As the NFL launches their 100th season, the Rice University Department of Sports Management is teaming up with the Texans to teach students the business side of the game. This semester, led by former Texans executive and now college professor Diane Crossey, students have lined up to study “Pro Sports: Management.” Department Chair Dr. Clark Haptonstall says it will give them a glimpse of potential career choices in their path. “This class focuses on the business side. The students will be preparing to become director of marketing, director of ticketing, community service and community relations, and ultimately up to the team president,” he tells KTRH News.
The students are going to develop and deliver weekly presentations as they progress through their studies, learning directly from Texans executives about how a football game comes together – profitably. “Fans look at professional sports as an organization and think that the games just happen, and they don’t quite have a concept of how much organization and planning goes into putting on each event,” says Dr. Haptonstall. It’s a unique opportunity for students studying in a city that boasts an NFL team.