When interviewing for a job in the sports industry it’s crucial that candidates have a broad understanding of business. The sports marketing concentration, which can be added onto one of six business majors (accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management or entrepreneurship) allows students to develop sports industry specific skills that differentiate them in the eyes of executives.

Oftentimes students find their perfect niche at the intersection of their major within the sports industry. For example, entrepreneurship majors with a sports marketing concentration have gone on to start sports-oriented businesses, and accounting majors graduate and go to work as chief operating officers in college athletics. Our economics majors have gone to work in sports analytics, and marketing majors have gone to work for ESPN sports marketing.

The concentration presents a rigorous curriculum with courses focused on areas such as sponsorship, international sports marketing, advertising, social media and analytics.

View Curriculum

Class Projects

Students will complete two consulting projects for major sports properties.

The first project, which is part of the Marketing Research class during the junior or senior year, involves the collection of survey data for teams and brands. The second project is completed in the Advanced Theory & Practice in Sports Marketing class in May of a student’s senior year. The intensive nature of this capstone course requires students to dedicate several weeks of full-time effort to it. Once the project is complete, students travel to the sports property headquarters to present to executives. Our students have presented to executives at prestigious sports properties including Coca-Cola, Nike, the NBA, the Miami Dolphins, the Southeastern Conference, and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, just to name a few

Recent Student Projects

Internships and Mentorships

Students complete two internships, one with the NCAA D1 athletic department on campus and one with an external sports entity. Recent internships have included the NFL, Nashville Predators, Adidas and the Coca-Cola sports marketing department.

Additionally, students participate in an exclusive mentorship program with executives from the Atlanta Braves organization.

Students in our sports marketing concentration have had the opportunity to travel with classmates and faculty to study sports business abroad. These trips offer cultural and intellectual excursions and take students behind the scenes of some of the most famous sporting organizations in the world. Through these opportunities, students learn how successful sporting events on the field are intricately tied to success in the front office and boardroom.

A key part of the program is the chance to visit renowned events and venues during active periods. Recent trips have included access to the Wimbledon Championships, London Summer Olympic Games, Manchester United Football Club and Harlequins Rugby Union.

Brock School of Business attracts dozens of senior-level sports industry executives to speak on campus each year. Many of our students have made valuable industry connections during these events. Recent speakers have included the vice president of analytics for the Atlanta Hawks, the former president of Aston Villa F.C. and the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.

Additionally, our Sports Marketing & Analytics Advisory Board is a key asset to our program. In addition to providing regular feedback about the curriculum, advisory board members serve as mentors, connections to industry-related internships or jobs, and help build relationships with organizations in the industry. Additionally, board members often support the financial means for students to travel for class projects.

Meet the Board

Program Coordinator

Professor Darin White, PhD, is the executive director of Samford University’s Center for Sports Analytics, and the founder of the sports business programs in Brock School of Business.

In his career, White has crafted business relationships with some of the most prestigious sports organizations and corporate sponsors including the NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, Dallas Cowboys, Bayern Munich, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Adidas, SEC, ACC, Nike, NASCAR, Atlanta Braves, Harlequins Rugby, Indy Car, Peach Bowl, PGA, Tampa Bay Lightning, MiLB, IFL, Coca Cola, Honda, BCBS, & Manchester United’s sponsor AON.

Meet Professor Darin White

To prepare individuals for a career in sports marketing, Samford's Brock School of Business offers a rigorous sports business curricula for academically gifted and highly motivated candidates paired with a real-world sports business internship in the sports industry.

Current Samford students should download and read the application carefully before completing. Current students are selected annually through a rigorous application process in the spring of their sophomore year. The program seeks students who have demonstrated high standards of scholarship, outstanding personal character, and serious educational aims. Admission to the program involves a careful analysis of (1) academic records, (2) character references, (3) clarity of educational purpose, and (4) extracurricular activities which reflect the applicant’s potential for success in the highly competitive sports industry.

GPA Requirement and Application Deadline

Current Samford students may apply for admission to the program during their sophomore year if they have an overall Samford GPA of 3.0 or above. Spots in the program are limited. In order to receive full consideration, applicants must have their application and recommendation letters completed no later than Feb. 1. However, the Admission Committee prefers students to complete the application early in the fall semester to give them time to get to know the candidates before the Feb. 1 deadline. Students that apply after Feb. 1 will be placed on a waiting list and only admitted if a spot comes open in the subsequent year.

Applicants with an overall Samford GPA below 3.0 should turn in an application before the Feb. 1 deadline and then plan to take MARK 301 during the summer or fall of their junior year. On rare occasions students with an overall Samford GPA below 3.0 have been admitted if a spot is open and they perform well in MARK 301.

Application

Recommendation form

Entering freshmen are invited to apply for early assurance into the sports marketing program in Samford University’s Brock School of Business. In order to apply for early assurance, students must apply to Samford University through the Office of Admission and have declared a major within Brock School of Business. Follow these steps and timeline to ensure that you submit the required materials and meet appropriate deadlines:

1. Submit The Common Application or Samford University Application declaring a major within the Brock School of Business. Any major within the Brock School of Business is sufficient.
2. Submit the Sports Marketing application which will appear on your Application Status Page checklist once you have been accepted to Samford University and have declared a major in the Brock School of Business.
3. All applicants accepted to Samford University by Feb. 15 that have also submitted the additional Sports Marketing application by Feb. 15 will be voted on at the March Sports Marketing/Sports Analytics Early Assurance Committee meeting. Notifications will be sent to the students by April 1.

Students that do not apply for early assurance or that are not accepted into the early assurance program during their senior year in high school must wait until their sophomore year at Samford to apply.