College athletics are perfect for breaking into sports

Well, it's that time of the year again. The time when students make their way to college campuses across the nation and begin their studies. However, it's also time for fall sports seasons to begin. For students looking to break into the sports industry, they needn't look further than their school's own athletic department to find the foot-in-the-door opportunity they're seeking.

Co-op Confidential: Kevin Rossi, Athletics Communcation Assistant/Web Productions Intern

 

Name: Kevin Rossi
Year: Senior
Co-op Employer: Drexel Athletics/Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Job Title: Athletic Communications Assistant/Web Production Intern

The Perfect Swing

This feature story was written as part of the requirements for Dr. Staurowsky's SMT 608 Sports Information and Public Relations graduate class by Kim Chiarelli

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Patrick Molloy is standing 325 yards away from the first hole at a Pennsylvania golf course. He stands patient and eager at his tee, ball in place. He feels the warm sun on his back and smells the faintest scent of cut grass, a smell that would go unnoticed to the untrained nose. He takes a step that reveals soft earth beneath his feet, it rained here yesterday he says to himself. All he is waiting for is a description, a spoken description that he relies on in order to perform. Patrick Molloy is blind.

Under Further Review No. 1: Adam Hermann

Welcome to the new and improved "Under Further Review" column! From here on out, we are going to get a little more hands-on with the sports media industry and explore what makes the industry so darn great with the people that make it all happen.

The Drexel Connection: Michelle Maslowski

This week the Drexel Connection spotlights Michelle Maslowski. She is currently the Director of Athletic Development for Drexel University.  Ms. Maslowski is a 2-time Drexel graduate from the Lebow College of Business and former women’s basketball player.  She played professionally in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Luxembourg.  Ms. Maslowski is a personal trainer for basketball players in her free time.

Ms. Maslowski fell into the field of development.  She wanted to do something productive during her overseas offseason and was given an opportunity to lead an out-reach campaign for athletic alumnae. This story reminds students to be open to new opportunities because you may stumble upon your real calling.   

SMTSU Networking Night - POSTPONED

Unfortunately due to the pending snow storm and Drexel University cancelling all classes and activities on Thursday Feb. 13, 2014, the Drexel SMTSU will need to postpone the scheduled Networking Night and Landmark Americana fundraiser.

We appreciate everybody's patience with the matter as we awaited official word from the University. Stay tuned for updates regarding the Networking Night's rescheduling and big news upcoming for the spring term.

The Drexel SMTSU's next scheduled event will be the week 8 general body meeting on Thursday Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. The theme of the meeting will be announced within the next week.

Enjoy your snow day and stay safe!

-- SMTSU Officers

THIS WEEK: SMTSU Networking Night

Drexel SMTSU is very excited to welcome 4 great panelists to campus this week. Below is information on our 4 speakers and why you should be at our Networking Night this Thursday.

SMTSU Networking Night Update

The Drexel Connection: Patrick Gallagher

This week the Drexel Connection spotlights Patrick Gallagher. Patrick is currently the Athletic Administration and Business Operations Assistant with the Drexel Athletic Department. Patrick is a graduate student (2nd Year) at Drexel University and also serves as the graduate advisor for the Sport Management Student Union on the Advisory Board. Prior to launching a professional career in higher education, he spent seven years in New York City cultivating his skills as a leader in media sales and consulting for a mid-size advertising firm representing large global corporations. However, like many of us might have to face in the future, Patrick reached a point in his life where he was not pleased with the direction he was headed and decided to make a change.

Top 5 Drexel Athletics Moments of 2013

With a new year comes new goals, new hopes, new dreams, and most of all, the clean slate to do it. With a new year also comes looking back at the previous year to assess what went wrong and what went right, what we can do differently and what should continue. Drexel is never looked upon as a powerhouse in the realm of collegiate athletics, but the school certainly fields teams across the board that should not be taken lightly. The team with perhaps the largest following at Drexel -- the men's basketball team -- had an uncharacteristically down year in 2013, but the rest of the athletic department was right there behind them to pick them up and make 2013 a tremendous year in Drexel athletics.

Here are the top five moments in Drexel athletics in 2013:

SBEN Live to Stream the Sport For Social Change Conference All Next Week

It is hard to believe that it has been almost two full weeks since the first annual Sport For Social Change Conference was held at Drexel University. Throughout the day, five different presentations presented on a variety of topics. Dr. Eric Zillmer and Bruiser Flint presented on athletes giving back and becoming role models. The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation presented on developing our nation's youth with sport. Eli Wolff presented on access and inclusion to sport. Go! Athletes and Craig Cassey Jr. presented on LGBT issues in sport. Patrick Hruby presented on safety issues in sport.

It was a tremendous day and we are happy to announce that we will be sharing it in video again next week in conjunction with the Sports Business Education Network. Over the course of next week, SBEN will stream one presentation each day.

Check it out starting Monday Nov. 11, and use the hashtag #S4SC on Twitter if you tune in! Follow the link HERE.

#S4SC Preview: Eric Zillmer and Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation

Following yesterday's preview of the LGBT Issues in Sport section by Kevin Giordano, today I will be previewing two other sections: Athletes Giving Back and Youth Development in Sport.

Dr. Eric Zillmer, the Director of Athletics and Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, will be presenting on the topic of Athletes Giving Back. A major part of the Master Plan of Drexel University is to become the most Socially Responsible and Civically Engaged institution in the United States; the Athletic department already does it's part to contribute to this goal. The Drexel Dragons give hours a year to the West Philadelphia community and surrounding neighborhoods and towns. The goal of this section of the conference is to portray how athletes and athletic entities can utilize their standing in society to give back.

The Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation will be presenting on the topic of youth development in sport. With a mission of teaching our country's youth the value of academics, hard work, and teamwork through hockey, the ESYHF serves over 3,000 children in the Philadelphia area. Sport is a microcosm of society; in turn, a lot of what you learn playing sports can be utilized outside the sport realm. Teaching out nation's youth about these core values at a young age is a responsibility for all sport organizations and there is no better example of this in the Philadelphia region than ESYHF.

Attendees of these sessions will learn how they can use their power as a sport organization to not only give back to society, but also help develop the youth of our country, all via sport. For questions or inquiries please email DrexelSMTSU@gmail.com.

Sport For Social Change Conference Schedule

10:00 to 10:45 - Sign In and Light Breakfast

10:45 to 11:00 - Introduction

11:00 to 11:50 - Dr. Eric Zillmer 

Topic: Athletes Giving Back and Being Role Models

Position: Director of Athletics

Employer: Drexel University Athletics

Additional Information

11:50 to 12:00 - Break

12:00 to 12:50 - Jim Britt

Topic: Youth Development via Sport

Position: VP and COO

Employer: Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation

Additional Information

*Panel Discussion

12:50 to 2:00 - Lunch

Buffet Style

Chestnut Street Caterers

2:00 to 2:50 - Eli Wolff

Topic: Access and Inclusion to Sport

Position: Program Director of the Sport and Development Project

Employer: Brown University

Additional Information

2:50 to 3:00 - Break

3:00 to 3:50 - Go! Athletes and Craig Cassey Jr.

Topic: LGBT Issues in Sport

Additional Information: Go! Athletes
Additional Information: Craig Cassey Jr.

3:50 to 4:00 - Break

4:00 to 4:50 - Patrick Hruby

Topic: Safety Issues and Remedies

Position: Journalist/Writer

Employer: Sports on Earth

Additional Information

4:50 to 5:00 - Conclusion

Co-Op Confidential: Kevin Murray

Name: Kevin Murray

Year: Sophomore

Company: Drexel Athletic Department

Location: Daskalaskis Athletic Center

What is the Drexel Athletic Department?

The Drexel Athletic Department is the section of Drexel University that manages the schools 18 Division-I athletic teams, club sports, and campus recreation. The department is managed by Director of Athletics Dr. Eric Zillmer. Now in his 15th year as Director of Athletics, Dr. Zillmer oversees all components of the Athletics Department.

The Man Advantage: Feasting!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before from me:

I love college basketball.

There isn’t another sport that fills me with such happiness and excitement. The pageantry, the rivalries, the fans, the spirit of hope that even the smallest school has a shot at championship glory... couple it with my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving) and Feast Week is without question one of the best things on the planet (disregarding March Madness of course).

While other people were spending their "Feast Week" on “food, family, and FOOOTBAAAAALLLL,” I enjoyed a cornucopia of great college basketball games. From Tuesday to Saturday, I probably watched 15-20 games (with bits and pieces of several others thrown in). Here’s some tidbits that stuck out to me:

  

Drexel guard Frantz Massenet

    1.)    Dragons Fizzle: Is there a bigger early season disappointment than our own Drexel Dragons (Maybe Memphis)? Picked to run train through a depleted CAA, the Dragons have looked remarkably unremarkable through six games. The non-conference schedule, with games against Illinois State, St. Mary’s, and Xavier already, is much improved from last year--unfortunately this team, which returned all notable pieces from last year’s 29 win squad except do-it-all forward Samme Givens, hasn’t earned the pre-season hype. The injury bug has hit frequently, limiting Damion Lee and likely ending Chris Fouch’s Drexel career. Junior guard Frantz Massenet, the preseason CAA Player of the Year, has been sloppy and forwards Dartaye Ruffin and Daryl McCoy have struggled to be consistent presences in the post-Givens era. Fortunately, Drexel started the season very similarly last season before turning it around and winning 25 of 26 games on their way to the CAA Tournament finals: the next few games are very winnable. Unfortunately, however, the Dragons close out 2012 with home games against cross-city foe St. Joseph’s and…

    2.)    Davidson Roars: The Davidson Wildcats, the team that may have impressed me the most this past week. While their 3-3 record so far this season might not seem noteworthy, anyone who saw their victories over Vanderbilt and West Virginia in the Old Spice Classic saw a bracket buster in the making. Their only loss came in the tournament finals against a Gonzaga program that is arguably a top-10 team this season. Keep an eye on these Tigers—this is an experienced team that can do some damage in March.

    3.)    Atlantis Rocks: Was there a better Thanksgiving tournament than the Battle 4 Atlantis? How many tournaments in November can boast four top-20 squads, along with two dangerous mid-majors and two quality major conference teams? The field was something to see, and while three of the four semi-finals teams make my stomach turn with revulsion (I was unable to watch the first semi-final at a risk of losing my Thanksgiving leftovers), the games were fantastic. For the basketball fan who just wants to see a good game, the Louisville-Missouri semi-final was just fun to watch, even as a born-and-raised Kentucky Wildcats fan. The tempo and intensity from both teams reminds us of what we love about March…. In November.

Did you catch much college basketball over the break? What jumped out to you? Answer in the comments!

Under Further Review: DAC Improvements To Come

As we are all struck by the quickness and grace of the sport of squash in the US Open of Squash currently underway at the Daskalaskis Athletic Center here on campus, there is some exciting news.  Improvements are coming to the DAC!

We have all sat through the cramped, 100+ degree, 90% humidity men’s basketball games in the DAC.  I specifically remember the weather in the DAC during Drexel’s NIT quarterfinal game versus UMass.  If you were not there, then I honestly cannot put into words what type of weather pattern that was.

On the Kimmel Bogrette Architecture website last week, there was a release of the plans and also some renderings.  The plan calls for an expansion to 3500 seats and improves in areas such as concourse, entrance, and suites.  Also included in the renovation plan are LED ribbons and an updated scoreboard.  Dramatic improvements will be made to the men’s and women’s team areas (locker rooms, offices, film room, etc.) which will be a strong recruiting point in the coming years.

Digital rendering of the exterior via Kimmel Bogrette's website.

Perhaps the best news with the coming renovations is that they plan to keep the tight, cramped field-house style of the current DAC.  Although this environment is conducive to boiling blood, sweating profusely, sticking to seats, and possible indoor thunderstorm clouds, it is part of the beauty of the DAC.  Teams do not want to come to play Drexel at the DAC (see Drexel's recent non-conference basketball schedules at the DAC).  The environment of the building combined with the frenzy of the DAC Pack is unparalleled at almost every other college. 

Stay tuned in the coming months for more news and timelines on the DAC improvements.

For full details and more renderings, check out the original release on the Kimmel Bogrette website.