About 10 students will work at this week鈥檚 PGA event in such areas as marketing, operations, social media and hospitality, said Anita Moorman, who heads the sport administration program.
The university鈥檚 partnership with PGA of America has paid big dividends in terms of opportunities for students since it began with the 2008 Ryder Cup. It has opened doors for networking and work experience and given faculty a unique opportunity to build classes around the events, Moorman explained.
鈥淥ur sport marketing classes have been working with the Senior PGA Championship for almost a year by developing ticket sales strategies, sales promotions and marketing programs,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ow, they are implementing those plans so they get to see their work come to life.鈥
UofL graduate Maggie Ray worked as a student intern at the 2008 Ryder Cup and landed a job with the PGA after she graduated in 2010.
鈥淚 absolutely would not have this job if it wasn’t for the internship,鈥 Ray said.
It is gratifying to see students become valued partners 鈥 and ultimately employees 鈥 for major sport organizations, Moorman said.
The next sporting event partnership will be the July 7鈥9 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 鈥淨uaker State 400鈥 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. Students will help Kentucky Speedway and Aquarius Sports and Entertainment with marketing and consumer research related to the event.
