Sports Media Report
Columbia University’s M.S. in Sports Management graduate program announced its full and expanded course offerings for the summer semester of 2023 and added a new faculty member. Courses will include highly targeted block week classes, specialized research projects, and traditional summer semester courses. New to the faculty this semester will be Adam Neuman, former chief of staff of strategy and operations and deputy general counsel of the Big Ten Conference. Neuman will teach a block week course on Intercollegiate Athletics Administration.
“We are proud to offer an expanded summer program with some of the new, emerging voices in our industry this summer,” said Scott Rosner, professor of professional practice and program director of the M.S. in Sports Management at Columbia University. “This combination of very intense block week programs, supervised research projects, and traditional classes serves as a great experience for all of our students as they continue to gain the valuable practical experience needed to succeed and grow in the global field of sports business. In addition, we welcome back some of our returning faculty and are pleased to have a new faculty member joining the program.”
Adam Neuman, lecturer; former chief of staff of strategy and operations and deputy general counsel, Big Ten Conference: Adam Neuman served the Big Ten Conference as chief of staff of strategy and operations and deputy general counsel as a member of the conference’s senior leadership team. Neuman was a strategic aide to both the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) and the Big Ten Conference commissioner in creating a movement of leadership in sports, academics, and social responsibility throughout intercollegiate sports. Neuman played a strategic role in helping the conference navigate the most complex times in its 125-year history as it responded to a global health pandemic. Neuman’s role on the conference leadership team was particularly noteworthy amid the stunning addition of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the University of Southern California (USC), expanding the conference to 16 institutions in August 2024, and the conference’s recent record-breaking media rights deal with the linear networks CBS, NBC, and Fox and the direct-to-consumer streaming platform Peacock, wrote Nicole Auerbach and Chris Vannini of The Athletic. “From the first day that I met Adam, it was clear that he had a special gift,” former Big Ten commissioner and current Chicago Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren told The Athletic back in August. “His work ethic is incredible. He’s very, very mentally tough. He’s smart. He can handle a wide range of issues to deal with. His legal background has been incredible.”
Additional courses this summer will include Emerging and Niche Leagues, led by Scott Rosner, professor of professional practice and program director, M.S. in Sports Management at Columbia University; Applied Business Intelligence Frameworks in Sports, led by Charlie Shin, VP of data & analytics at the Indianapolis Colts; Basketball Analytics, led by Steven Angel, senior vice president of game analytics and strategy at the NBA, and Josh Orenstein, senior director of basketball strategy & analytics at the NBA; Sports Revenue Strategies and Analysis, led by Will Edmondson, vice president of strategy and insights at Major League Baseball, and Alex Cadicamo, senior director of media partnerships at Major League Baseball; International Sports Management, led by Dino Ruta; a Supervised Research Project with the Minnesota Timberwolves, overseen by Esu Ma’at, chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at the Orlando Magic; International Comparative Sports Law, led by Mark Conrad, director of Gabelli Sports Business Concentration and associate professor of law and ethics at Fordham University; and Internship in Sports Management, overseen by Jennifer Dick, lecturer, M.S. in Sports Management at Columbia University.
The summer program course associates include William Wiswesser, Shawn Kilcoyne, Christopher Brown, Jamie Hill, Andrea Garcia, Megan Grzesiak, Jordan Wetherbee, and Bill Wang.
This summer program is the latest in a series of ongoing expansive opportunities that the Columbia Sports Management Program offers its diverse, global student base. The program also has ongoing partnerships with some of the world’s leading sports organizations, including United States Olympic and Paralympic Properties (USOPP), FC Bayern Munich, the NFL, US Soccer, La Liga North America, Real Madrid, and NYCFC, as well as additional short-term projects that are part of the curriculum in various programs each semester.
Columbia University’s master’s degree program in Sports Management, available part-time and full-time, trains professionals in all sectors of the sports industry by teaching specific management skills in the areas of finance, business intelligence, analytics, social justice, digital media, entrepreneurship, leadership, law, marketing, sales, communications, facility management, and many others. This combination of broad-based and specific skill training is a hallmark of the program and is evident in both the content and the sequencing of courses. www.sps.columbia.edu/sports
