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Nichols College

Learn. Lead. Succeed

Sport Marketing & Content Creation

Nichols Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Sport Marketing & Content Creation program prepares students like you to leverage and develop brand assets to drive consumer demand. The sport marketing industry needs professionals with big ideas and who are excited to help their favorite sport organization succeed. Our program partners with local and national sport organizations like Protein Powerball, Harvard University, and the Connecticut Sun to give you real-world experience developing marketing content and social media plans. In addition to these high-impact opportunities, students study:  

  • Brand Management 
  • Digital Asset Creation 
  • Market Research  
  • Social Media Management 
  • Marketing Activation 


Every Sport Marketing & Content Creation major completes at least one internship, gaining valuable hands-on experience and expanding their network—which comes in handy after graduation. Recent students have interned with the Boston Celtics, PawSox, Holy Cross, Boston College and the US Open and earned full-time positions at DraftKings, the Boston Red Sox, and the Connecticut Sun.  

The Sport Marketing & Content Creation degree program at Nichols College has received specialized accreditation through the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) located in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. The sport management program in the following degrees are accredited by COSMA: 

  • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Concentration in Sport Marketing & Content Creation 
  • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Concentration in Sport Sales & Strategy 
  • Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Concentration in Sport Management 

Careers 

Sport Marketing professionals work across all areas of sport including with sport brands, for sport venues, and in collegiate, professional and amateur sport. You might choose to work for a sporting apparel company like Nike, a sport team like the Boston Bruins or you might even work for an individual athlete like Serena Williams. Some career possibilities include:   

  • Content Creation Manager 
  • Digital Consumer Marketing 
  • Social Media 
  • Campaign Specialist 
  • Promotions Manager 

Courses & Requirements

Sport Marketing & Content Creation students must complete 121 credit hours (approximately 40 courses), including 7 credit hours of electives. As a Sport Marketing & Content Creation major you will complete courses like Sport Marketing and Consumer Marketing along with specialized electives (Social Media Management, Personal Branding) in this content area. You can read through all required courses for the Sport Marketing & Content Creation at Nichols below, and/or look through the entire undergraduate course catalog.   

Six credit hours of experiential learning are required for the Sport Marketing & Content Creation major. A minimum of three out of the six total credit hours must be a relevant internship course. The total of six credit hours may be achieved through combinations of the three and six credit of internship course(s) OR up to three credits of sport practicum courses along with the three required hours of internship. 

As an example, fulfillment of the experiential learning requirement may consist of 3 credits of internship and 3 credits of practicum hours.  

Required Courses

This introductory-level course provides an overview to the structure of the sport industry and highlights the scope and variety of potential career opportunities. The value of professional management to sport organizations will also be emphasized. Attention will be given to the issues facing sport organizations and the use of management techniques to solve business-related problems. The development of effective communication skills and networking skills, will be stressed through class presentations and projects and assignments.
This course examines the role of sports in North American culture and in a global context. The pervasiveness of sport in all areas of society will be investigated from a sociological perspective. Analysis of current issues impacting informal, organized, and professional sport will be considered. Attention will also be given to common characteristics within sport and society, including societal values and sport, social problems and sport, deviance, violence, politics, religion, the economy, mass media, ethnicity, nationality, and others.

This course is designed to provide a hands-on, practical involvement in a major sport event. Students will be assigned to committees for which they will plan, organize, publicize and manage all aspects of event operations during the semester. A required component of the course will include a commitment to work with the actual event.

This course is designed to introduce the students to the role of effective communication in the sport industry. The nature and function of communication will be examined in a variety of settings. Emphasis will be placed on interpersonal communications, public relations, mass media relations, public speaking, and innovative technology.
This course is designed to offer hands-on, practical experience in creating and implementing a sponsorship and sales plan. Groups will create marketing surveys, develop sponsorship proposals, identify and contact potential buyers, conduct negotiation and sales, learn activation techniques, and evaluate sponsor packages.
The sport management seminar is designed to provide an overview of the current and critical issues faced by sport organizations. Emphasis will be placed on the issues confronting sport managers as they operate businesses while also presenting the students with an understanding of the basic tenets of sport policy and governance. The course will use case studies to explore and analyze current issues and concepts from earlier course work in the field. A senior thesis, focusing on the student?s area of interest, will be required. Students will be introduced to research methodologies and encouraged to apply statistical analysis to their work. Students will be guided through the process of designing individual works, conducting tests/measurements, and analysis and interpretation of results. The seminar is designed and recognized as a writing intensive course.
Examination of the consumer marketing process. This includes analysis and planning of consumer marketing programs with investigation of consumer decision making and buying patterns. Includes written case analyses and presentations.

Electives

The class focuses on the creation of visual material using several industry-standard software programs, and will be conducted in the computer lab and Visual Media Studio. Students will learn to generate visually interesting, informational, professional-level material using programs such as Photoshop and Final Cut Pro that are necessary for the production of video, infographics, and photographic imagery. Students will learn which software to use and combine to generate visual material effectively.

A study of the application of research techniques in market analysis. Student teams design, conduct, and present a research project, including problem definition, questionnaire design, data collection, data analysis, documentation, and recommendation.
An analysis of the international business and consumer environments and the development and implementation of marketing programs across business alternatives (e.g., direct investment, joint ventures, licensing). Topics include the roles of cultural, political, technological, economical, and legal aspects of marketing in an international environment, as well as how these affect the marketing mixes likely to be successful in various international markets.

The practicum is designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain first hand experience in the business of sport. The course is structured to include weekly interaction and discussions with the professor which will focus on the student?s experiences and the practical application of management principles. Students are required to undertake 8 - 10 hours per week (throughout the semester) in an industry setting of their choice.

Past practicum topics include:

  • Sustainability in Sport
  • Esport
  • Coaching
  • Social Media
  • Ecommerce

The immediate goal of this class is for you to become comfortable in creating video content and to understand the basic elements of successful video production. (Five of you are working remotely, and people can create content in the editing suite in the NAB, on your personal laptop in your dorm room, or on your cellphone at home). The broader goal of this class is to inform, educate, and entertain the Nichols College community by posting this content on the Sport Management Instagram page. Each week you will be producing content, whether it be 30-second short films, formal and informal interviews, opinion pieces, vlogs/day-in-the-life/documentaries, or hype videos. Creating a game plan, a StoryBoard, is a critical precursor to any filming.

Each week you will also be analyzing other content with a critical eye toward how they set an opening scene, how they frame an interview, how they cut or dissolve from scene to scene. There will be a number of ESPN+ 30 for 30 Shorts under consideration, as well as other pieces.

This is a hands-on course where we strive to cultivate an Everything is Figure-Out-Able Minds

In the social media marketing practicum, students will develop, implement, and evaluate a social media marketing campaign.  Students will learn about social media analytical tools, such as Hootsuite, Facebook, Twitter and Google. It is required for students to take Principles of Marketing prior registering for this practicum. 

The purpose of this course is for students to gain an understanding of the ever-developing world of content creation, specifically podcasting, both from a production and creative standpoint. Students will learn about the evolution of podcasting, and how they can be used as a vehicle by both brands and individuals to position them as subject matter experts, industry leaders, and a method for revenue generation. Additionally, students will develop their own podcast series, with the professor’s review and approval, to be produced weekly during the course. 

This course is offered on an occasional basis and addresses topics and themes of special interest not covered in the standard course offerings in sport management.

Faculty