Sports marketing officials: passion for sports is key to success

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education

RICHMOND, Va. – If you want to work with famous athletes like Tiger Woods or serve on a NASCAR racing team you have to display a love for the sport, according to a panel of experts who spoke Wednesday at a global sports marketing forum sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University.

"We’re always looking for people who will work hard and put passion into what they do," said sports agent Mark Steinberg, of International Marketing Group, the world’s largest sports-marketing firm, who represents Tiger Woods and Toronto Raptors basketball star Vince Carter.

Steinberg told an audience of nearly 500 VCU students and faculty that aligning yourself with organizations and advertisers who share your values is critical to maintaining your credibility. "I get literally a thousand requests a week for Tiger to do something and the hardest part is knowing which ones to say no to."

"Don’t lose sight of the fact that if you get involved in this business sports is supposed to be fun," said Mike Plant, president of The Goodwill Games and current board member of the VCU SportsCenter. Plant noted the growth of satellite sports programming in the last 20 years has led to an explosion in players’ salaries and changed the public’s perception of athletes, many of whom now earn millions of dollars a year. "Salaries have changed a lot in a short period of time," Plant said.

The forum also focused on how sports has continued to grow despite a slowdown in the global economy. "2000 was a peak year for sports," said Tracy Schoenadel, executive director of ESPN Sports Poll and vice president of TNS Intersearch, which is responsible for worldwide evaluation of sports, events and sponsorships. "You will never see sports decline in a recession because it’s an entertainment aspect." She said the fan base of golf has risen in recent years because of star athletes like Tiger Woods.

"You should have a passion for the sport you go into," said Don Rice, director of the Brooks Institute of Sports Science at Clemson University. "NASCAR mechanics burn out pretty fast," he told the audience. "Finish your degree so you’ll have something to fall back on."

The seventh annual International Business Forum was co-sponsored by VCU’s School of Business and the VCU SportsCenter.

"At this year’s forum, we wanted to discuss more than just the business aspects of global marketing," said Van R. Wood, Ph.D., Philip Morris Endowed Chair in International Business at VCU’s School of Business. "We wanted to touch on the uncontrollable environment that surrounds any international business venture, including politics, culture and legal issues."