Final Four Experience provides firsthand lessons for students
Triple business major (’17) Max Simpson’s favorite memory came in 2015 when he was in Europe to watch Spain’s FC Barcelona professional football club beat the Juventus FC team from Italy, in the UEFA Champions League final.
“When they scored one of their goals, tens of thousands of people instantly lost their minds, and everyone around was doused with beer and champagne and hugged random strangers,” says Simpson, a senior majoring in management, sports media studies, and marketing. “It was the coolest sports moment of my life.”
Simpson has a chance to be part of sports history again when Phoenix hosts college basketball’s 2017 Final Four. He’s enrolled in MKT 494 (Final Four Experience), which gives students an opportunity to help with the event, including sports marketing, event planning and management, guest services, community engagement, communication, project management, and volunteer services. NCAA executives serve as guest lecturers, and the course covers strategic planning, execution, and event evaluation and assessment. Students will present strategies to the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee, the nonprofit organization that is hosting the Final Four.
Simpson enrolled in the Final Four Experience after completing Sports and Sustainability. The latter class highlighted everything from donating excess sports event food to homeless shelters to promoting carpooling and events.
“We took the best practices from years past and teamed up with organizations such as the city of Phoenix, Keep Phoenix Beautiful, and the Final Four Organizing Committee to develop future sustainable habits for the Final Four,” Simpson says. “We created a manual that can be utilized at future Final Fours to make them the most sustainable sports events ever.”
Simpson hopes to eventually work in sports partnerships, sponsorships, or brand development.
Also enrolled in Final Four Experience is Gabby Muñoz, a senior marketing major (’17) who wants to pursue a career in sports sponsorships or media relations. She’s currently an intern with AdSport Inc., a Phoenix advertising agency.
Muñoz previously worked for sports media relations at New Mexico State University before transferring to ASU for her senior year. Growing up a San Francisco 49ers fan, Muñoz says sports is more than just competition.
“Every time I go into a job interview, I’m asked, ‘Why do you want to work in sports?’ I love being part of the history,” she says. “All of a sudden a major play happens, and you feel the energy of the fans rise, and you are a part of the history of the franchise. You’ll remember that moment forever.”
The Final Four class, Muñoz says, will give her one more important vantage point: “It’s another great chance for me to see something new, and to see if it’s something I want to be involved with in the future. Not a lot of people get to know the Final Four on a deeper level.”
This story was first published in the Spring 2017 issue of the
W. P. Carey magazine.
