Stephen McKelvey
Assistant Professor
Biography:
Professor McKelvey brings a unique offering to the Department of Sport Managment, combining an expertise in both sport law and sport marketing to provide students with exposure to important legal issues in sport marketing and management. His research and writing focuses primarily on the legal and practical applications of intellectual property issues to the industry. He has authored articles for a wide range of publications including the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Sport Marketing Quarterly, The Seton Hall Journal of Sport Law, The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, Brandweek, and Sports Business Journal, among others. A noted authority on ambush marketing, he has previously served as an adjunct professor at both Seton Hall School of Law and Seton Hall Stillman School of Business.
McKelvey brings over 15 years of experience as a practitioner within the sport industry, both on the property and the agency side. He once served as head of Major League Baseball's Corporate Sponsorship department, later created PSP Sports' successful in-house sport marketing and promotions agency, and most recently served as President of Fan Guide, Inc. He has served as a sponsorship development and sales consultant to various sports entities, including the NFL's World League of American Football; the United States Basketball League (USBL); the Estate of Roberto Clemente; and Sports Television International where he spearheaded the marketing of an ABC prime-time television event entitled "Skates of Gold" (the world's first-ever figure skating event featuring a cast entirely of Olympic gold medal winners). He resides in Belchertown with his wife and two daughters.
Additional Information:
Prior to joining the University of Massachusetts faculty, he taught as an adjunct professor of Sports Law at the Seton Hall School of Law, and as an adjunct professor of sports marketing at Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business. He has authored articles involving sport marketing, licensing and the law for a wide range of publications including The Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, The Seton Hall Journal of Sport Law, The Entertainment and Sports Lawyer, Team Marketing Report, Brandweek, and Athletic Business, among others. He has also authored several guest columns for the Sports Business Journal.
McKelvey brings 15 years of practical sport industry experience to the UMass Sport Management program. He served for two years as President of Fan Guide, Inc., a sports publishing and marketing firm headquartered in New York City. He has also held senior marketing positions for a number of other NYC-based sports entities. From 1995-2000, McKelvey was responsible for building an in-house sports marketing agency within PSP Sports, and secured clients including Wise Snack Food Company, Kraft/DiGiorno Pizza, Beck's Beer, Century 21 Real Estate, U.S. Postal Service, and American Suzuki, among others.
In 1999, McKelvey conceived and negotiated two of the year's most innovative and groundbreaking sports marketing programs. The first was Century 21's "Turn Ahead the Clock" promotion, baseball's first-ever league-wide series of futuristic-themed baseball games that featured 22 of MLB's 30 teams outfitted in futuristic uniforms. This series of local market promotions was part of Century 21's multi-year MLB sponsorship negotiated by McKelvey, and also includes Century 21's entitlement of ESPN's All-Star Home Run Derby. McKelvey also conceived and implemented the first-ever promotion allowing consumers to vote for the Heisman Trophy Award winner. This innovative program, implemented by PSP Sports, became the linchpin of American Suzuki's multi-year sponsorship of the Heisman Trophy.
In addition to his agency experience, McKelvey has a strong background in the strategic marketing and sales of sports properties. He joined Major League Baseball in 1985, and was instrumental in the creation and growth of MLB's first-ever corporate sponsorship program. He was promoted to Director of MLB's Corporate Sponsorship division from 1989, and as head of MLB's corporate sponsorship strategy and sales was responsible for the negotiation of multi-year contracts with Upper Deck, MCI, Gatorade, Procter & Gamble, and Warner-Lambert (Rolaids), among others, generating in excess of $25,000,000 in revenues and services to MLB and its member clubs.
McKelvey left MLB in 1991 to found Maverick Marketing, a sports consulting firm specializing in licensing and sponsorship sales. Maverick's clients included: the NFL's World League of American Football; the United States Basketball League (USBL); the Estate of Roberto Clemente; and Sports Television International where, working with former ABC Sports head Jim Spence, he spearheaded the promotion and marketing of an ABC prime-time television event entitled "Skates of Gold," the world's first-ever figure skating event featuring a cast entirely of Olympic gold medal winners.
McKelvey holds a BA in American Studies from Amherst College and received his MS from the University of Massachusetts Sport Management Program in 1986. In 1992, he earned a JD from Seton Hall School of Law, was admitted to the New York State Bar in 1993 and remains a member in good standing. He is also an MLBPA-certified player agent.
McKelvey received the University of Massachusetts Sport Management Program's "Distinguished Alumni" Award in 1999 and Seton Hall School of Law Sports Law program's "Distinguished Service Award" in 1997. He was honored with an industry "Recognition Award" by the University of South Carolina's Annual International Sports Business Summit in 1991. In 1988, he was honored by the University of Massachusetts Board of Regents' with one of their "125 Alumni to Watch" Awards in conjunction with the university's 125th anniversary.
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