CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Coastal Carolina University hosted its first Recreation and Sport Management Symposium on Thursday.
It connected approximately 250 of the department’s students to local, state and national career opportunities.
US Bureau of Labor statistics show that entertainment and sports jobs will increase significantly by 2029, with 60,000 new jobs likely to be created as many of the students enter the workforce.
“Our students and the people who work in our field are the people who bring in and drive this sports tourism, and this area is such a popular environment for sports tourism,” said Don Rockey, chair of the Department of Recreation and Sports Management CCU.
Myrtle Beach officials said the city and surrounding areas see about $160 million in sports tourism annually.
“Our building is called ‘Penny Hall’ because all the tourism money generates a penny sales tax,” Rockey said.
The inaugural event highlighted local careers such as working for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as well as national opportunities such as becoming a director with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“He said, ‘Surround yourself with great people and great talent, always be the hardest worker in the room and good things will happen to you,'” said Scott MacDonald, the senior director of youth sports partnerships for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Experts from the City of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Parks and Recreation and the NFL excited CCU students about the future.
“All 250 other kids that are here are competing for the same jobs as you, so you have to work as hard as you can,” said Alex Demarski, a senior majoring in sports management. “Take the initiative, get out there and actually do something. And also impress the people here.”
CCU’s recreation and sport management program currently enrolls nearly 600 students.
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Claire Purnell is a multimedia journalist at News13. Claire is from Louisville, Kentucky. Claire joined the News13 team in January 2023 after graduating from the University of Colorado-Boulder in December 2022. Follow Claire on Twitter and read more about her work here.
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