Sport Management Students Take Entrepreneurship Beyond the Classroom

HLOs:

Students in Professor Sherri Branscombe’s SPRT 306: Entrepreneurship course in the Sport Management program turned ideas into action. Over several months in class the students engaged in an intensive ideation process—transforming sport-related concepts into fully developed business plans.

To deepen their understanding of entrepreneurship in the sport and recreation industry, the class visited Pursuit OCR, an innovative adult recreation facility just up the street from campus. There, students learned firsthand from owner Wil Mclean, who shared insights on the realities of owning and operating a business with the mission to engineer nostalgia with themes around "surviving your decisions" and "why your brand matters". After the presentation, students got to stay and play themselves, gaining a unique perspective on customer engagement and experiential design.

The learning didn’t stop there. Wil later joined the students back on campus as part of a guest panel for the SPRT 306 capstone pitch presentations, where students showcased their business concepts developed throughout the semester. This collaboration provided invaluable feedback and real-world context, bridging classroom theory with industry practice.

Experiential learning opportunities like these exemplify the Sport Management program’s commitment to preparing students for leadership roles in sport business.

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