Led by Associate Professor Young Do Kim, a team of sport management majors repeated Elon’s success in the Sport Marketing Association Conference’s Case Study Bowl.
Samantha Fisher ’25, William Haynes ’24, Cierra Hopson ’25 and Nicholas Ullian ’24 continued Elon University’s impressive track record of success in the Sport Marketing Association Conference’s case study competition with another finals appearance.
At the 2023 Sport Marketing Association Conference, held Oct. 25-27 in St. Petersburg, Florida, the four sport management majors competed against teams representing 22 universities. In recent years, Elon has regularly advanced to the final round of the competition, reaching that contest’s final stage in 2018, 2019 and 2021. This fall, the team returned to the final group competing against High Point University, Ohio University, Samford University, and University of Minnesota Crookston.
This record of success is significant considering the conference’s Case Study Bowl is the most established and nationally recognized undergraduate case study competition in the field of sport management.
This year’s competition, sponsored by Suckerpunch, charged participants with building a fan community for Super League Tampa Bay (SLTB), a recently launched women’s professional soccer league in the United Soccer League. In the competitive sports landscape of Tampa Bay, Florida, which has recently celebrated multiple championships, SLTB faces the challenge of creating and cultivating a fanbase from scratch. The case study posed four key questions, inquiring about specific initiatives that SLTB can implement to build a fan community, differentiate its brand story, establish a passionate supporter group, and leverage corporate and local sponsors to support SLTB’s market positioning endeavors.
Led by Ullian, Elon’s team captain, the four students tackled the project with great conviction and dedication, according to Young Do Kim, associate professor of sport management and the team’s faculty mentor.
In preparation for the competition, the team had a 48-hour window to analyze the case and create a 20-minute presentation to share with a panel of experts. The students’ presentation was distinguished by its effective and unique marketing solutions, supported by credible sources of empirical evidence aimed at boosting brand awareness and driving attendance for the upcoming season, Kim said.
Following the competition, the Elon team heard from several judges commending their work and entry. One judge applauded the group’s presentation flow and supporting data. A second judge, who gave Elon a perfect score in the first round, noted how the students’ presentation was “very well thought out and clearly communicated.”
During the competition’s final round, the Elon team presented before an expert panel that included Christina Unkel, president of Super League Tampa Bay.
“I am so proud of our team – Samantha Fisher, Will Haynes, and Cierra Hopson – for their unwavering commitment and the countless hours of effort they put into this project,” Ullian wrote in a recent LinkedIn post. “Overall, I am incredibly grateful to the School of Communications and to our adviser, Dr. Young Do Kim, for this incredible professional experience. I am confident that the skills we gained throughout this competition will serve us well as we continue our journey in the sport business.”
Kim congratulated his students for excelling in a competitive atmosphere, which will undoubtedly help them as they prepare for careers in the sport industry and business world.
“Taking part in a marketing case study competition is the best way to learn the real-world business challenges, gain new knowledge, develop analytical skills, and improve teamwork abilities,” the associate professor said. “All four of the team members selflessly took on difficult tasks to support one another and brought specific insight and skills to bear – especially Sammy Fisher and Cierra Hopson, student-athletes on the women’s lacrosse team, who leveraged their on-field mentoring experiences to create a main content solution centered around women empowerment through player mentorship, after school childcare, and youth academy programs. The Elon team’s diverse perspectives and unique professional experiences were the key strength creating the more innovative and differentiated solutions to business problems.”
While in Florida, the students attended several professional industry speaker presentations, hearing from Matt Silverman, president of Tampa Bay Rays, and Steve Griggs, chief executive officer of Vinik Sports Group. The students also toured the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice facility, Amalie Arena, and attended a Tampa Bay Lightning NHL game.
Founded in 2002, the Sport Marketing Association (SMA) has led the effort in developing and expanding the body of knowledge in sport marketing by providing forums for professional interaction among practitioners, academics, and students dedicated to the sport marketing field.