategies

College student-athletes face a unique set of mental health challenges resulting from the combined demands of academic performance, athletic competition, time constraints, injury risk, and public scrutiny. While awareness of student-athlete mental health has increased across collegiate athletics, many institutions continue to struggle with delivering accessible, integrated, and proactive support systems. This applied research project examines the current landscape of mental health support for college student-athletes and identifies persistent gaps between institutional resources and athlete needs.

Drawing from existing literature, institutional policy review, and applied experience within a Division I athletic department, this project explores key barriers to effective mental health support, including stigma, limited staffing, fragmented service delivery, and inconsistent collaboration between athletic, academic, and counseling units. The study also considers how athletic department culture, coaching practices, and performance expectations influence help-seeking behaviors among student-athletes.

Using a mixed-methods, research-in-progress approach, this project aims to evaluate current support structures and highlight best practices that promote athlete well-being while aligning with organizational performance and retention goals. Emphasis is placed on applied strategies that athletic departments can realistically implement, such as integrated support models, proactive mental health education, enhanced staff training, and cross-departmental collaboration.

The presentation concludes with practical, evidence-informed recommendations for sport administrators, coaches, and student support professionals seeking to strengthen mental health resources for student-athletes. By connecting mental health support to broader sport business outcomes—such as athlete performance, retention, and institutional reputation—this project contributes to ongoing discussions around sustainable and student-centered practices in collegiate athletics.

Umar Muhammad: Ohio University 

The Influence of Athletic Identity and Experience on Entrepreneurial Outcomes Among College Athletes and Sport Management Majors

Athletic identity, defined as the degree to which an individual identifies with the athlete role (Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993), and athletic experience have been shown to impact various aspects of an athlete's life, including career transitions and decision-making. With recent changes in Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) regulations, collegiate athletes now have greater opportunities to engage in entrepreneurial activities while pursuing their education. However, the influence of athletic identity and experience on entrepreneurial outcomes remains largely unexplored, particularly in the collegiate context where athletes must balance academic, athletic, and entrepreneurial pursuits.

This research-in-progress presents a comprehensive conceptual framework integrating identity theory, self-efficacy theory, and social capital theory to examine how athletic identity and experience shape entrepreneurial self-efficacy, opportunity recognition, and venture performance among college athletes and sport management students. The study investigates the mediating roles of campus-based social capital and leadership skills, as well as the moderating effects of athletic experience and NIL participation.

The methodology employs validated measurement instruments including the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS-3G), McGee Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy Scale, and Entrepreneurial Alertness Scale. A newly developed NIL Activity Scale, refined through expert review and pilot testing (N=23), operationalizes NIL engagement within the contemporary collegiate environment. The target sample includes 200 participants recruited from an American university, with analysis planned using hierarchical regression and PROCESS Macro for mediation and moderation testing.

This presentation will discuss the theoretical framework, methodological approach, scale development process, and preliminary findings if available. Attendee feedback is welcomed to strengthen this timely investigation into athlete entrepreneurship in the NIL era.

Sean Daly, Tim Sullivan, Emily Nuñez, Claire Sheerman, John Dillard: University of Oklahoma 

Listening to Student Workers: A WIL × SCCT Framework for Understanding Sports Business Undergraduates’ Industry Work While Enrolled

Sports business undergraduates frequently work in sport-industry roles while enrolled, yet student voices are often missing from how programs evaluate the learning value of these experiences. This project uses an integrated Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) and Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framework to examine how students experience industry work during the academic year and how those experiences shape their confidence, career direction, and perceived readiness for entry into the sport industry. We have administered a survey to undergraduate sports business majors currently employed in sport-related roles (e.g., teams, athletic departments, venues, agencies). Quantitative items assessed workplace learning conditions that students experience day-to-day (authenticity of tasks, access to coaching and feedback, opportunities to connect work to coursework, and inclusion), along with SCCT career-development constructs (career self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goal clarity/commitment). The survey also included open-ended questions that invited students to describe, in their own words, what makes an experience “high value,” what challenges or barriers they face, and what changes would make their roles more developmental and equitable. Findings will be shared as actionable insights for academic programs and industry partners, highlighting student-identified markers of quality work experiences and practical levers (supervision, reflection structures, role design, and access) that can strengthen learning and career outcomes for student workers in sport.

Aaron C. Mansfield, Merrimack College, Yuhei Inoue, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, Daniel Lock, Bournemouth University, Jonathan Grix, Manchester Metropolitan University

Sport Fandom and Physical Health Orientation: The Roles of Group Norms and Team Identification

Sport fans adopt shared understandings of what it means to “be a fan” of a team. In the context of physical health, social identification can act as either a “social cure” or “social curse” depending on group norms. In this project, we argue that such norms are relevant to the relationship between sport fandom and physical health.

Previous work on fandom and health has paid little attention to the underlying theoretical mechanisms that might explain findings, and much of it has been tied to a specific context, which impedes generalizability. We address these gaps by examining how fanbase norms and team identification shape physical health orientations among sport fans in the US and UK. Physical health orientation refers to a person’s attitudes and inclinations toward maintaining and improving their physical health and is comprised of three components: health consciousness, health behavior, and self-rated health (SRH). We explore the following research question: To what extent are fans’ perceptions of fanbase drinking norms and fanbase health norms associated with their physical health orientations, and how does team identification moderate these relationships?

We surveyed 1,471 frequent sport consumers and analyzed data using structural equation modeling in Mplus. Fanbase drinking norms were negatively correlated with fanbase health norms. Fanbase health norms were positively associated with both health consciousness and health behavior. Team identification strengthened the positive links between fanbase health norms and both health consciousness and SRH, highlighting the amplified impact of group norms among highly identified fans.

Our findings suggest group norms and identification strength are important but underexplored mechanisms in sport management research on fandom and health. They also indicate sport managers have an opportunity to embed health-conscious narratives into fan groups and influence the relationship between fandom and physical health.

Rebekah Ansbro, JD – St. John’s University

Finding the Strike Zone: A Review of Salary Caps in American Sports and Work Stoppages in Major League Baseball

December 2021 marked the first work stoppage in Major League Baseball (MLB) since the players’ strike of 1994-1995 which began due to team owners’ demand for a salary cap. Following the expiration of the 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), teams and the union were unable to come to new CBA terms, resulting in the owners electing to lock players out. The lockout lasted until March, making it the second longest work stoppage in the history of the league. As the 2026 season approaches, the expiration of the current CBA looms, and discussion of instituting a salary cap has once again come to the forefront of league labor discussions. MLB famously operates under a luxury tax system, differentiating itself from the other three major professional sports leagues, which use soft and hard caps to control player payroll. It is largely anticipated that upcoming MLB CBA negotiations will result in a work stoppage during the 2027 season. This presentation will discuss the types of salary caps used in American professional sports and their history in each of the four major professional sports leagues. Additionally, this presentation will address previous work stoppages in Major League Baseball and what can be learned from these stoppages in anticipation of upcoming CBA negotiations.

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POSTERS

Aaron C. Mansfield, Merrimack College & Matthew Katz, UMass Amherst

How Does Sociality Impact the Relationship Between Sport Fandom and Physical Health?

An Examination of Iso, Duo, and Social Fans

Sport fandom is often celebrated for its social benefits, but not all fan experiences are equally social. As such, in the present study, we examine how fans’ degree of sociality—that is, whether sport consumers practice fandom alongside others or in isolation—relates to their physical health outcomes. Specifically, we tested whether Isolated Fans (IsoFans) differ in health from Duo Fans (who share fandom with one person) and Social Fans (who engage in fandom with multiple others).

We collected data from 1,007 sport fans across two samples—solo-sport fans (n = 515) and team-sport fans (n = 492)—by leveraging the data panel service Prolific. Participants responded to validated measures of health behaviors and self-rated health (SRH), as well as fan identification, team identification, and demographics. We used MANCOVA and ANCOVA models to test whether fan sociality predicted health outcomes (i.e., health behaviors and SRH), controlling for age and identification levels. We also conducted robustness checks.

In both samples, fan sociality was significantly correlated with health outcomes. In the solo-sport sample, Social Fans reported significantly higher SRH than IsoFans, even after controlling for covariates. In the team-sport sample, IsoFans reported significantly lower engagement in healthy behaviors compared to Duo Fans. These findings remained stable across multiple statistical models and age sensitivity checks.

Changes in technology have coupled with a rise in ‘solo consumption’ to create conditions whereby an increasing number of fans follows sport alone. However, our results suggest socially embedded fandom is linked to more favorable health outcomes than isolated fandom; in fact, IsoFans may miss out on the well-being benefits associated with fandom. In sum, our findings advance the literature on fandom and physical health by introducing a previously unexplored construct—fan sociality level—that offers new insights into how social dynamics shape health outcomes among sport fans.

Kunsoo Shim, Ph.D & Jesse Mala: University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

Turning Chapters into Conversations: CDL as a Sport Management Teaching Best Practice

This teaching best practice abstract introduces a “Chapter Discussion Leader” (CDL) model designed for undergraduate sport management courses to increase student engagement, communication competence, and teamwork skills. In the CDL approach, the instructor assigns each textbook chapter to a small team (2–3 students) in advance and provides sufficient preparation time. Before the instructor’s formal lecture on that chapter, the team completes structured pre-class work: a) create a clear summary of the chapter’s main ideas, b) develop five exam-style questions (to identify core concepts and likely misunderstandings), c) write five discussion questions that require application to real sport-industry contexts (e.g., sport marketing decisions, facility operations, governance, ethics, or event management), and d) one class activity related to the chapter. Students are asked to present these four elements as a team in a 15 to 20-minute presentation. The instructor supports the process with clear rubrics, coaching checkpoints, and brief feedback after facilitation to reinforce quality and accountability. We both have used this teaching method for many years, survey data collected from students, along with consistent instructor observations, provide evidence of the effectiveness of this teaching approach. Across the majority of courses in which it was implemented, student feedback was largely positive, and classroom observations reflected higher levels of preparation, engagement, and interaction (More detailed survey data will be provided during the presentation).

Additionally, A large body of research supports this teaching approach as an active-learning strategies that require students to engage, explain, and apply course material rather than passively receive information; for example, recent meta-analyses have found that active learning substantially improves academic achievement and retention compared with traditional instruction and positively influences student motivation and attitudes toward learning (Kozanitis & Nenciovici, 2023; Costa et al., 2025). Because CDL uses small-team collaboration and shared responsibility, it also aligns with recent findings that cooperative learning interventions produce moderate to large positive effects on student outcomes across cognitive, affective, physical, and social domains, including improvements in achievement and attitudes (Boke, 2025; Mesghina, 2024).Overall, CDL offers a practical, repeatable structure for sport management instruction that simultaneously strengthens preparation, presentation, and teamwork—competencies that closely mirror professional expectations in the sport industry.