Although Dartmouth does not have any course offerings for students interested in sports industries, undergraduates can now turn to the newly formed group Sports Business at Dartmouth a student-run organization that aims to provide students with information and contacts for those interested in a career in sports, according to Kyle Battle '11, co-director of alumni relations for SB@D.
The first group of its kind at the College, SB@D plans to promote a variety of jobs in sports-related industries, such as careers in media, management, marketing and sports medicine.
"Our major problem is that since we don't have a sports business major, or any sports management or sports marketing or things like that [at Dartmouth], we are inherently at somewhat of a disadvantage," Battle said.
To fill this need, SB@D trying to "bridge the gap" between Dartmouth students and those of other Ivy League institutions, Battle said.
Dartmouth is the last of the Ivy League institutions to establish a sports business awareness group for its students, according to Battle. SB@D works in tandem with the Ivy Sports Business Network, which facilitates contact between Ivy League alumni in the sports industry and students who are interested in the field, while creating awareness about job opportunities in sports business.
"We basically want to bring sports business to Dartmouth and organize events and activities to get students involved," said Bianca Smith '12, director of event planning for SB@D.
At SB@D's first meeting on Thursday, Battle said he envisioned that the group would also provide guidance in drafting industry-specific resumes and cover letters.
"We want to be a resource for you guys," Battle said at the meeting. "We want you to know that no matter what your field is, you can incorporate sports into it".
The SB@D has several events planned for this term including a talk Friday by Ric Bucher '83, a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine and a series of meetings with Dartmouth alumni in the industry over Homecoming weekend, according to Battle.
Ryan Donovan '96 is among the industry alumni slated to participate in events during Homecoming.
Donovan, the marketing vice president of VERSUS, a sports cable channel, co-founded the Ivy Sports Business Network and helped found the SB@D.
"The reason we did a Homecoming thing was because so many alums are going to be here anyway that it's going to be easier for us to access those people," Battle said.
SB@D members also hope to bring panelists involved in sports medicine and sports analysis, and eventually to work with undergraduates who are pre-medical or who are majoring in economics.
More than 40 people have already signed up for the SB@D mailing list, according to Battle.
Several students present at the meeting said they were excited about the upcoming talks and discussed their specific career plans with Battle and other directors.
