AKRON, Ohio — The College of Business at the University of Akron announced two new undergraduate degree programs in sport analytics and sport business which will begin this fall.
The two programs will be housed in the college’s Department of Management.
The university added the programs in response to a growing global sport market. According to Sports Global Market Opportunities and Strategies to 2030: COVID-19 Impact and Recovery, the global sport market was valued at $390 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow over 50% to nearly $600 billion by 2025. The United States accounted for 25% of the market in 2020 and the industry includes professional, intercollegiate, and community sports as well as facilities, sporting goods, licensed products, live sports events and media.
“The global sport industry continues to grow, providing ever-increasing employment opportunities,” said R.J. Nemer, dean of the college of business in a news release. “UA continues to create curriculum that responds to these industry needs and the needs of our students. It is no surprise that UA grads are leading the way in the world of business.”
The Bachelor of Science in Sport Analytics
They created the Sport Analytics degree with direct input from analytics experts and data scientists from national sport organizations.
The degree will give students a focused foundation in math, statistics, computer programming and business. The goal is for students to compete and attain analytics focused jobs across the sport industry.
Sports organizations are leveraging data analytics to gain an edge in the business from enhancing player and coach performances to personnel decision-making to customer engagement.
Jon Nichols, vice president of basketball strategy and personnel with the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, said that the combination of traditional sport management courses with technical classes that prepare students for all aspects of working in the sport analytics field is a “unique and distinctive component.”
“The most important skills for success are a mixture of hard technical skills and soft people skills,” Nichols said. “The ability to work with numbers and code to manipulate large data sets is key, as well as the ability to communicate complex results and analyses to non-technical people.”
Students will customize their program of study to gain hands-on industry experience through internships and a capstone consulting project. They will develop quantitative, critical thinking and decision-making skills, along with mastery of core sport and business administration principles throughout the program.
The Bachelor of Business Administration in Sport Business
The Bachelor of Business Administration in Sport Business program will focus on the core areas of business and on applying business concepts to sport-specific settings. The program already has relationships with sports teams and organizations.
“The University of Akron’s B.B.A. in Sport Business is distinctive based on its home in the College of Business,” said Matthew Juravich, Ph.D., associate professor, management. “This allows our students direct access to the resources of an AACSB- accredited business school along with expert faculty and unique relationships with sport organizations across the region. Graduates of our program will develop a strong business foundation with experience and expertise in sport business that will empower them to become future leaders in the industry.”
The degree program allows students to focus on business concepts in the world of sports, which will include a focus on financial issues in sports, sales and leadership. They will prepare students to work in the sports industry in areas including management, administration, sales, marketing, licensing/branding and facilities operations, among others.