The global sports industry is booming.
We live in an always-connected world where you can watch the highlights of any sport, anywhere in the world almost instantaneously. This new paradigm is helping to create sports fans in some unlikely places.
Here in South Carolina, more than 80,000 fans turned out to see two of the great English soccer (check that – football) teams face off on the Gamecocks’ home field of Williams-Brice Stadium. Meanwhile, U.S. college and professional sports teams are traveling internationally to delight fans in far-away lands.
Women’s sports offer another growth area. And few universities know more about women’s sports than the University of South Carolina with our reigning national championship women’s basketball team.
In fact, the global sports industry is projected to exceed $650 billion in 2028 according to a study by the Business Research Company.
An industry this size needs executives with specialized skills to manage and continue to grow the sector.
That’s why the University of South Carolina College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management is teaming up with the College of Information and Communications to explore graduate programs and professional development for the sports industry.
HRSM’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, the largest of its kind in the U.S., is part of the No. 3 ranked program in the world for sport science and boasts a world-renowned faculty including former NFL and NBA franchise presidents. More than half of the major sport franchises in the U.S have HRSM alumni in leadership roles.
By joining forces with the CIC, HRSM will be able to offer other critically needed skills to sports professionals, including internal and external communications planning and using AI effectively. CIC’s highly regarded sports media major will bring its expertise in creating sports content for both news organizations and corporations.
The time is ripe to prepare executives for the critical challenges facing the sports sector. College football has an ever-changing conference landscape, a new playoff format and the evolution of Name, Image and Likeness. Professional sports continue to grapple with broadcast contracts, salary demands and the opportunities and challenges of generative AI.
Creating the right team — led by USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sports Management and the College of Information and Communications –— lays the foundation for continued success in the business of sports.