Sport Management Alliance (SMA) Holds Unique Partnership With Athletics Department

It didn't take long for Savannah Malnar to figure it out. After visiting Bowling Green State University as a high school senior, looking into the sport management program, and finding out about the Sport Management Alliance (SMA), she had plenty of time to ponder what she wanted to do in college as she made the drive back to Maryland with her mother.

"I'm going to be president of that organization some day," Malnar told her mom. Now a junior at BGSU, Malnar has achieved that goal. For her and the many students who take part in SMA, the opportunity to gain experience working hand-in-hand with the staff of a Football Bowl Series Division I athletic department is invaluable.

"If you go to a bigger school, you get to put that degree at the top of your resume, but when you get down to the bottom, it's blank," Brian Blake, SMA's Volunteer and Community Outreach Director, said. "BG offers something different; they fill in both those spots. I'm a second-year student and I'm taking things off my resume already."

"A lot of colleges stress getting real-world experience, but don't offer it," Malnar said. "What we're able to do is get students out to actually make that happen. That was a big pull for me knowing that I would immediately have chances to work in an athletic department at a Division I school."

Sport Management Alliance relies on proceeds from t-shirt sales to help alleviate the costs of trips members take. These trips are networking/volunteering opportunities and have included the Super Bowl, MLB's winter meetings, the NHL All-Star Game, and the MAC Football Championship, among others. T-shirts are available in sizes S/M/L/XL in in colors black, white or orange. If you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt to help BGSU students in this endevour, please e-mail Brian Blake as bsblake@bgsu.edu.

SMA fills gaps in countless ways in the BGSU Athletics Department. For instance, the organization provides staffing for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as assisting at many of the events that took place during the recent Ice Arena 50^th anniversary celebration. They have worked in event management, marketing and promotions, sponsorships, graphic design, compliance and many other areas.

At football games, SMA students handle a variety of tasks such as will-call, ushering, and working the elevators to the press box and suites.

"The Sport Management Alliance is a tremendous asset to the athletic department," Jim Elsasser, Associate Athletics Director for Internal Affairs, said. "Their organizational leadership provides athletics with a wealth of eager athletic administration professionals. They are an invaluable component to our ability to provide a first class environment for our fans and serve in key roles where our expectations are high and they deliver each and every time. BGSU is blessed to have such a strong student organization in the field of sport management."

For the athletics department, finding committed students who are serious about building a resume is vital. It means that the students will show the initiative to provide a quality experience for BGSU's fans. On the other end of the spectrum, it means that BGSU Athletics is providing an educational opportunity that stretches far beyond just the 425 student-athletes in the University.

"A lot our members are first or second-year students," Blake said. "This is their first opportunity to participate and shadow. Even if they don't know what they want to do, they get to figure it out. They fall in love with it and a lot of times it leads to internships or practicums."

In April, SMA was named BGSU's Student Organization Educational Program of the Year, an acknowledgement that the organization is not just about volunteering, but that the partnership with athletics provides a unique educational opportunity difficult to find at other schools.

For more information about SMA, or to get involved, please contact Brian Lobban at blobban@bgsu.edu or Brian Blake at bsblake@bgsu.edu.

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