This project-oriented master’s in sports management program was designed to serve as a bridge across different sectors and industries with numerous experiential learning options. It was created by industry professionals and developed in consultation with a council of leaders from top organizations. Council leaders shared their insights regarding skills they needed for current roles and the future of the industry, detailing critical gaps between them and graduates of other sports management programs. In response to their feedback, American was careful to craft its curriculum to leverage technology and data to provide graduates with next-generation sports management skills.

Alyssa Romano, Octagon Worldwide
Alyssa Romano is the vice president for Communication in the talent + properties division of Octagon. She manages the PR efforts for more than 50 Octagon athletes across the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and NHL. Her contributions helped win Octagon a Sports Business Award for Best in Talent Representation and earned her a spot on Cynopsis Media’s annual Rising Stars list in 2016.

Billy Stone, CBS Sports/KISWE Mobile

Billy Stone works to grow the brand for CBS Sports Spectacular at the CBS Sports Network. He also serves as an advisor for the mobile video startup, KISWE. His 30-year career includes owning his own sports production and distribution business for Ivy League Sports, MEAC Sports, and several professional and pay-per-view properties. He’s also consulted for DirecTV, inDemand, and AT&T UVerse for sports media.

Billy Walker, American University

Dr. William (Billy) Walker is the director of Athletics and Recreation at American. During his 30-year career in amateur sports and education, he’s served as the deputy director of athletics, professor, and head of the PE Department at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He’s also served as chair of the NCAA Division I Wrestling Committee, was a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee, and has testified as an expert panelist for the U.S. Department of Education Secretary’s Commission on Opportunity in Athletics.

Bram Weinstein, Ampire Media/Former ESPN Anchor
Bram Weinstein is the founder of Ampire Media, a podcast and digital media network specializing in the sports, technology, lifestyle, and gambling space. Bram also hosts “The Bram Weinstein Show” on ESPN 630, the Sports Capitol in his hometown of Washington DC. Bram has spent 25 years on air, including seven as an anchor at ESPN.

Christina Friedberg Filler, Amazon Web Services
Christina Friedberg Filler works for AWS re:Invent leading the sponsorship program’s strategy and execution. Previously she was senior manager of sponsorship activation with the Washington Nationals, working alongside Delta Air Lines, T-Mobile, Mastercard, Apple, and GEICO. Christina oversaw activations for events including Nationals Winterfest, the Nationals First Ladies Networking program, the 2018 MLB All-Star Game, and multiple MLB Postseason series.

Dean Hess, Nike
Dean Hess has more than 15 years of experience acting as an internal leader and an external adviser. Currently, he is an emerging-markets business consultant for the Nike Corporation. His specialties include international marketing, business strategy, and operations best practices including project management, organization design, and change strategies. Previously, he was a management consultant for Booz Allen, Freddie Mac, and ACME Business Consulting.

Ed Tapscott, Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Ed Tapscott has unique experience as a player, coach, agent, and executive in the sports industry. He’s currently the director of Player Personnel for the Washington Wizards NBA franchise. Previously, he was a consultant to the NBA and served as the CEO of the Charlotte Bobcats. He built them, the NBA’s newest franchise, to a viable business from a start-up operation. Tapcott’s also served as the general manager and interim president of the New York Knicks.

Jennifer Gallagher, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC)
Jennifer Gallagher is the government relations manager of the USOC, where she’s served since 2013 and works with stakeholders for the advancement team for major global events. She’s also been the sports performance manager in the National Governing Body (NGA) space and USA Fencing and was the international games assistant at USOC Headquarters. Jennifer has held internships at the Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy program, the President’s Council of Sports, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Jeremi Duru, AU Law / Author
Professor N. Jeremi Duru serves as a member of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s Anti-Doping Review Board, the NCAA’s Committees on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport, and the National Sports Law Institute’s Board of Advisors. He also frequently lectures and consults abroad serving as a visiting professor at the University of Sydney and the China University of Political Science and Law, and as a lecturer in the Union of European Football Association’s Executive Masters Program for International Players.

John Fitzpatrick, NFL Players Association
John Fitzpatrick is the marketing manager for Licensing & Business Development at the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). His experience includes prospecting, account management, marketing support, product ideation, retail placement, and strategic planning. He’s previously helped develop products for a start-up called American Car Socks, and worked with D.C. United, Red Zebra Broadcast, and the Washington Redskins.

Kamini Sharma, Former UFC, ESPN, NHL Executive
Kamini Sharma has had an expansive career with the UFC, ESPN, the NHL, and ProServ. Most recently, Sharma served as vice president of Global Marketing at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Previously, Sharma worked as marketing director at ESPN in London, England, the National Hockey League (NHL), and at one of the first athlete-representation agencies in the business, ProServe. Sharma is also considered a pioneer with organizations like Women in Sports and Events (WISE).

Matt Winkler, The Sports Event Marketing Experience (SEME)
Matt Winkler has blended more than 20 years of experience in the NCAA, NHL, WNBA, MLS, the Olympics, and the World Cup into innovative strategies for the sports, events, and higher education industries. He’s the founder and executive director of The Sports Events Marketing Experience (SEME), a premier sports career conference, and also founded, developed, brought to market, and administered the Georgetown University Sports Industry Management initiative (SIM), which once gained recognition as one of the top programs in the world by SportBusiness International. Mr. Winkler developed and taught Sports Communication & Media and Sports Marketing Management at AU and has frequently served as an expert resource for the media, quoted in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, SportBusiness Journal, and NBC News.

Ryan Kuehl, Under Armour
Ryan Kuehl is the vice president of Sports Marketing and Sponsorships for Under Armour, Inc. where he strategically targets professional athletes, sport sponsorship opportunities, and endorsement contracts. Kuehl’s played for the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns and was a Super Bowl 42 Champion for the New York Giants. Kuehl’s also served as an NFL Player Association Representative and member of the NFL Commissioner’s Player Advisory Council.

Shawn McBride, Ketchum Global
Shawn McBride is the executive vice president of Sports for Ketchum Sports & Entertainment (KSE). He provides integrated communications and sponsorship marketing counsel to clients and manages the growing U.S.-based team. A veteran of five Olympic Games, he has extensive experience providing strategic counsel to brands’ sponsorships of the MLB, NFL, and NCAA. Previously, McBride was director of talent and event marketing for Nobok Sports, where he developed events and negotiated media partnerships and endorsement deals for notable UK sports legends.

Wylie Chen, U.S. Soccer Foundation
Wylie Chen is the vice president of Programs & Grants for the U.S. Soccer Foundation initiatives and also serves as a board member for Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy. Previously, he worked at the Children’s Defense Fund as the senior manager for the CDF Freedom Schools program, the Advocacy Institute in Washington, DC, for U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and has directed a language program at Da Hua High School in Taiwan. He also served on the DC Commission on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs, and he co-founded and co-chaired the DC Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus.

• Assess Trends
  Assess emerging trends in sports and the effects of ever-changing technologies on sports and society.
• Examine Impact
  Analyze data surrounding the impact of social networking and messaging on the sports industry and make evidence-based decisions.
• Make Decisions
  Make strategic and ethical decisions that improve relationships with sports agencies, clients, and the community.
• Build Critical Relationships
  Use new leadership and communication skills to establish intercultural and agency/client/stakeholder relationships.
• Use New Tools
  Examine and demonstrate the appropriate use of data evaluation and analysis tools.
• Develop Strategies
  Create needs assessments and business plans that engage target audiences and increase brand awareness and improve the outreach of sports organizations.

Success in the workplace requires more than possessing relevant knowledge. You must also know how to communicate your ideas, work with teams, make ethical decisions, think critically, and demonstrate cross-cultural competence.

To ensure critical knowledge and experience are attained through the curriculum, AU developed the Professional Studies Experience — a four-phase curriculum model that meets specific guidelines in each phase.

• Core Courses: Work with a cohort of students from a variety of backgrounds and gain the broad-based knowledge today’s employers have deemed most important.
• Practicum/Professional Experience: Gain real-world evaluation and data collection skills as you design and carry out evaluations.
• Electives: Take one program-specific elective tailored to your industry and career goals.
• Capstone: Harness what you’ve learned throughout your program to produce a capstone project.
• Internship/Externship opportunities: The components of the class include an opportunity for an internship or to propose an externship and to write a final document applying all your learnings to the real-world experience.

With the knowledge and skills gained in this holistic curriculum, you’ll stand out as a professional with the complete skill set employers are looking for.

Two other initiatives support student and faculty mentoring:

• Sports Business Association (SBA)
• Annual SEME Sports Career Conference

The Sports Business Association (SBA)is a group of 14 AMU students who serve as volunteers and event staff for the annual sports career conference, The Sports Events Marketing Experience (SEME).

The SEME Conference is a two-day event with more than 50 speakers in the professional sports industry space. It convenes annually to provide professional development opportunities related to various aspects of the industry including teamwork, planning, event operations, marketing, and evaluation. The connections made with the faculty and speakers are invaluable.

At the epicenter of impact, AU’s Washington, D.C. location leverages the proximity of the thriving business, sports scene, non-profit, NGO, and government sectors so the leaders of today can train the leaders of tomorrow.

The DC Experience (DCX), an optional on-campus residency, gives you the opportunity to connect with the campus and explore the unique cultural landscape and sports scene in the nation’s capital.

The DMV (DC, Maryland Virginia) is a hotbed of sports teams and leagues: Washington Nationals (MLB), Washington Commanders (NFL), Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Mystics (WNBA), DC United (MLS), Washington Spirit (NWSL), DC Defenders (XFL) and six NCAA Division I athletics programs.

You’ll also immerse yourself in the AU community, enhance your relationships with faculty and other online graduate students, and meet with guest speakers from the sports field.

Expand your skill set quickly with an online Graduate Certificate in Sports Analytics and Management. In 12 to 15 months, gain critical knowledge through four courses focused on the strategic management of sports organizations, sports analytics and evaluation, and digital technology influencing the sports industry.

Our four-course, 12-credit certificate program is offered entirely online — you can complete it when and where it’s most convenient for you. If you decide to pursue the online MS in Sports Analytics and Management later, you’ll use these 12 credits toward the full degree.