Daniel Webster Sport Management students impress in Arizona,
overcoming SNHU
College’s elite sport management program receives accolades at
Sport Marketing Association conference

(Nashua) — The Daniel Webster College (DWC) sport management students arrived in Arizona for last month’s Sport Marketing Association (SMA) conference and immediately let their presence be known, competing in — and winning — the major conference competition at the third annual SMA conference at Arizona State University. The conference featured the talents of students and faculty in presentations to the industry’s leaders.

The major conference competition featured a case study examining the task the Phoenix Suns would face with a potential bid for the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend.  Daniel Webster sport management junior Ryan Kane, and seniors Justin Golden, Matt Regan, and Mark Rodrigues presented the material they and teammates seniors Mark Caggiano, Melissa Foster, and Tara Sargent, freshman Chris Evans, and junior Bryan Ouellette had developed during the semester over the course of many hours.

The DWC team advanced to the final round to find themselves facing another New Hampshire institution, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester. Both teams had fewer then 24 hours to prepare a detailed plan and PowerPoint presentation for creating a special event for the Phoenix Suns’ season ticket holder and partial-plan holder family that would take place the week of the NBA All-Star Weekend employing a budget of $250,000. At the competition’s conclusion — and for the first time in DWC history — Daniel Webster students emerged victorious!

Among the members of the case study competition, one student stood above all others, Mark Rodrigues. What once was just a dream to work in the National Basketball Association, Rodrigues made a reality just 72 hours into the conference. With the Orlando Magic interviewing countless applicants at the SMA conference for just one position, Daniel Webster’s sport management program once again came out on top, as Rodrigues was the recipient of the job offer. 

Three members of the Sport Management program — Mark Caggiano, Melissa Foster, and Justin Golden — also competed in a separate event, the professional poster competition. As the only undergraduates competing against both graduate and doctoral-level students, although they did not win, they proved that Daniel Webster College Sport Management program students can compete, and are on par, with any other program in the country.  

“I’m very proud at how students represented themselves and the school at the SMA conference,” said Dr. Eric Schwarz, coordinator of the college’s sport management program. “They handled themselves professionally during their presentations to sports marketing professionals, academicians, and others in the sports field arena. The program has come a long way in a short time to where it’s receiving academic recognition at national conferences like this. It all comes from the students — their desire and passion, the pride in their work, and their maturity.”

DWC students weren’t the only college representatives to make a statement. Dr. Eric Schwarz, himself, presented twice during the week-long conference. The first presentation, “Enterprise Sport Marketing Management” focused on the evolution of customer relationship management (CRM) and customer experience management (CEM) in sport business.  Dr. Schwarz also co-presented with Doug Blais, Southern New Hampshire University, on “Old Facilities, New Uses — the Evolution of Use and Marketing for Older Sport Facilities.”

Additionally during the conference, Daniel Webster alumnus and Nashua native Steve Cox ’01, now a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks front office, gave DWC students a glimpse of what they could accomplish after graduation with a degree in Sport Management from Daniel Webster College. Students had the opportunity to talk with Steve and ask questions as they explored Chase Field (formerly Bank One Ballpark).

The third annual Sport Marketing Association conference proved very beneficial to DWC’s sport management students and helped raise the level of the program’s prestige with student competition outcomes, among other successes. According to Dr. Schwarz, the sport management curriculum has evolved to meet the needs of today’s — and tomorrow’s — industry employers. Extraordinary internships around the country combined with experiential learning within the classroom and a stellar curriculum have created a program that is meeting industry demands. Additionally, the program is seeking national recognition from the North American Society of Sport Management and the National Association of Sport and Physical Education. Daniel Webster College has indeed demonstrated that it is one of the country’s elite sport management programs.

Founded in 1965, Daniel Webster is a student-focused independent college with a primary concentration on experiential learning. Daniel Webster College's nationally ranked degree programs in aviation are well complemented by its innovative programs in business and management, computer science and information technology, aeronautical and mechanical engineering, sport management, and social science.