In Fall 2022, the Sports Management program hosted its third annual Columbia University Sports Management Conference, featuring industry leaders and Sports Management faculty to discuss the business of sports—and its future. The conference gives students in the program access to professionals in all sports industry sectors, allowing them to network and learn from the experts. Featured panel discussions covered sports and social impact, building the future leadership of sports business, dealmakers in sports, and the evolution of sports partnerships. Keynote speakers included co-owner and alternate governor of the New York Islanders Jon Ledecky, CEO and team principal of Paretta Autosport Beth Paretta, and principal and sports practice leader at Deloitte Consulting Pete Giorgio.
“We were absolutely thrilled to host our conference again after a COVID-induced hiatus,” said Sports Management Program Director Scott Rosner. “The thought leadership across a wide variety of topics, networking, attendance, and overall enthusiasm were all at an all-time high. We can’t wait to do it again in 2023.”
As program director, Rosner leads all programmatic and curricular development efforts, creates professional development opportunities for students, and manages all strategic planning efforts for the program. He is also a Professor of Professional Practice, teaching courses including Emerging & Niche Leagues, Foundations of Sports Management, and Negotiation and Dispute Resolution in Sports. In addition to numerous articles in law reviews, journals, and publications including the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, and the Wall Street Journal, Rosner is coauthor of The Business of Sports, a leading textbook in its second edition that synthesizes a collection of the leading scholarly sports business articles, the first such volume in the field.
We recently asked the master’s program students who attended the conference for their highlights:
Jillian Mary Quinn, ’22SPS
“Mary Wittenberg’s panel was my favorite. It's so rare to get to see strong female leaders in the sports industry all on one stage having an open and candid conversation. The panel was about building the future leadership of the sports business, and it was clear from the conversation that women’s professional sports will have a huge role in the space. With the growth and momentum of the National Women’s Soccer League [NWSL] and the Women’s National Basketball League [WNBA], along with other emerging leagues, money is flowing into this particular area of the sports business. Some of our best, most impactful industry leaders are now emerging from female sports leagues and teams, and that trend will only continue to grow in the years to come.”
Matt McGovern, ’23SPS
“Personally, I really enjoyed Shelley Pisarra’s keynote speech. As somebody keen to work in data, I found it really interesting how important telling stories with data was to her and Wasserman. One takeaway, in particular, was that even though the language isn’t universal, numbers are.”
Rashad Hyacenth, ’23SPS
“One key takeaway for me was from the Dealmakers in Sports panel. The financial language that was used by that panel, as it relates to sports, was really interesting because these guys are some of the most influential people behind some of the biggest deals we’ve seen in the last decade or so. I think it was important to understand their perspectives because they exposed us to a part of the sports world that is not often seen as ‘traditional.’ ”
Yash Agarwal, ’22SPS
“One of the most prevalent themes at the conference was the incredible rise of women’s sports, in terms of both viewership and commercial growth. It was fascinating to learn from Shelley Pisarra’s keynote that FIFA turned down multiple broadcast rights deals for the 2023 Women’s World Cup because the price was too low. I loved how Pisarra alluded to the industry-wide trends to assert that women’s sport is “not a thing” for the future but has already arrived.”
Watch the conference keynotes.
About the Program
The Columbia University M.S. in Sports Management provides students with a comprehensive curriculum and access to sports industry practitioners and influencers. Students acquire skills in areas such as entrepreneurship and innovation, global sports management, facility and event management, and sports law and ethics.
Fall 2023 application deadlines for the M.S. in Sports Management program are January 17, 2023 for the priority deadline; March 15 for applicants with international documents; and May 17 for the final deadline. Learn more here.
