Penn State Sports Business Conference
Penn State Sports Business Conference | March 2021
Joe Scardino, MKTG '21, PSSBC President
During a time of so much uncertainty, the Penn State Sports Business Conference with their presenting partner, Pepsi, persevered and executed an outstanding week-long virtual event featuring some of the brightest minds in sports media, business, tech, and culture. The Penn State Sports Business Conference grew beyond Happy Valley. Over a thousand tickets were sold to students, alumni, and professionals all across the country and world. Individuals in 41 of the 50 states, 13 countries, and 5 of the 7 continents were a part of this year's event.
Hall of Fame Broadcasters Bob Costas and Tom Verducci kicked off the week with a Monday night conversation with Penn State Professor and Knight Chair in Sports Journalism and Society, John Affleck. They discussed key topics surrounding the State of Baseball while also providing valuable insights to students about the importance of authenticity. Keynote speakers from the event included Commissioner of the NWSL Lisa Baird, Head of U.S. Twitter Sports, TJ Adeshola, Co-Head of Basketball at CAA, Jess Holtz, Founder of 3ICE Hockey, E.J. Johnston, and the CEO of The Athletic, Alex Mather.
Not only did attendees have the opportunity to hear from those keynote speakers, but they were also able to join panels that were held on Zoom. The panel topics included the Business of Betting with Action Network’s Darren Rovell, FanDuel’s Erin Kate Dolan, and Snapback Sports founder Jack Settleman. Olivia Harlan Dekker (Big Ten Network), Emily Kaplan (ESPN), and Kevin Ray (Dallas Cowboys/Phoenix Suns) were panelists on The Art of Sports Journalism. Justin Thoman and Melissa Duhaime of Pepsi provided an inside look into the production of the Weeknd’s Super Bowl performance, and the Head of League Operations at the WNBA, Bethany Donaphin spoke with Minorities in Sports founder Shaina Weil about the positive steps the league is making towards fighting for social justice. There were other panels as well on ESPN’s College GameDay, the ever-changing media landscape, venture capital, and Penn State Athletics marketing efforts during the pandemic.
While the conference this year was free, there was an option for a paid Mentorship Program. The Mentorship Program allowed individuals to join exclusive workshops, giveaways, and additional benefits during the conference. These workshops had no more than 20 people and allowed for intimate and more personal conversations with the speaker.
Throughout the week, attendees had the opportunity to network directly with fellow students and professionals. Companies such as Madison Square Garden, the Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Penn Interactive Gaming, Octagon, Team USA Handball, and Penn State Sports Properties were recruiting at the conference.
The team set out with a goal in August to make the Penn State Sports Business Conference more than just an event and while they are proud of their work this year they have already shifted focus to year 5 as they look to continue to inspire, educate and motivate!