The Minor in Sports Business Management, which is administered by the Department of Management, provides students the academic foundation and practical experience to pursue careers in intercollegiate and professional sports and the sports business industry.
The minor is intended for students who wish to enhance their marketability for highly competitive careers in areas related to sports business management including sports associations and leagues, intercollegiate and professional sports organizations and teams, sports entertainment and media services, and firms that primarily supply the sports and entertainment industry. Students will apply their knowledge of business to the industries of sports through course work and hands-on experience in supervised fieldwork and internships.
With the approval of the department and college that administers the student’s degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor’s degree.
Admission
Students applying to the sports business management minor must have completed at least 56 credits by the end of the spring term in which they are applying.
Submit a completed application and email a resume to the Department of Management as PDF attachment to mgt@msu.edu with Sports Business Management Minor Application in the “subject” line. Submission deadline is March 15.
Admission decisions are made in late spring each year. Admission is highly competitive and therefore not guaranteed. By applying to the minor, you are agreeing to allow the selection committee to review your grades.
Apply to Minor
The minor is available as an elective to students who are admitted to all majors in the Broad College of Business (including hospitality business), and to students enrolled in the following MSU majors: advertising management, communications leadership and strategy, games and interactive media, digital storytelling, journalism, public relations, kinesiology, economics, human capital and society. Students outside the majors listed above may be considered on a case-by-case basis for admission to the minor with the approval of the Department of Management.
Minor in Sports Business Management Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 18 credits from the following
Curriculum Foundations in Sports Business Management
All of the following courses (6 credits)
- MGT 479 Sports Business Management
3 credits
Introduction to current sports industry landscape and impact of business on decision-making in sports. Focus on trends in intercollegiate athletics and professional sports including careers, governance, organizational structure, revenue and sports entertainment.
- MGT 493A Sports Business: Internship or MGT 493B Sports Business: Fieldwork Seminar
MGT 493A Sports Business: Internship
3 credits
Supervised, professional work or internship experience in the field of sports business with intercollegiate athletics or professional sports associations, firms, leagues, organizations, teams or sports business and entertainment companies.
MGT 493B Sports Business: Fieldwork Seminar
3 credits
Leadership in day-to-day operations, decision-making, strategic planning alongside industry leader in sports business. Hands-on projects in intercollegiate athletics, professional sports or applicable associations, firms or leagues. Rotational exposure to unit(s) and/or executive(s) within organization. Behind the scenes experience and knowledge of industry through real-time projects and solution-focused problem solving.
Foundations in Management
One of the following courses (3 credits)
- HRLR 201 Human Capital and Society
3 CREDITS
Human capital and society from cultural, organizational, and worker perspectives. Interdisciplinary and professional aspects of human resources and labor relations.
- MGT 315 Managing Human Resources and Organizational Behavior
3 CREDITS
Formulation and administration of human resource policies in the business enterprise. Personnel planning, job analysis and evaluation, staffing. Compensation and labor relations. Employee safety. Training, development, and performance appraisal. Issues of diversity and ethics.
- MGT 325 Management Skills and Processes
3 CREDITS
Managerial skills and processes in goal-directed institutions.
One of the following courses (3 credits)
- HRLR 313 Employment Relations
3 CREDITS
Labor relations, collective bargaining involving unions, dispute resolution, and arbitration.
- MGT 411 Organizational Staffing
3 CREDITS
Job and organizational analysis. Personnel planning, recruitment, selection and placement. Employment interviewing and testing. Validation of selection procedures, equal opportunity employer (EEO) guidelines, and affirmative action. Issues and diversity of ethics.
- MGT 412 Compensation and Reward Systems
3 CREDITS
Designing compensation systems. Job evaluation, internal and external equity. Pay-for-performance plans and financial incentives. Wage and salary surveys. Benefits administration. Diversity and ethical considerations.
- MGT 414 Diversity in the Workplace
3 CREDITS
Problems experienced by racial, ethnic, physically disabled, and other minorities in work organizations. Awareness training for managers. Ethical issues.
- MGT 460 Capstone for Management Majors (W)
3 CREDITS
Topics in management and organizational behavior.
- MGT 475 Negotiation and Conflict Management
3 CREDITS
Negotiation and bargaining to manage people and interpersonal relations. Developmental processes, stages, and types of conflict. Conflict management and resolution.
Relevant Electives (6 credits)
Complete at least 6 credits from the following courses
A maximum of 3 credits of internship or other work experience may be earned, used as elective credits towards the following degrees: Finance, Human Resource Management, Management, Marketing, Supply Chain Management.
Customers and Sales
- ADV 352 Media Sales
3 CREDITS
Process of media sales, operation of sales and marketing departments, analyzing local media, and customized advertising using cross-selling.
- HB 376 Hospitality Sales Process or MKT 313 Consultative Selling
HB 376 Hospitality Sales Process
3 CREDITS
Management of the sales process in the hospitality industry.
MKT 313 Consultative Selling
3 CREDITS
Role of the sales organization and nature of customer and channel relationships. Buying behavior and sales processes. Fundamentals of personal selling. Experiential project that challenges students to assimilate and apply key concepts.
- MKT 302 Consumer Behavior
3 CREDITS
Application of consumer behavior principles to customer satisfaction, market planning, and marketing mix decisions. Ethical, diversity, and international issues.
Media and Branding
- ADV 431 Monitoring and Measuring Social Media of Brands
3 CREDITS
Social media monitoring and analysis for businesses and brands including advanced keyword building and search techniques. Discovering business insights through social media listening and applying insights through a social media response plan.
- JRN 218 Sports in Contemporary Media
3 CREDITS
Introduction to today’s media coverage of sports, including college and professional major and Olympic sports. Survey of development of traditional and new media reporting. Legal, and ethical issues, including contracts and copyrights of sports media.
- MI 334 eSports and Online Broadcasting
3 CREDITS
Understand eSports industries, study esports film and game replays, streaming technologies and implementation, practice techniques essential to competitive play and streaming.
- PR 330 Social Media Management
3 CREDITS
Strategies and tactics for social media in public relations and advertising. Identifying appropriate social media and digital platforms; planning and implementing strategic organizational communication programs; measuring success.
Planning, Operations, and Strategy
- EC 370 Economics of Sports
3 CREDITS
Economic analysis of sports teams, leagues, and institutions. Strategic considerations, demand and pricing, betting markets, optimal compensation for athletes, the market for superstars, anti-trust and public finance issues.
- GEO 215 Sports Geography
3 CREDITS
Geographical variables that influence the location, character, and spread of sports at the national and global scale. Human cultures and diffusion. Themes associated with the geography of sports. Origin and spread of collegiate, professional, international, and Olympic sports
- HRLR 314 Legal Environment of Work
3 CREDITS
Legal rights of workers and responsibilities of employers affecting safety, nondiscrimination, wages, hours & benefits, collective action and unionization.
- HB 420 The Business of Golf
3 CREDITS
Accounting, branding, expensing, logistics, negotiations, recruiting, risk management, operations, and promotion in golf. Business considerations in the development and location of golf courses.
- HB 425 Golf Operations and Management
3 CREDITS
Golf course operations including human resource management, golf course and facility design, equipment, pro shop operations, golf cart fleet and tee sheet management. Golf tournament and outing planning and operations, common golf course legal issues, sustainable golf course maintenance and how the weather impacts the industry. Current trends and strategies in golf facility marketing and advertising. Importance of hospitality in golf operations as well as strategic food and beverage selection.
- KIN 454 Facility Planning and Construction
3 CREDITS
Planning of athletic and physical education facilities such as gymnasia, ice rinks, swimming pools, and outdoor areas. Space utilization standards and guidelines. Selection of materials and equipment.
- KIN 456 Ethical Issues in Athletics
2 CREDITS
Ethics of sports at the institutional level in contemporary society. Political, social, and commercial pressures.
Sports and Society
- GBL 323 Introduction to Business Law
3 CREDITS
Introduction to the legal system. Basic concepts of constitutional law, torts, contracts, and product liability. Administrative law and government regulations.
- HST 324 History of Sport in America
3 CREDITS
Social and cultural ramifications of colonial sport. Rise of modern sport in the nineteenth century. Social significance of sport in modern America with special attention to economics, gender, race, and politics.
- HST 329 College Sports in the United States
3 CREDITS
Origins of sports in higher education. Effects of industrialization and television. Civil rights movement in sports: incorporation of women and members of minorities. Title IX era. History of individual sports.
- HST 397 Global Soccer
3 CREDITS
Soccer’s evolution from British sport to global cultural phenomenon. The World Cup, nationalism, fans, playing styles, migration, women’s game, media, business.
- ISS 328 The Social Science of Sports (I)
4 CREDITS
Contemporary issues in sports. Critical examination of the industrial organization, public finance, labor relations, earnings, discrimination, and historical context of sports in society. Analysis of sports gambling, performance enhancement, and strategic decision-making.
Special Topics
Selection of either of these courses requires approval by the Department of Management to ensure appropriate content.
- ADV 492 Special Topics in Advertising
3 CREDITS
Varied topics pertaining to the study of advertising and public relations processes.
- MGT 491 Special Topics in Management
3 CREDITS
Topics in management such as advanced organizational behavior, managing labor relations, organizational development, organizational theory and design, strategic leadership and decision making.
