SDSU, San Diego Padres Team Up to Offer Innovative Sports Management MBA Program

Powerful Partnership in Sports Management Education is the First of Its Kind in the Nation

San Diego State University and the San Diego Padres are partnering to offer a customized MBA with a specialization in sports business management beginning in winter 2005. This is the first partnership in the country in which a major league sports franchise will work directly with a university to offer such a degree program and support it on an ongoing basis.

“We wanted to partner with a university because we see an increasing need for specifically trained executives and business managers in Major League Baseball and in other professional sports,” said Padres Chairman John Moores. “We chose to work with SDSU’s College of Business because it has a proven track record of teaming with the business community to create educational programs that produce graduates capable of contributing immediately to their chosen field.”

The Padres will bolster the new program by creating internship opportunities in their front office and at the new Petco Park, working with SDSU faculty on incorporating current professional sports business experiences and practices into the curriculum, and by having Padres officials give guest lectures each semester.

“The Padres’ involvement will help make our MBA in sports business management one of the premier programs of its kind,” said Gail K. Naughton, dean of the SDSU College of Business. “This is an innovative way to greatly enhance our students’ educational experience and it’s the latest example of our long tradition of working with business leaders to help meet their needs.”

Students in the sports business management program will be required to complete 49 units of coursework as well as a six-month internship with the Padres or with another professional sports organization. Depending on the course loads students take, they could complete the degree program in as little as 18 months.

“The club’s participation will enable our students to learn from current pro sports executives in the classroom and in real major-league work environments,” said College of Business Professor Jim Lackritz, the faculty coordinator for the sports management program and associate dean of the graduate division at SDSU. “Our graduates will not only be well-versed in the high profile aspects of running a sports organization, such as negotiating with players and agents, but in the day to day operations, including facilities management, human resources, sports law, and marketing and customer service.”

“Through the development of real-life curriculum and by letting students see firsthand the issues associated with the operation of a professional sports team, we hope to provide a tremendous educational opportunity for program participants,” noted Katie Pothier, Padres vice president, general counsel. “This is really an extension of our commitment to education in the San Diego community.”

SDSU plans to cap enrollment at 30 students for the program’s first class, which begins January 2005, subject to curriculum approval. The application deadline is Nov. 1, 2004. For more information on this program, visit www.sdsu.edu/sportsmba.