News
MS in Sport Business Management: Competing for a Living
2008
In Major League Baseball’s American League Championship Series last October, the press coverage was not only focused on the players, but also on the two teams’ general managers: the Cleveland Indians’ Mark Shapiro and the Boston Red Sox’s Theo Epstein. Shapiro became a GM at age 34, Epstein at age 28. This, as much as anything else, points to the kind of high level sports management opportunities to which college graduates can aspire.
Like any industry, sports is a high-stakes venture with enormous challenges. Shapiro and Epstein may represent every Little Leaguer’s fantasy, but the need for skilled business minds in the ranks of sports management is real. Hence Manhattanville College’s Master of Science in Sport Business Management degree program. “Manhattanville is ahead of the curve in identifying the growing need in the sport management industry for qualified professionals to meet the increase in demand,” says President Richard Berman.
Created in 2006, the program is directed by David Torromeo. Its mission is “to promote and develop the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal, and the drive for academic and professional excellence in an ethical manner.” Students who earn this degree are prepared to assume middle- and upper-level positions in professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, and amateur and youth athletic organizations.
With advisory board and faculty members sporting resumes that include positions with the New York Yankees, Major League Baseball, USA Boxing, Major League Lacrosse, CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, IBM, PepsiCo, Madison Square Garden, and various sports marketing agencies, the Sport Business Management program is clearly a winner.
From Manhattanville Magazine