What really excites me about the sports industry is not only the continual evolution we see through emerging industries like eSports and the integration of augmented reality and virtual reality into the consumer experience, but the continued development and investment of equity in women.  As an educator, I find myself consistently communicating to my students that “sports are a reflection of society.”  This could not be truer today. 

Let’s take a look at the current state of the industry:  

There's more to esports than Twitch streams and energy drink sponsorships — this legitimate industry is full of promise. Experts at Newzoo claim that the global esports audience will exceed 453 million this year, as individual events regularly draw huge crowds. For example, top esports company ESL recently reported record attendance of 174,000 fans at IEM Katowice, which boasted an impressive viewership of 230 million.

Meeting, convention, and event planner occupations are predicted to grow by 11 percent in the next seven years, according to The Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, the need for sports and entertainment professionals will continute to rise 10 percent. This unique realm of the hospitality industry gives creative and organized professionals the opportunity to combine a passion for sports, entertainment, or events with the desire to provide guests with an exceptional experience.

As the Official Education Partner of the Boston Bruins and TD Garden, Johnson & Wales University can offer its students even more educational opportunities rooted in realistic industry experiences.

I spent over 25 years in the NHL and was with the LA Kings when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim received their franchise in 1993. The buy-in for a new franchise has changed dramatically since then.

What is the most important skill a candidate needs to succeed in a career in sports, entertainment, or event management? According to Sarah Jane Wyman ’11, senior meetings and special events manager at Marriott International, the answer is passion.

“You need to have eagerness and drive for your position,” she said. “I can teach you the skills but I can’t teach you to have a good personality.”

Ask any Delaware North employee or Johnson & Wales University student or alumni how to be successful and their replies can be summarized into one word: momentum. Whether it’s moving forward on the ice, in the classroom, or in their careers, they work hard, innovate, create, and repeat until the goal is achieved. This shared focus on forward-thinking is one reason that JWU was recently named the Official Education Partner of the Boston Bruins and TD Garden. 

Think only elite athletes can make a career out of their passion for sports? Think again.

Unless you’re one of today’s truly gifted athletes, you’ll have to get your piece of the $91 billion global sports market working behind the scenes. According to WorkInSports.com, only .00525 percent of the U.S. population will go on to become professional athletes.

Lucky for you, the thriving sports industry is exploding with opportunities in all areas, including:

It’s hard enough to speak in front of thousands of people, but for Marissa Mayo ’16, ’18 MBA who said she has lived with a speech impediment her entire life, it was an opportunity to face an obstacle head-on and overcome her greatest fear.

Updated July 2018

The 21st FIFA World Cup wraps up in Russia this week, and even though the United States of America did not qualify and will not be participating, it still promises to be an exciting display of soccer on an international level.

Like the Olympics and Super Bowl, this is a huge event and therefore, it takes a lot to ensure the safety of all athletes, workers, and spectators. Unlike the other events, this competition is played over the course of more than a month, making it that much more difficult to secure.