USM Sport Management Students Compete in National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship
Wed, 12/11/2024 - 09:58am
Seven University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Sport Management students recently competed in the National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship (NCSSC) Online Round competition. NCSSC, coordinated by Baylor University and aligned with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena, provides an opportunity for students to highlight their sports sales skills in a competitive format and advance to the national conference held in Atlanta. The event included a national record number of participants with more than 300 students representing 73 universities.
Southern Miss students competed in two categories: ticket sales and corporate partnerships. Ticket sales competitors included Kelvin Chiku, Tyler Greer and Matthew Scoggins. Corporate partnership competitors included Madison Moucheron, Sarah Pazos, Seth Reisinger and Gabby Wilcox. The students were selected from an in-class (Sport Sales Methods and Techniques) competition and were involved in sport sales training with NCSSC and Southern Miss Sport Management alumni throughout the fall semester. Virtual results released last week included five in the Top 100 categories. In the Ticket Sales division, Matthew Scoggins placed #90. Corporate Partnerships division placement included Gabby Wilcox (#70), Seth Reisinger (Tied #89), Madison Moucheron (#95), and Sarah Pazos (#97). All seven participants will advance to the Atlanta conference in January.
This was the fourth consecutive year that Southern Miss Sport Management competed in NCSSC. Training was led by Dr. Sabrina Reed, assistant teaching professor of sport management, and Dr. Chris Croft, associate professor of sport management, in the College of Business and Economic Development and School of Marketing.
Matthew Scoggins, ticket sales competitor, expressed that he was “excited to learn and connect with all of the industry leaders from different teams and leagues.”
Corporate partnership competitor Gabby Wilcox added that she learned more about sport sales throughout the process and was eager to network with other college students and sports professionals. She also expressed her appreciation for the encouragement she received from Dr. Reed and Dr. Croft to compete in the competition.
NCSSC with the Atlanta Hawks provided some training but additional training sessions were coordinated with Southern Miss Sport Management alumni including Jamie Martin, general manager of Southern Mississippi Sport Properties-Learfield (2003); Holden Hewes, Southern Miss Athletics account executive (2023 and NCSSC 2022); and Jerica Galloway, Memphis Grizzlies account executive, ticket sales (2022 and NCSSC 2022).
“We have been fortunate to have Sport Management alumni in the sport ticket and corporate sales industry give back and assist our students in training,” said Croft. “This was also a great networking opportunity for our students as they enter the sport business industry.”
Hundreds of students from schools nationwide participate in the NCSS Championship to jump from college to the pros. Recruiters (typically inside sales managers) serve as buyers in a role-play competition. Students pitch a product to the buyer. The applicable background information on the product is available in the study guide, distributed to students in advance. A judge scores their performance based on a rubric in the study guide. Students advance in the bracket and can gain visibility from recruiters.
Since the purpose of the competition is for students to land jobs, there is time throughout the event to interview and interact with recruiters. Professional organizations from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and others are represented as buyers and attend the national conference.
“This was an excellent opportunity for students to network and role-play with those in the sport industry,” said Reed. “We were excited for seven of our students to compete this year. They worked hard in preparation for the virtual round, and we look forward to taking them to the national competition in January.”
Click here to learn more about Southern Miss Sport Management or call 601.266.4627.
More information about NCSSC may be found at these websites:
BaylorS3E (Center for Sales Strategy in Sports & Entertainment)