Business of Sports Society visits the NBA and Barclays Center

Areas of Study , Business Sports Society Sports Business | Apr 12, 2013 | Nicole Gesualdo

by Joe Rapolla (FCRH ’13)

It’s been a basketball-fueled couple of months for the Business of Sports Society.

The NBA was a major player in the club’s semester from early on. Brian McIntyre came to campus in February to talk about league communications. Then it was Fordham’s turn to pay a visit.

About 20 members of “The Society” went to the NBA commissioner’s office in midtown on a trip made possible by Rita O’Neill (GSB ’04, GBA ’08), a senior manager for team marketing and business operations.

“She arranged a series of speakers for us, which included representation from PR, marketing strategy, social media and HR,” said Michael Sansarran (GSB ’13), the society’s outgoing president. The speakers discussed what it’s like to work at the NBA and offered tips on breaking into the increasingly competitive sports industry. Mr. McIntyre even made a special appearance.

The society next set its sights on Brooklyn: specifically the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. The team’s director of operations, Tony Brasile, led an exclusive tour of the court, locker rooms and other facilities. The Business of Sports Society was one of the first groups to get such an extensive tour of the arena, which only opened in September. Afterward, the students enjoyed walking around the surrounding area and taking in the Brooklyn culture that inspired Jay-Z to buy the Nets and build a stadium.

The Business of Sports Society is now preparing for next year. Senior co-founders Michael Sansarran and Louis Frangella (GSB ’13) are graduating, and Adrian Burke (FCRH ’14) is the new president. He can capitalize on the group’s solid groundwork laid in its first year: The future is bright for this club, which is no longer in its infancy.

Photographs courtesy of Michael Sansarran.