LA Story: On immersion journey, sports management students feel ‘passionate about giving back and building the next generation’

How’s that for a spring break:

Seven days in Los Angeles, meeting more than 70 executives from 23 sporting organizations and driving at 125 mph in an official NASCAR Pace Car!

Allison Rosen’s LA immersion trip included a chance meeting with US men’s national soccer team head coach Gregg Berhalter at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.

Here’s how Allison Rosen, ages 24 and 17, classmates in her Falk College sports management department, spent spring break immersing themselves in LA’s sports industry.

“If I had to sum up Los Angeles Immersion Trip 2022 in one word, that word would be INCREDIBLE!” said Rosen.

The trip to Southern California is part of the Sport Management LA (SPM 358) immersion course where students interact with leaders and practitioners from nearly every aspect of the industry.

The course examines the business practices, marketing strategies, branding initiatives, social media outreach, and organizational culture of competing sports franchises and entities in the Los Angeles area.

“This course introduces students to the many differences in managing athletic facilities on the West Coast versus the East,” said Michael Veley, director and chair of athletic management and the Rhonda S. Falk Endowed Professor who teaches the SPM 358 course.

“Los Angeles has become the sports capital of the world and markets an extremely diverse population of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. More than a dozen students who took this course have received jobs as a result of the professional networking connections made on the LA Immersion Trip.”

Los Angeles is home to 11 professional sports teams and has hosted the 2022 Super Bowl, the 2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and the 2028 Summer Olympics, among other major sporting events.

We asked Rosen to share her experiences and thoughts on the Los Angeles Immersion Trip and this is what she wrote:

One of the highlights of the LA Immersion Trip was a visit to NBA legend (and Grateful Dead fanatic) Bill Walton, here with Allison Rosen (right) and Sydney Orszulak, who were displaying SU-themed Grateful Dead t-shirts .

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to take this journey after COVID-19 put it on hold for two years. All of this would not have been possible without our incredible donors Jeff and Andrea Lomasky. On behalf of everyone who took part in this journey, we thank the Lomasky family for their generosity.”

“We have met with more than 20 organizations and 70 leaders from different parts of the sports industry during our journey. It was somehow exhausting and stimulating at the same time! As someone who dreams of working in football, attending Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) and the LA Galaxy were two highlights for me.”

“Other organizations we met with were the Los Angeles Rams, Hoag Classic, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Marathon, Legends, AEG, the Rose Bowl and even NASCAR. We also met with (NBA legend) Bill Walton which was a once in a lifetime experience. I loved learning what makes each sport unique and comparing the West Coast sports industry to the East Coast.”

“Top experiences included walking on ice before an LA Kings game at Crypto.com Arena; be on the NFL network; driving an official NASCAR pace car at 125 mph (that’s not what my mom likes to hear!); Tour at the SoFi Stadium; eat tacos about two feet from the beach in Santa Monica; and walk through the LA Marathon setup at Dodger Stadium. Another highlight, which happened to be coincidental and not part of our itinerary, was meeting USA Men’s National Soccer Team head coach Gregg Berhalter at O’Hare Airport (in Chicago) before catching our connecting flight to Syracuse.”

“From a business perspective, we learned the importance of integrating your community, differentiating in a saturated market, target audiences, and the impact social media has had on the industry. In addition to career advice, we received life experience advice.”

The students visited the Auto Club Speedway and drove an official NASCAR pace car at 200 km/h.

“One of my favorite pieces of advice came from Martin Jarmond, UCLA athletic director. He said, ‘You cannot lead others until you lead yourself.’ That really stuck in my mind as this is something people need to hear more often. It falls into the same category as leading by example and self-confidence. If you don’t believe in yourself, how can you expect others to?

“Across the board, whether the industry professionals were SU graduates (some even LA Trip) or not, something that struck me was the passion to give back and nurture the next generation. Everyone was so hospitable and as a woman wanting to work in the industry it was encouraging to have so many women in our meetings. Eventually, wherever I end up, I hope an immersion journey will come my way because I will be 100 percent participating and hosting students in my office.”

“We all owe a huge thank you to Sports Management Director Michael Veley, Sports Management Internship Coordinator Lisa Liparulo and all the leaders we met with for making it such a valuable experience.”

During their trip, students visited Hoag Classic Country Club, Los Angeles Dodgers, UCLA Athletics, Los Angeles Football Club, NFL Network, Los Angeles Rams, So-Fi Stadium, Anheuser-Busch, Los Angeles Kings, Anschutz Entertainment Group, LA Sports & Entertainment Commission, Los Angeles Clippers, Auto Club Speedway, Rose Bowl, Dignity Health Sports Park, Westwood One Radio, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles Marathon, Crypto.com Arena and Legends.

To learn more about the students’ experiences, visit their 2022 Los Angeles Immersion Blog.

Allison Rosen majors in sports management and minors in public communications studies and is currently a member and past co-chair of communications for Women In Sports and Events (WISE) at Syracuse University. a student manager and photographer/content creator for the university women’s soccer team; a creative services intern at the Syracuse University Athletic Department; and Chair of the Charity Sport Auction Donations Committee of the Syracuse Sport Management Club.