At Penn State, sports are about more than just throwing and catching a ball.
Penn State's athletic environment is rich, giving students the opportunity to experience what's happening off the field and interact with student-athletes and professional athletes and organization representatives. At Penn State, many of these experiences are offered through the Sports Business Club.
As a freshman at Penn State, Dylan Hausner was looking for a way to be active on campus. He joined the Sports Business Club, and even though the meetings were held virtually, he felt the energy and inclusiveness of the organization from the beginning. The Sports Business Club taught him about sports business, why it is an important industry and how he became interested.
“They brought in speakers most weeks,” Hausner said. “People who work in the sports industry talk about how they got to where they are, what they're doing now, and give invaluable advice on how to break into the sports industry, but that doesn't mean you can't “It's not something you do,” which you might inevitably learn in a classroom. There is a lot of learning happening outside of the classroom as well. ”
Within the club, Hausner joined the marketing committee responsible for social media and graphics. He continued to work diligently on the internal committee and was promoted to chairman in his second year. He then became vice president of student development within the organization, where he became fully involved in various projects.
“One of the things I am proud of for our club is our alumni mentorship program,” Hausner said. “Essentially, our speakers, or anyone connected to our club in any way, whether it’s a Penn State alumnus or a speaker alumnae, are matched with students and have some type of Be a mentor. We've had a lot of success with this in terms of building a kind of one-on-one relationship.”
Through continued hard work and determination, Mr. Hausner was elected President of the Sports Business Club for the fourth year.
“It's been an incredible journey,” he said. “I got to meet a lot of great people and watch people grow into different roles, and I think that was the best thing about it all. I learned a lot, and it was very valuable to me.”
Like Hausner, when Devon McGill first arrived at Penn State, she was looking for an organization to join. McGill's in-club experience was invaluable in learning the ins and outs of the different areas you can enter in the sports industry. She said McGill has been part of the professional development committee since her first year, coordinating speakers for the club, moderating meetings with speakers and making sure the right questions were asked.
She explained that some of the other important things her committee did specifically were resume writing, learning about LinkedIn, and helping with cover letters and interviews. Ms. McGill was a member of the professional development committee during her freshman year and her sophomore year, and became director of special events for the executive committee during her junior year.
“I was responsible for really growing the community beyond the professionalism within the club. That's something I'm very proud of and very proud of,” McGill said. “I think we've grown a lot socially as a club. Previously, we were very business professionals, almost strictly professional. Sports fans are very competitive, so we've had a lot of fun. I think I love it. So it's about hosting events where people can get to know the people around them and make friends and where the executive committee can build a sense of community no different than regular organization members.”
Mr. McGill was elected and promoted to the position of Vice President of Club Operations, a role he takes as a senior this year. She discussed how much of her job involves contacting and scheduling speakers for her club.
“We have speaker meetings at least three to four times a month, almost every Tuesday. and invite speakers,'' McGill said. “We are serious about offering our members a variety of opportunities in the industry.”
Among the speakers the group met were Jim Ibler of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and Dr. Erkut Sogut, the representative of German soccer player and World Cup champion Mesut Ozil. , and popular online sports retailer Dior Ginyard. Fanatics was also named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 in Sports.
Mr. Hausner and Mr. McGill also spoke about the importance of the Sports Business Conference, which was held March 21st and 22nd. Recruiters from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Eagles, New Jersey Devils and Pro Football Focus were also in attendance at this year's event. As a representative of Penn State Athletics.
“I can tell you there was a lot of preparation in advance,” Hausner said of organizing the conference. “For example, we did a resume review a month ago to help people organize their resumes. We also held LinkedIn workshops where people learned how to use LinkedIn, how to update their profiles, what they post, and their skills. I learned what to include in my profile, such as my background and experience. I also practiced my elevator pitch…I think that's another great thing about this club.
“We have a really big underclassman presence within the club,” McGill added. “So I think it's important to tailor it to them and teach them what a resume should look like, how to maintain a presence on LinkedIn, and how to execute a good elevator pitch. Because when you go to a conference, Recruiters and you may be looking to make a connection and get an internship or job from this event. So providing them as much preparation as possible is what we did best and we saw many freshmen and sophomores have an immense level of confidence heading into that conference. I think it was. ”
Another very important part of the Sports Business Club is its involvement in THON. This year, Mr. Hausner and Mr. McGill are both fighting cancer, and he danced for 46 hours, raising $24,234.12 for the organization. Mr. Hausner praised the club's THON President Will Robinson and the value of the club's teamwork that led to their commitment to the children.
“We had a new THON family that just visited last weekend and we were able to spend time with their 3 and 2 year olds. That THON experience was a big part of our experience. “Devon and I have always been good friends, and now we're even closer, so it's been really cool,” Hausner said.
“It was really special to be paired with the THON family this year,” McGill said. “Dancing on their behalf makes it even more meaningful. We met them in person for the first time at THON, got to play with the kids, had an epic water gun fight, and by the time it was over we I got soaked with everyone. That was my favorite highlight of the weekend and it made it even more special.”
The Sports Business Club meets every Tuesday from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Chambers Building.The organization can be found at Instagram or through it Websiteif you are interested in participating, please send an email Hausner or mcgill.
