Published on September 2, 2013 at 11:40 p.m. by Kara Kennedy  

Samford University's Brock School of Business is adding a sports marketing concentration and course offerings to its curriculum in the fall of 2013.   This concentration will offer students a chance to develop their skills for a career in the multibillion dollar global sports industry.  Darin White, professor of marketing, has been named the coordinator of the newly-formed sports marketing program. 

"Under Darin's direction, the Brock School of Business students have been working on a number of sports marketing projects over the past three years," said Howard Finch, dean of the Brock School of Business.  "We have come to recognize that there is strong demand from students to take classes and to have internships in the business side of the sports industry, therefore, we thought the timing was right to launch this program." 

The Brock School of Business will be one of only 10 AACSB accredited business schools in the country to offer an undergraduate program in sports marketing.  The program will combine classroom training as well as internships and client projects.  Brock students recently completed projects for clients such as Manchester United's major sponsor AON, PGA, Talladega Superspeedway, Regions Tradition Golf Tournament, and the Honda Indy Grand Prix. 

Other key parts of the program include the opportunity for sports marketing students to work and travel abroad to gain industry experience in foreign countries. 

"I have been teaching sports marketing at Brock for a number of years," said White. "I am happy we are now able to offer a wide-range of course work in sports business here at Samford." 

Full-time regular classes in sports marketing will be offered fall semester, which begins in August.

Audio: Learn More About Samford University's Sports Marketing Program

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.