City Nights, Big Time Games

In the spirit of college football, the NFL playoff hunt and the conclusion of the Major League Baseball season, it is time to step back from the internship commitments, job opportunities and classes.

Instead, it is important from time to time to reflect on the extra-curricular activities available to students in the USF Sport Management Program.  While working hard in pursuit of a successful career in the sport industry is the primary objective of the Sport Management Program, students do have the time to pursue social activities within the sport industry.

Ashley Atwell of Cohort 35 in San Francisco came to the program this past July after graduating from the University of Alabama. Earlier this month Ashley journeyed back to football country to watch Alabama host LSU, in a 1 vs. 2 showdown. The game lived to up all the hype, with the Tigers upending the Crimson Tide in overtime (sorry Ashley!). With classes held every Wednesday night, Ashley had the opportunity to enjoy two days in Tuscaloosa without missing a class.

A number of other Cohort 35 members journeyed down to Palo Alto for this last weekend’s Oregon vs. Stanford football game. Kristen Chambers, Corey Butler, Brian Beasley and Jamin Gorham all made their way down to Stanford for one of the biggest games of the season. Meanwhile back in the city I attended the Oregon State vs. Cal game. Though hardly the most marquee game in the area, it was a great evening on a personal note.  My dad came down from Oregon and we were able to watch the game from one of the AT&T press box suites. Afterwards it was dinner out in the city with my parents.

In addition to attending sporting events, there are also plenty of social functions to attend throughout the Bay Area. Two weeks ago I attended a fundraiser for Octagon Sports with a number of friends from the program, in addition to fellow interns I work with at Cal. This fundraiser for cancer research was hosted in the Marina at Matrix. Working as servers for the event were a number of players from the Oakland Raiders, as well as other Octagon clients. Four-time All-Pro tackle and former Raider Jeremy Newberry was present, along with Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch.

This past week I was also fortunate enough to attend a workout at the TRX training facility in San Francisco. Kim Klinedinst, a graduate of the program who currently works as the Director of Education with TRX, invited me down to the complex for a workout. Along with a number of TRX employees, we went through a crossfit workout on the roof of their building. Located just north of the financial district, the building we worked out on had a view of the financial district, as well as the Bay Bridge.

It’s not everyday you get to attend Alabama vs. LSU.
It’s not everyday you watch Oregon vs. Stanford. 
It’s not everyday you get to attend a fundraiser with NFL players. 
It’s not everyday that you get to workout on the roof of a building in the heart of San Francisco.

But in the Sport Management program at USF…

These opportunities present themselves more often than you imagine.

With Thanksgiving week upon us I wish all of you an enjoyable and memorable week ahead!