McCormack Department of Sport Management

Using Data to Win: Sport Analytics Panel Explores a Changing Industry Landscape

May 04, 2018

The McCormack Department of Sport Management’ hosted a three-member panel discussion called "Every Yard Counts; A Conversation on Football Analytics" The panel, organized by the student group, the Association of Diversity in Sport, and moderated by Sydney Robinson '19, featured Dean Oliver, Diane Bloodworth, and McCormack alumnus Dan Hatman ’11 who discussed the transformative power of data analytics in sports.

Sport Management Graduate Drives Minority Mentorship Program at Isenberg

April 24, 2018

McCormack Sport Management has launched the Initiative for Underrepresented Students which pairs Sport Management graduates mentors with the department’s current McCormack students—all from minority backgrounds. Melcolm Ruffin '13 partnered with Nefertiti Walker, Sport Management Professor/ Director of Diversity & Inclusion; Nicole Melton, Sport Management professor; and Molly McGuigan, Communications, Events/Alumni Relations Coordinator in this first-step toward a longer-term initiative, which will take on recruitment, scholarships, and career development dimensions.

McCormack Annual Awards Banquet

April 19, 2018

Eight alumni and 26 students received honors and scholarships at the Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management’s Annual Awards Banquet in the Campus Center on April 10th, 2018. Award recipients were able to share their experiences, wisdom, and advice with current students during small breakout sessions and when addressing the banquet attendees. Despite their varied career paths they all shared one common piece of advice – build strong relationships.

2018 Harold VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award

March 22, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst is proud to announce the winners of the Harold VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award as Colleen Duffy Brace (BS ‘95), Jeff Goering (MS ‘97), David Hixon (MS ‘79), and Bob Schwartz (BS ‘84).

McCormack Announces 2018 Alumni on the Rise Winners

March 22, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the Isenberg School of Management, UMass Amherst is proud to name Elissa Hollander (Dolacky) (BS ’11), Melissa Marchionna (MS ’09), Preetam Sen (BS ’10), and Kairon Serrette (MS ‘08), as recipients of its 2018 Alumni on the Rise Award.

MBA/MS Sport Students Tackle Exciting “Real World” Consulting Projects

January 26, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management has secured two high profile sport industry clients to participate in our 2018 MBA Practicum consulting projects, the capstone experience to our dual-degree (MBA/MS) curriculum. Strategic management briefs have been crafted with Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls, and The Madison Square Garden Company.

McCormack Department Renews with J. League

January 26, 2018

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management and the J. League, Asia’s premier professional soccer league, have renewed their agreement to offer an innovative on-line sport management program with Sports Human Capital.

A Decade with Octagon

January 26, 2018

For the 10th year in a row, students in the Sport Marketing Class competed against each other in presenting marketing recommendations to a team of Octagon executives. The Octagon Bowl, is a semester long project in which teams of students are given a real-life brief and are tasked with providing in-depth and strategic marketing solutions for a different company each year. This year’s client, DOOSAN, challenged students to help increase brand awareness and sales by partnering with Major League Baseball. This photo shows the winning team with Octagon executives.

McCormack Student Leaders co-host Annual Basketball Showcase

December 05, 2017

The Pioneer Valley Tip-Off is an annual High-School Basketball Showcase that takes place here at UMass in the historic Curry Hicks Cage. Started back in 2011, the PVTO aims to bring in the best high school basketball teams in and around Western MA. The event strives to bring together the Western MA community for a fun and exciting weekend at the Commonwealth's Flagship Campus. The event is run by the McCormack Student Leaders Club, with the help of Amherst-Pelham Regional High School.

McCormack Student Wins State Essay Contest

November 13, 2017

On October 22nd, 2017 the Amherst Irish Association presented Senior Monica Caggiano of Peabody, MA with the Inaugural Margaret Maher Award. The essay contest honors the memory of Margaret Maher, an Irish maid who worked in the Emily Dickinson household. The subject for this year’s competition, which was open to all undergraduate students in Western MA, was Considering Ireland: What Interests Me and Why?

McCormack Executive in Residence Shares Insights on Marketing and Innovation

November 02, 2017

Can this marketing miracle worker really get Inuits (a.k.a. Eskimo) to swap their hard-earned pelts for ice? You be the judge. For sports marketing legend Jon Spoelstra, “borderline outrageous” and nonstop innovation are road-tested enablers of business success. On October 23 and 24, Spoelstra, this fall’s Mark H. McCormack Executive in Residence, shared insights in classes, met one-on-one with students and faculty, and lectured to a packed auditorium of mostly sport management faculty and students.

Former NBA Marketer and Best-selling Author Jon Spoelstra Named Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management Executive-In-Residence for Fall 2017

October 06, 2017

“We’re thrilled to be able to give our students, faculty, and alumni the opportunity to learn from and engage with one of the most innovative and influential sport marketers of our time,” stated Dr. Janet Fink, Chair of the McCormack Department of Sport Management. “Jon Spoelstra’s literature and experience has had an undeniable impact on our curriculum, and it will be especially meaningful for our students to hear and learn from him.” Jon Spoelstra will be on campus Oct. 23rd-25th for a host of classroom presentations and roundtable meetings with McCormack students and faculty. In addition, Spoelstra, as part of the McCormack Innovators Lecture Series, will deliver a lecture titled Marketing Outrageously in Sports and Having Fun Every Step of the Way on Oct. 23rd at 6:30p.m. in Mahar Auditorium. This lecture is open to the public.

Alumni Night at the Mets Game

August 28, 2017

Sport Management Graduate is New Cleveland Cavaliers GM

August 07, 2017

McCormack graduate Koby Altman ’09 MS recently took the reins as General Manager of NBA team the Cleveland Cavaliers - a first for a graduate of Isenberg's MS in Sport program.

Summer Sport Management & Leadership Academy

August 02, 2017

The McCormack Center recently completed another successful Summer Sport Leadership academy, a two-week Pre-College program in its fifth year featuring educational workshops, site visits, and leadership training for dozens of driven high school students.

McCormack Alumni Gather at NACDA

June 19, 2017

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management hosted alumni for a networking breakfast event at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Conference (NACDA) in Orlando, Florida. Joining Associate Department Chair, Steve McKelvey (far right) are Jonathan DeAndrade, Ben Rosenfeld, Gloria Nevarez, Ryan Pierce, Leigh Torbin, Jack Woodbury, Thorr Bjorn, Noreen Morris, Mark Wilson, James Paquette, Leslie Wurzberger, Casey Stark, Craig Fink, Todd Nebeker, Amy Coleman and Jamie DiLoreto.

McCormack Rises in the Rankings

June 01, 2017

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management has moved up two spots to be ranked as the #2 graduate-level sport management program in the world based on the results of SportBusiness International’s recently-released 2016-2017 annual survey.

McCormack Department and Tsinghua University Launch Sport Management Educational Partnership

May 09, 2017

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Tsinghua University, China’s leading management university, will collaborate on a one-week sport business immersion program in August 2017. The McCormack Department of Sport Management, housed in the nationally ranked Isenberg School of Management, will provide faculty lectures and sport venue site visits to students and faculty from Tsinghua University’s Center for Development of Sports Industry (TUDSI), a university-level research center. “As part of the McCormack Global Sports Business Academy, this partnership is precisely the kind of collaboration we envision as a means of furthering the global legacy of Mark McCormack and sharing our cutting-edge research and teaching,” said Janet Fink, department chair.

Canfield ’83 MS Appointed to USTA Board of Directors

May 02, 2017

Laura Canfield ’83 MS, has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) as the Director at Large. Canfield boasts a prodigious reputation within the sport of tennis. She’s served as executive director of the USTA Middle States Section, special liaison to the USTA President, tournament coordinator/circulation manager for Tennis Week magazine, and more. Canfield is co-founder, and currently holds the role of director, of the Buck County Tennis Association. Read More.

Dr. Marlene Dixon Talks Sport & Life Quality at Sport Management Research Seminar Day

April 27, 2017

The McCormack Department of Sport Management hosted its annual PhD Research Seminar Day on Friday, April 21, 2017. This event is an opportunity to hear PhD candidate research presentations, discuss the state of research within the industry and meet with renowned industry researchers. Dr. Marlene A. Dixon, Professor in Sport Management in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at Texas A&M University was this year’s keynote speaker. Dixon focuses on answering the overarching question: how can we design sport to improve life quality? The accomplished researcher warned against the tendency to use sports to solve problems without fully understanding the issue at hand. “You can’t just ‘spray’ sport to solve your problems” Dixon advised. When using sport to enhance quality of life, there’s a need to understand the desired outcomes and the population in need. Only after this information is understood can an effective sport program be built.

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