The eyes of sports again turn to Princeton

BY JOE FAVORITO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING

Every year about this time, Princeton University becomes the hub of the sports business world, albeit for a day. Is it because of some Ivy League gridiron battle or a visit by an alum who turned the sports world on their ear en route to a career elsewhere, like alum Bill Bradley?

No. It's because the University hosts what is arguably the most unique one day professional seminar ... one that includes both industry vets and fresh new faces. It is now called the Ivy Sports Symposium presented by Phoenicia Sports and Entertainment, but it is still run by founder and Princeton alum Chris Chaney and the sports management club at the University, who combine new thought and old school ideas into a day of passionate conversation and smart business practices designed to look back at the year and forward to what's on the horizon.

This year's event had over 400 in attendance to hear from speakers ranging from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to MLB.com visionary leader Bob Bowman, with panels on being an agent, finding a job, motor sports, and brand marketing all mixed in. From agencies like Octagon and IMG, brands like Gatorade and the New York Cosmos, there was something for anyone interested in the business of sport to sit up and take notice about.

There was even a good mix of media, ranging from Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim, and Forbes' Tom Van Riper to the founder of The Big Lead, Jason McIntyre, and the Record's John Brennan, all in attendance gathering info and mixing thoughts with those who they follow on a regular basis. It all made for a spirited November Friday.

In a year as turbulent as 2010, with all the financial uncertainty, the business of sports continues to thrive, and thousands upon thousands who have lost jobs or are looking for a change turn to their passions for a new career path. Some find ways to reinvent themselves and take their marketable skills to the field and the front office, while others are content using the digital media space to write about their passionate followings of their favorite teams and athletes.

Regardless of the outcome, and even with the uncertainty of big prices for a challenged consumer and the looming threat of strikes, sports continues to be both aspirational and inspirational, and drives millions upon millions through the turnstiles and into the coffers of brands who invest their efforts in sport. The Ivy Symposium serves as an annual one-day litmus test for the business, and again this year all the tests came up positive.

Given its physical location, there may be no other university with so many jobs in sport so close by as Princeton. With Philly to the south and New York to the north, the still going casinos of Atlantic City to the east and Trenton holding down its minor league teams within miles, anyone craving their sports business fix does not have to go very far to find opportunity.

Yet, sports management at Princeton remains at the club level, with one day a year to shine. Other Ivy League schools are looking to step up their business interests, with Cornell and Harvard offering up robust clubs and Columbia offering a graduate business degree in sports management, but the halls of Old Nassau are holding firm on the sports business. Across the state, from Centenary College to Rutgers, FDU to Montclair State, sports as a business alternative is growing, with all turning to the state's hallowed Ivy halls for the one-day event.

Whether that changes in the future is up for debate, but for at least one day Princeton is the sports place to be, and the quality and quantity of speaker and attendee shows that the business is solid, especially in the Garden State.

Joe Favorito has over 24 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.