Roundtable Offers Info on Sports Management

The Sports Management Club held its ninth annual Sports Management Roundtable April 7 in the Lemmond Theater.

The Sports Management Roundtable was a free event geared to inform high school students and their parents about the growing field of sports management. The event began with a luncheon in Kennedy Lounge, during which gave high school students spoke with sports management students, professors, and the panelists. It concluded with a panel discussion comprised of professional who shared facts about the various career paths.

Panelists included Kristen Rose, President of the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Yankees; Jeff Barrett, Chief Executive Officer of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins; John Bucci, owner of Backcourt Hoops; Kristin Black, Athletic Director of Panther Valley High School; Bob Nocek, Assistant General Manager of the Wachovia Arena; and Morris Jackson, Athletic Director of Tunkhannock Area. Admissions Counselor Shane Pagnotti welcomed the attendants and began the panel discussion.

The Sports Management club officers, senior Chris Brown, juniors Josh Streett and Paul Ryan, and sophomores Courtney Sykes and Cameron Harty took turns asking the panel about their careers, education, and experiences in the field. Panel members stressed that there is never a normal day in sports management and they repeated the importance of internships. “It’s never the same thing twice,” said Kristen Rose.

The Sports Management Club also asked questions about the impact of the economic recession on sports management careers. Panlelists who work with children said they see little to no impact. “Parents are always going to make sure their children have opportunities,” added John Bucci.

However, the local sports teams are seeing a drop in sales. Officials are restructuring programs and thinking creatively about ways to gain higher attendance rates.

The Sports Management Club was founded in 2007 to educate its members about career opportunities in the sports management world.