As major league baseball got set for the 2012 opening season, two high-level Giants executives took a time-out to mentor aspiring sports business MBAs at the University of Oregon. April 3rd-5th, a group of Warsaw Sports Marketing Center faculty and students made their 11th annual trek San Francisco. In three days they met with leading sports experts, franchises, product companies, agencies, gaming companies and others. The students gained invaluable exposure to an incredible cross-section of opportunities in sports business.
“There is something special about sports at the UO that is woven into the fabric of the place. Our athletic department is the most visible manifestation, but so too are the hundreds of alumni who working in and around the sports industry. And the Bay area is a wonderful example of that.”
– Paul Swangard, Managing Director Warsaw Sports Marketing Center
The Bay area is a testament to just how much the UO has contributed to the growth and development of the sports industry in Northern California. This year’s trip to San Francisco gave students a first-hand glance at the impact of our alumni in the industry.
Apr 3rd – To begin the tour, Warsaw Center students visited Marmot Mountain, LLC where alumnus, Mark Martin serves as President (yes, there are other product company’s run by Oregon grads that don’t involve a swoosh). Later that day, they visited the Pac-12 headquarters in Walnut Creek to learn how the conference is moving things forward athletically.
Apr 4th – The next day, students met with Warsaw alumna, Kara Linse at VISA to learn about the company’s global sponsorship team and its role in the upcoming London Olympics and Brazil World Cup. Students met with executives at the San Jose Sharks. And met with a number of Oregon alumni at EA Sports: Dave Rosen – Director of eCommerce Partner Marketing, Kat Strafford – Senior Director of Online, Tabitha Hayes – Director of Online Marketing, Gary Treangen – Senior Sports Marketing Manager, and Melissa Grelli – Marketing Coordinator. Electronic Arts is the 3rd largest employer of Warsaw Center graduates! Tyler Vaught and Ryan Maloney, two Warsaw alumni from Sony, came to the EA office to add to the sports gaming conversation.
Apr 5th – The final day of the tour concluded with meetings at GMR Marketing, Sportsmark, Fleishman-Hillard, the Golden State Warriors, Cal Berkeley and the San Francisco Giants! Rick Welts, team President and long-time friend of Center founder Jim Warsaw and Dave Jaeger, Warsaw alumnus and Director of Partnership Activation gave the students a warm welcome at the Golden State Warriors. Fletcher Cook, alumnus and Senior Vice President at Fleishman-Hillard shared insights into sports branding. Dennis Schrag, alumnus and Major Gifts Officer for the Cal Bears talked about the challenges of collegiate athletics and the rebuilding of Cal’s Memorial Stadium. And finally, Tom McDonald, Executive Vice President and Jeff Tucker, Vice President of Sales at the San Francisco Giants shared insights on running a world-class baseball franchise. I had the pleasure of visiting with Jeff Tucker earlier in the week. He joined the Giants in the early 90’s at the time of the infamous 1994-95 baseball strike! He told me that his psychology classes helped him successfully mediate conversations with players and weather the storm (the value of liberal arts education in action)!
Specials thanks to our Ducks in sports for hosting the Warsaw Center in San Francisco!
Do you know other Ducks in sports in Northern California? Help us demonstrate the impact of the UO on sports industry in the region by posting your comments and updates below. Go Ducks!
About the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center
Founded 1993, the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is the 1st program of its kind housed in a college of business. Oregon invented jogging as a fitness exercise. We also invented a new way of educating sports business leaders! James H. Warsaw, himself a pioneer in the industry, led a company that became the NFL’s first licensee. Today, the center is recognized by ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal, and others as the leading think tank and training ground for the sports business industry.
The Warsaw Center provides students interested in careers in the sports industry with a broad understanding of the industry from sports sponsorship & finance to sports marketing. The Center also provides access to industry experts via speakers & events, internship opportunities, projects, and volunteer work, and signature study tours to major sports markets – San Francisco, New York, and China! Warsaw students experience sports business and culture first-hand. It’s easy to understand why the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center is the leading gateway to the global sports industry.
And I must add that Warsaw Faculty were quoted or cited in 289 articles worldwide in the past year with 31 of those references from sources in California!!! Go Ducks!