Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management: 2024 Alumni Update

Alumni Update 2024

A Message from the Department Chair

Dear McCormack Community,

Reflecting on 2024, it’s clear that our journey has been marked by achievements that underscore our commitment to excellence, innovation, and community. The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management has once again demonstrated that together we are more than just a department—we are a dynamic force shaping the future of the sport industry.

A Tradition of Excellence

The highlight of 2024 was undoubtedly our graduate program being named the world’s #1-ranked postgraduate sport management program by SportBusiness magazine for the third consecutive year. This recognition is not just an accolade but a reflection of our collective effort to foster an environment that prioritizes cuttingedge research, innovative teaching, and a deep understanding of the sport industry.

Recognizing Our Esteemed Alumni

In 2024, we celebrated the significant contributions of our alumni, including Li Li Leung and Amy Scheer, both recognized as part of Sport Business Journal’s 2024 class of Game Changers; Bill Hubbard, who celebrated a successful partnership with Tokio Marine HCC; Harvey Greene, who was inducted to the National Football Hall of Fame with an award of excellence; and our many graduates who helped to make the Paris Olympics a success. Their accomplishments exemplify the leadership and impact our graduates continue to have on the world of sport.

Reaching New Heights

With the help of Professor of Practice Jeffrey Pollack and the guidance of Graduate Program Director Will Norton, 2024 also saw the launch of a new and exciting program, entitled McCormack Scholars Jennifer Todd, SVP of the Boston Celtics, and Kim Davis, EVP of the NHL, joined us as our inaugural honorees. We look forward to welcoming more esteemed scholars to campus in the years to come. In another exciting development, Lisa Pike Masteralexis, associate dean and sport management professor, was recognized

by the Sports Business Journal as a member of its inaugural Honor Roll for her transformative impact on the field of sport management and her students.

Forward Together

As we look to the future, our vision is clear: to maintain our leadership in sport management education while evolving to meet the changing dynamics of the industry. We aim to further our research impact, expand our global footprint, and continue to innovate how we educate and prepare our students for the challenges and opportunities of the sports industry.

Gratitude and Anticipation

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to everyone in the McCormack community. Your dedication, support, and passion for sport management inspire me every day. Together, we are not just navigating the present but are actively shaping the future of the sport industry.

Thank you for an exceptional year. Here’s to achieving even greater heights together for the remainder of 2025.

With warmest regards,

Nicole Melton, PhD Department Chair and Professor Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management

Isenberg School of Management

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Points of Pride

GRADUATE PROGRAM RANKED #1 WORLDWIDE FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR

McCormack was named the world’s #1-ranked postgraduate sport management program by Sport Business for the third consecutive year in 2024. In addition to this global recognition, the survey ranked McCormack as the top sport management postgraduate program in North America, and as graduates’ top choice. The program also ranked #1 overall in a vote taken by its peer institutions. This “Professor’s Choice” #1 global ranking is one McCormack has consistently received for most of the last decade, illustrating the program’s reputational consistency.

10TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MC CORMACK CAREER FAIR

The annual McCormack Career Fair celebrated its tenth year this fall, hosting over 50 companies at the Mullins Center. Now a three-day event, the 2024 Career Fair included a seminar on preparation, a keynote address from Oak View Group CEO Peter Luukko ’81, a panel on best practices from top recruiters, and a seniors-only networking hour and dinner. The Career Fair welcomed back a number of McCormack alumni with various teams and management groups, including the Los Angeles Kings, Fenway Sports Management, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Commanders, and New York Yankees.

MC CORMACK ALUMNAE AMY SCHEER AND LI LI LEUNG NAMED TO SBJ GAMECHANGERS CLASS OF 2024

Amy Scheer ’86 and Li Li Leung ’03 MS were recognized for their career accomplishments across the sport industry in a special ceremony held in New York City last fall.

Scheer is the senior vice president for business operations with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL). After three decades spread across stints with the MLS, NBA, NFL, and WNBA, Scheer was named to her current role in 2023, where she was instrumental in the league’s highly successful inaugural season.

Leung is the president and CEO of USA Gymnastics (USAG), having assumed the role in 2019. This past summer, USAG athletes took the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games by storm, winning a gold medal in the women’s team all-around and a bronze medal in the men’s team all-around, as well as numerous individual medals. Since assuming her role, Leung has reshaped the culture of the organization by putting athletes first. Her most significant accomplishment was creating the USAG’s Bill of Rights, the first of its kind. The bill outlines standards for safety, health and wellness, and coaching, and affirms USAG athletes’ right to share their experiences publicly and express input on decisions that affect them.

MC CORMACK HIRES THREE FULL-TIME FACULTY MEMBERS

The Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management was proud to welcome three new faculty members to Amherst this fall:

Anne Dietrich, PhD, joined McCormack as a full-time lecturer. She recently obtained her PhD from Texas A&M University, where she taught courses on sports entrepreneurship, Olympic studies, and sport facility and event management. Anne’s research focuses on environmental sustainability in sport.

Calvin Nite, PhD, joined McCormack as a tenuretrack associate professor. Nite received his PhD in kinesiology with an emphasis in sport management from Texas A&M University in 2011. Prior to joining the department, he was an associate professor of sport management at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on understanding the processes and consequences of institutionalization within sport settings.

Ajhanai “AJ” Keaton, PhD, joined the department as a tenuretrack assistant professor. Keaton earned her PhD in learning, leadership, and educational policy with a focus in sport from the University of Connecticut in 2020, a master’s degree in education from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017, and her BS in sociology from Colorado State University in 2015. Prior to joining McCormack, she was an assistant professor at the University of Louisville. Keaton studies how race and gender (in)equity shape organizational behavior, media discourses in the sporting realm, and the influence of social politics upon organizational behavior.

MC CORMACK AT THE GAMES: 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS

McCormack alumni helped make the Olympic and Paralympic Games shine in Paris this summer, representing various teams, agencies and federations. Congratulations to Danielle Lopez ’12 MS (strategic x communications and marketing, Wiz Team), Amanda Kraus ’95 (CEO, US Rowing), Ana Shapiro Queenan ’00 MS (Olympic and Paralympic partnerships, Allianz), Rachel Lee ’17 MS/MBA (digital analytics, USOPC), Ariel Weisman ’11 MS/MBA (director, Evergate Stables), Li Li Leung ’03 MS (president and CEO, USA Gymnastics), Sean Ford ’92 MS (men’s national team director, USA Basketball), Ivory Wu, ’14 MS/MBA (senior media rights manager, IOC), and Mike Unger ’93 MS (senior advisor, World Aquatics) on a successful Games!

SENIOR ASSOCIATE DEAN AND MC CORMACK PROFESSOR

LISA MASTERALEXIS NAMED TO INAUGURAL SBJ HONOR ROLL

Lisa Masteralexis was recognized this fall by the Sports Business Journal as a member of its prestigious Honor Roll for her transformative impact on the field of sport management and her students. Masteralexis has fostered a legacy of mentorship and connection that has shaped the careers of many industry leaders. Starting as an instructor in sport management, Masteralexis led McCormack as the department chair before being promoted to her current role in the Isenberg School of Management dean’s office.

Lisa Masteralexis

Updates from the Director of Graduate Programs

The year 2024 was another action-packed and enriching one for our #1 globally ranked MBA/MS graduate program. I always want to start this update by thanking the many dedicated alumni who make this program what it is today. Our alumni empower our success and create an aspirational culture on campus, wherein students can look outward into industry and not just envision a career in sports, but also access a road map of how to get there. This unwavering support of our sport management community is an immense source of pride in Amherst.

Our year started with a bang, as SportBusiness awarded the program with the #1 global ranking for the third consecutive year! Professor McKelvey was fast at work, looking into trademark law around “sport management three-peat.” Across over 40 measurement metrics, including quality of faculty, exit salary, female-to-male student ratio, return on investment, research, and job placement, McCormack was at the top of the class again. This ranking is a function of our amazing McCormack Family, and we could not accomplish this without the unwavering and unbelievable support of our faculty, staff, and alumni.

The spring semester was highlighted by another successful international immersion trip, with 22 graduate students touring Madrid and Barcelona during our March break. The trip leveraged the full weight of both our alumni base and IMG’s McCormack legacy in Spain. Many thanks to 2000 MS alumnus Xavi Commerma for his help connecting our department to the Spanish sports ecosystem as our official host!

A La Liga match between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid was a distinct highlight of the trip, as was a jointly organized ‘La Liga x McCormack’ symposium at La Liga Business School, where students heard from various panels consisting of sport industry practitioners, including the former head of IMG Tennis, Fernando Soler. Students got to learn from Department Chair Nicole Melton as well, who presented on the commercial success of women’s sports in the U.S. Visits to Euroleague Basketball, America’s Cup and Real Madrid rounded out our itinerary, which challenged students to expand their sport management knowledge base and observe how international sport operates, thus bolstering their academic experience.

As we concluded the spring semester, we celebrated the Class of 2024 at our annual grad student send-off. McCormack graduate students continue to set the bar high, and we took the time to toast their growth and accomplishments in Amherst while also celebrating the impressive array of sport industry jobs they secured upon graduation, including roles with the Minnesota Vikings, Goodwin Sports, MKTG, US Soccer, Mumbai City FC, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Gulls, Hartford Yard Goats, Denison University, Cape Cod Baseball League, and Red Tiger Marketing. Rising second-year MBA/MS dual-degree students also headed off to work, completing summer internships at the PGA Tour, New York Islanders, Octagon, Field Hockey Canada, Boston Bruins / TD Garden, Fairplay Media, UBS Arena / OVG, and Cleveland Browns.

Fall 2024 welcomed to campus another diverse and talented cohort of 25 students (10 MBA/MS duals and 15 MS) with career interests in professional women’s soccer, basketball operations, college athletics, business intelligence and premium sales. McCormack graduate students continue to bring a diverse range of professional interests, lived experience, and career aspirations into the halls of Isenberg. This past year’s cohort brought in full-time experience from USA Lacrosse, University of Michigan, New Jersey Devils, Wake Forest Men’s Basketball, Indian

Super League, Excel Sports Management, Elevate, Marketcast, KPMG, The Daily Bruin, and University of San Diego Athletics. The average age of our graduate students is 24.5, and we are proud of how we can recruit and attract top talent with industry experience. Our annual New York City fall semester professional development trip included trips to the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, and Endeavor’s 160over90, followed by a networking happy hour in Manhattan. The NBA’s expansion into Africa, the NHL’s approach to partnership activation, and 160over90’s management of NFL and World Cup marketing assets were themes covered during a busy day in Manhattan. Special thanks to alumni Greg Guerman, Mark Schultz, and Brenna Dykta for making this trip a success!

Thanks to the generous gifts of our alumni, McCormack students continue to tap into industry events to extend their learning, competing in case study competitions, negotiation simulations, and sales combines across an array of events and industry networking gatherings, including but not limited to: MLB’s Winter Meetings, the NFL Combine, the National Sports Forum, the John B. McLendon Foundation’s Leadership Weekend, Tulane Law’s negotiation simulations (NBA and NFL, primarily), MIT Sloan’s Sports Analytics Conference, and the WNBA’s “Women in the Game” conference. These events combine with our on-campus curriculum to support students holistically, and are made possible, in part, by the generous donations we receive during UMassGives to our Industry Relations Fund. These gifts make a substantial difference in the lives of our students.

This is a small snapshot of the activity taking place in Amherst! Be sure to follow along with the department’s activity on our LinkedIn page, and join our LinkedIn alumni group for job leads and openings. As always, I would love to connect with fellow alumni who wish to get in contact, catch up, and engage with the world’s premier destination for sport management education!

Sincerely,

Will Norton Graduate Program Director

McCormack Scholars

With the help of Professor of Practice Jeffrey Pollack, 2024 also saw the launch of a new and exciting program, entitled McCormack Scholars, with SVP Jennifer Todd of the Boston Celtics and EVP Kim Davis of the NHL joining us as our inaugural honorees. The platform was established as a way for our industry-leading program to honor and engage with sports industry innovators, while creating opportunities for honorees to share their stories with students and faculty. The program is initially targeted at expanding our reputation with non-alumni who may not be familiar with the history, reputation and excellence of UMass’s sport management program. Scholars have the opportunity to visit campus, speak to faculty about research, meet with graduate students about their career journeys, and create content for the McCormack Archives–a growing collection of records giving an inside look into the sports business–and the program’s social media accounts.

“It’s really an exercise in storytelling, as much as it is an exercise in acknowledging and celebrating some of the most vibrant and important leaders of our industry,” Pollack said.

McCormack Executive-in-Residence 2024: Sean McManus

Sean McManus was destined to become a trailblazer in sports television. The son of legendary sports broadcaster Jim McKay, McManus’s career began at the age of twelve years old. Now, more than 50 years later, McManus has retired after 28 years as the head of CBS Sports, where he was instrumental in many of the innovations seen in sport broadcast television today.

Named the 2024 McCormack Executive in Residence, McManus spent three days sharing his knowledge and experience with McCormack students and faculty, highlighted by a fireside chat with esteemed sport media journalist John Ourand on December 3, 2024.

He discussed his time as president of CBS Sports starting in 1996, where he created CBS Sports Network, supervised multiple Super Bowl broadcasts,

and negotiated rights deals to broadcast games, including the rights to bring the NFL back to CBS in 1998. McManus’s accomplishments earned him 22 Emmy awards, the Cynopsis Sports Media legacy award, and induction into both the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame (2010) and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2016). In 2005, McManus became the second person ever to simultaneously lead both a sports division and a news division of a major network when he was named President of CBS News.

Early Career

For decades, Jim McKay was one of the most recognized sports broadcasters in America. Best known for hosting the Wide World of Sports, McKay introduced America to many different sports, while simultaneously introducing his son to sports television. McManus began travelling with his father to different events at the age of seven years old and soon realized sports television was his calling.

At age 12, McManus made his first professional foray into sports television, working as a “gopher” on productions of his dad’s broadcasts. Making coffee runs and grabbing sodas for producers,

McManus earned himself some money and dipped his toes further into the industry by doing freelance work throughout high school.

Upon graduating from Duke University in 1977, McManus was brought on as an associate producer at ABC at the age of 22. Deciding he should work somewhere different from his father, McManus left ABC for a similar role with NBC in 1979. He quickly showed his natural talents and rose up the ranks. At the age of 27, Sean McManus became the youngest vice president in NBC history when he was named VP of program development for the company.

At NBC, McManus was responsible for programming and took part in the negotiation of broadcast rights for the NFL, the Olympics, Wimbledon, and other sporting events. It was there that McManus earned his chops in media rights negotiations and acquisition, which would become a strength of his throughout the rest of his career.

The McCormack Connection

McManus had no idea that lunch with Mark McCormack would change his life and bring him one step closer to accomplishing his lifelong goal of becoming the president of a sports network. At the time, McManus was happy with his job and had no intentions of leaving NBC. But after getting some first-hand experience with McCormack’s sales skills, things changed.

“Mark asked what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to run a sports division,” said McManus. “He told me if I wanted to do that, the best move was to be on both sides of the negotiation.”

He knew Barry Frank, an IMG executive, who had said he was planning to start slowing down, and suggested that McManus might take over his division. Despite his parents having some reservations, McManus trusted McCormack and Frank and accepted the offer.

McManus credits Mark McCormack with a great deal of his success and says he was one of his mentors who taught him the importance of honesty, integrity, and the art of negotiation. “I learned something every time I was with him,” McManus said. “He was the most prepared executive you could ever imagine. He knew more about the person he was pitching than the person he was pitching with. He knew their likes and dislikes, he knew they were having trouble selling pickup trucks. He was one step ahead of everybody and he also understood the international aspect of sports marketing which is maybe the biggest reason IMG became what it came to be. Recognizing McCormack’s influence and impact in sports, McManus once said, “I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that, kind of like Henry Ford and Bill Gates, Mark McCormack literally created and fostered and led an entirely new worldwide industry.”

Pivoting to CBS

It was a bit of luck that McManus landed his next role at CBS. Standing outside of a restaurant in Manhattan, McManus ran into CBS president Peter Lund and other CBS executives. Having lost NFL broadcast rights and struggling to keep up with ABC, NBC, and Fox, CBS was looking for someone new to head their sports division. McManus and

Lund spoke for about 30 minutes and shortly after, McManus was given the chance to accomplish his lifelong goal.

Perhaps the greatest achievement in McManus’s career was negotiating the rights to bring the NFL back to CBS. Having been outbid by FOX for the NFL’s NFC afternoon package after the 1993 NFL season, CBS had fallen considerably as a broadcast leader, with much of their top talent leaving for other networks and their public perception deteriorating. It was now McManus’s responsibility to return CBS to the top. Knowing NBC was aiming to take Monday Night Football rights away from ABC, McManus convinced the league to negotiate the rights to the AFC’s Sunday afternoon broadcast package. After over a year of work, they agreed to a 4-year, $2 billion-dollar deal for the AFC afternoon package, which NBC declined to match. The NFL was back on CBS, and CBS was back to the top.

I DON’T THINK IT’S AN OVERSTATEMENT TO SAY THAT, KIND OF LIKE HENRY FORD AND BILL GATES, MARK McCORMACK LITERALLY CREATED AND FOSTERED AND LED AN ENTIRELY NEW WORLDWIDE INDUSTRY.

Landing the AFC package could not have come at a better time for CBS, as it coincided with the AFC teams becoming a force, led by the Patriots, who were just beginning their 20-year dynasty. CBS continues to own the AFC afternoon broadcast rights through the 2033 NFL season.

Beyond the NFL, McManus played a large role in negotiating rights for CBS to broadcast the PGA Tour, March Madness, the Champions League, SEC, and Big 10, among others.

In a career that took place over six different decades, McManus noticed one major constant: Sports is the most valuable product in broadcast TV, even more so now than ever before. While CBS paid $500 million in McManus’s first broadcast rights negotiation with the NFL in 1998, the price for similar agreements has more than quadrupled to billions of dollars today. This will likely only increase, especially as streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime begin to dive into the sports world.

“The big question is, will the streamers really dive into live sports?” said McManus. “We and Fox had each bid around $40 million for Wednesday night Christmas games, and Netflix came in around $100 million. The real worry is if Netflix decides they want AFC or NFC packages.”

Being a leader in sports TV, McManus also understands the role he plays in furthering the charge to showcase women’s sports as they continue their upward surge in popularity. “Advertising to women’s sports fans is smart—half the people watching the NFL are women,” said McManus. “We committed to the NWSL to put their championship in prime time. Caitlin Clark has a lot to do with the rise. Women were the stars of the Olympics. If you look where women’s sports were on television a decade ago, it’s night and day. Women’s basketball ratings for the NCAA national championship rivaled what the men’s games got.”

After being the head of a company and seeing people of many different backgrounds come through, McManus voices the importance of getting your foot in the door. “Take the first job you’re offered. It’s so hard to get into this industry, even if it’s in the mailroom at CAA where most agents have started. You don’t want to take a job that’s beneath you because there isn’t a job beneath you in your position. I started as the low man on the totem pole. Once you get in the industry, you can start to make a name for yourself.”

Alumni Award Winners

STEVE MCKELVEY ALUMNI ON THE RISE AWARD

Launched in 2013, this award recognizes alumni who have graduated within the last five to ten years and have demonstrated exceptional achievement within the sports industry while also giving back to the McCormack Department of Sport Management at Isenberg through their time and resources.

• Kaitlyn Greenleaf ’13 MS (vice president, USA Today Network Venture)

• Sheila Meagher ’13 (senior counsel, Major League Baseball)

• Tanya Downey ’14 (vice president of brand consulting, Elevate)

• Reed Fox ’14 (managing director, Street Soccer (USA)

HAROLD J. VANDERZWAAG DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

In 1993, the McCormack Department of Sport Management established the Harold J. VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumnus Award in honor of Dr. VanderZwaag’s unwavering dedication and commitment to the department. The award is given for professional excellence, outstanding achievement in the sports industry, and dedication to the McCormack Department of Sport Management.

• Russell Wallach ’87 (president of global media and sponsorship, Live Nation Entertainment)

• Sean Ford ’92 MS (national team director, USA Basketball)

• Jeff Mann ’96 MS (chief operating officer, Walton Arts Center & Walmart AMP)

• Tiffany Daniels ’98 MS (associate commissioner for competition and senior woman administrator, Southeastern Conference)

2024 Top Seniors

Michael Branscombe

Meghan Connors

Claire Danahy

Maura Gillis

Eric Grady

Madeline Grudinskas

Madeline Hay

Keren Hazi

Matthew Holdgate

Anna Litteer

Griffen McClendon

James Piesco

Ethan Pinsky

Bradley Rosen

Scholarship Award

Joan & Ed Barr Memorial Scholarship

Kristian J. Rose, Jr. Memorial Scholarship

Marilyn & Richie Tannenbaum Scholarship

Sport for Social Change Award

Erik K.M. Kjeldsen Scholarship

‘47 Brand Scholarship

Glenn M. Wong Sport Law Scholarship

Alumni Scholarship

McCormack Center Scholarship

Harold J. VanderZwaag Internship Scholarship

Joe & Mary McEacharn Hartford Yard Goats Scholarship

Tokio Marine HCC Scholarship

Recipient(s)

Zachary Cadoff ’24 and Aaron Goldberg ’25

Jesse Foote ’27

Karina Groff ’24

Yahir Collado Vazquez ’26

Shannon Hurley ’24

Lilah Casey ’26

Jonah Kozub ’25

Griffen McClendon ’24 and Kate Bulger ’26

Jared Swanson ’25 and Jonathan Murgida ’26

Olivia Caracciolo ’25

Mariah McBride ’25 MS

Brooke Osmanski ’24 MS/MBA, Connor Wallace ’24

MS/MBA, Richard Larkin ’24

MS/MBA, Julia Ortiz ’24 and Kaleo DeStefano ’24

Alumnus Supports Risk Management Internship Program

Risk has its rewards, thanks to Bill Hubbard ’87, ’89 MBA and Tokio-Marine HCC

By Adam Greene ’26

Every summer since 2018 – including through the pandemic – five McCormack sport management students have engaged in summer internships with an added educational twist. As recipients of the $5,000 Tokio-Marine HCC Summer Internship Scholarship Award, part of their summer is spent putting the sport organization they are interning with under a risk management microscope.

What could go wrong with the business, or one of its events, or one of its players? What are the major risks the organization faces on a day-to-day basis? What are some new opportunities that the sport organization could embrace using existing Tokio-Marine HCC insurance products? And is there an opportunity to create an entirely new insurance product?

These are just a few of the questions these students consider throughout their summer internships. The goal is for these students to become more aware of the significance and impact of risk management, risk transfer and promotion insurance within the sport and entertainment industry, as well as of the career opportunities within this critical and growing segment of the industry.

“Few things happen in sports, and likely any other industry, without there being a risk management plan in place, which typically entails insurance of

some kind,” remarked Professor Steve McKelvey. McKelvey, along with Kristine Elison, Isenberg’s assistant dean of development, collaborated with alumnus Bill Hubbard to create the summer internship award program as part of Hubbard’s endowed $1 million gift to the McCormack Department of Sport Management. “For students planning careers in sport management, it’s vital that they understand not only how various types of insurance work, but also how insurance can help make new opportunities feasible,” McKelvey said. “This awards program enables each student to do a deep-dive into this area.”

It’s a mission that Hubbard’s been on since obtaining a BS in sport management in 1987 and an MBA in 1989, both through Isenberg. After graduating, Hubbard started working for Boston-based American Specialty Underwriters (ASU), writing disability insurance for professional athletes and key persons in the film, television and music industries. Hubbard led ASU’s entrance into event cancellation insurance, kidnap and ransom insurance, and various coverages for the promotion marketing industry. In 2001, Hubbard and his partners sold the company to Houston Casualty Company (HCC), where Hubbard was named president and CEO of HCC Specialty. In 2015, HCC was acquired by Tokio Marine, one of the top 10 largest global insurance conglomerates, where Hubbard served as president and CEO of TMHCC Specialty until his elevation to chairman in 2017.

“UMass has been very important to me individually and to the company,” remarked Hubbard. “We’ve had dozens of UMass sport management graduates intern and work here.” In addition to keeping his pipeline well greased for Isenberg graduates, Hubbard also had a personal motivation for creating this award program. “When I was at UMass, I couldn’t do an internship because I couldn’t afford one,” he said. “I would never want a student to have to turn down a summer internship offer because they lacked the funds to accept it,” added Hubbard, who was awarded the VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award in 2000.

Nicole Melton, PhD, chair of the McCormack Department of Sport Management, said that internships are a crucial part of students’ learning experience and resume-building as they prepare for full-time jobs within the sport and entertainment industry. “The opportunity to receive substantial financial awards through Bill Hubbard’s generous gift further encourages and incentivizes our students to pursue summer internships that they might not otherwise be able to pursue,” she said.

In addition to the five students selected to receive $5,000 to help cover costs of their summer internships, there’s another tantalizing element that caps off the program. Each student returns to UMass in the fall to present about their internship experience and how their internship employer might implement risk management strategies via Tokio-Marine HCC. A team of Tokio-Marine HCC senior executives visit campus to judge the presentations, and one of the five students wins a $5,000 bonus award.

Hubbard speaks very highly of the growth that McCormack has experienced. He recalls sport management being part of the School of Physical Education in the Boyden Gymnasium when he was at UMass, so he takes a lot of pride in where the department stands now (which includes the #1 global ranking among sport management graduate programs for the past three years). “We’ve watched it grow to become what it is today,” Hubbard said. “Through the strong and visionary leadership of faculty like Hal Vanderzwaag, Glenn Wong, Lisa Masteralexis and Steve McKelvey, the program has continually gotten better and better. When meeting with reinsurers across the globe, they want

to know what our secret sauce is. I put UMass sport management majors right at the top of the list.”

Since its inception almost seven years ago, the Tokio-Marine scholarship program has become a staple for the McCormack sport department. Each year, the recipients of the award take the project to heart and apply their knowledge of risk management and Tokio-Marine’s practices to their summer internships. Some go on to work for TokioMarine directly, and the rest have gone on to find success with other employers across the country.

“The scholarship program helps the recipients focus on what they’re looking for from their internships,” Hubbard said. “It gives them a better idea of what’s possible.” One thing that he looks for from each recipient is real-world applications of what they have learned: identifying problems, coming up with creative solutions, and especially “how you can transfer risk management via insurance.” An accurate, engaging examination of how their internship company can transfer risk away from themselves is what marks a successful scholarship recipient.

2027 will mark ten years of the partnership, meaning that Bill Hubbard and Tokio Marine HCC will have made a memorable and meaningful impact on the lives of 50 McComack students. The program will also become fully endowed by 2027, ensuring that Hubbard’s summer internship scholarship award program will continue on indefinitely. Indeed, this is a program for which risk really does have its rewards!

Adam Greene is a junior sport management major. Professor McKelvey provided editorial assistance with this article.

Alumnus Spotlight

HARVEY GREENE BECOMES NFL HALL OF FAMER

This past June, Harvey Greene ’76 MS earned the ultimate recognition in the game of football when he was honored with an Award of Excellence in Football Support at the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his nearly three decades of work with the Miami Dolphins in their public relations department. Greene, who has worked over the course of his distinguished career with the New York Yankees, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the White House in addition to the Dolphins, was honored in the category that recognizes assistant coaches, public relations directors, trainers, equipment managers, and video directors.

Although he was an avid sports fan growing up in New York, Greene initially went down a different path when he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in chemistry, with the intent to earn his PhD in organic chemistry from Rice University. Greene’s life changed when a friend showed him an article from the Wall Street

Journal about UMass being one of the first schools in the nation to offer a master’s degree in sport management. “Before that moment, I had no clue how to pursue a career in sports,” said Greene in an interview. “After meeting my wife, that was the single most important day of my life.” Following his acceptance into the program, Rice granted Greene’s request for a deferred start date and his sports journey began. “As far as I know, Rice is still waiting for me to show up.”

UMass Amherst’s sport management program looked significantly different when Greene graduated in ’76 than it does today. At that point, it was still in its early phase, transitioning from a focus on physical education and beginning to dip its toes in sport administration. Greene attributes much of the McCormack Department of Sport Management’s success today to Dr. Harold J. VanderZwaag, who led the program to become a nationally recognized school for those pursuing a career in sports. Aside from his recent honor by the Hall of Fame, Greene states that the

proudest achievement of his career is receiving the VanderZwaag Distinguished Alumni Award. Greene holds the former department head in high esteem, saying it was VanderZwaag’s distinct vision of teaching sport management that propelled so many alumni to prominence in the industry.

During his time at UMass, Greene participated in internships, an idea unheard of at the time. Through them, he gained exposure to the industry and was prepared for his first role in public relations with Madison Square Garden. Greene went on to work with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New York Yankees, and Miami Dolphins. He worked with some of the sports world’s most notable figures, including George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Don Mattingly, and Dan Marino. “I’m eternally grateful to have had the chance to learn from such high-profile figures and absorb some of their business and leadership skills,” he said.

Green joked about his tenure under the demanding Steinbrenner: “I think he must have fired me about five different times. After the first two, I realized it was just his way of blowing off steam and I would show up the next day.” When he wasn’t getting fired, Greene made sure to absorb everything he could from his boss.

Harvey Greene receiving Award of Excellence from Dan Fouts

“To be successful, you have to want it more than the other guy,” he recounted as a vital lesson. “You need to have more willpower and determination.”

While he was working with the Dolphins, Greene recalled running laps with Coach Shula. When he cut a corner, Shula howled, “Run the whole field!” Moments like that defined Shula’s “The Winning Edge” and showed what it took to be one of the greatest at your craft.

Working for bosses at that level of success wasn’t always easy, but to experience his own success, Greene knew he needed to gain two things from them: trust and respect. These helped him maintain a positive and fruitful relationship with both the media and the players. Greene told players how to speak to the media and how to handle uncomfortable situations, which ensured the stories that the media were publishing were fair and accurate, limiting off-field distractions and in turn contributing to the success of the team.

Greene has been recognized by the NBA and the NFL for his work leading PR departments. It was this success that led him to be recommended as a press lead for the White House under the Clinton and Biden administrations.

Receiving a commemorative football from the Miami Dolphins organization

“It’s the power of professional sports and their ability to open doors that led to this opportunity,” said Greene. “If I can handle the demands of an NFL team, then I can handle the demands of the White House.” Upon receiving his Award of Excellence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden wrote Greene a congratulatory note, personally delivered by the first lady herself.

front of the Green Monster at Fenway Park before a Red Sox-Yankees game with Dave Winfield hitting to me.”

NEVER DID I THINK MY NAME AND ‘PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME HONOREE’ WOULD APPEAR IN THE SAME SENTENCE. I’VE BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE BUILT A REWARDING CAREER SPANNING OVER 40 YEARS IN SPORTS ADMINISTRATION, AND NONE OF THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT GRADUATING FROM UMASS AMHERST’S NASCENT SPORT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Those weren’t Greene’s only interactions with United States presidents. Greene shared that there have been two big “What am I doing here?” moments in his career. The first moment was prior to Super Bowl XXXVI, between the New England Patriots and the St. Louis Rams. President George H.W. Bush was headed out to the field for the coin toss and Greene had the responsibility of leading him. Greene recalls standing with the president next to the Rams bench as the National Anthem played throughout the stadium and thinking, “What am I doing here, at the Super Bowl, standing next to the president of the United States?”

The other came while working for the Yankees. Greene was shagging fly balls in left field of the historic Fenway Park, the same left field occupied by Baseball Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Rice. When Dave Winfield, a future Hall of Famer himself, came to the plate, Greene decided to move to third base. Winfield proceeded to pepper the ball at Greene. His first hit was a line drive hit right at his head, the second a scorching grounder again right at him. After that Greene made the decision that it was time for him to move back to the outfield, but he still remembers thinking: “What am I doing here? Standing in

Greene credits UMass as his first step on the way to this prestigious honor. “Never did I think my name and ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame honoree’ would appear in the same sentence. I’ve been blessed to have built a rewarding career spanning over 40 years in sports administration, and none of that would have been possible without graduating from UMass Amherst’s nascent sport management program.” Greene continued, “It showed me a clear path to building a career in that field, and I’m proud of its development into the top program in the country. While it’s gratifying personally to receive such a prestigious award from the Hall of Fame, I know that wouldn’t have even been remotely possible if it weren’t for UMass, and I will always be appreciative of what the program did for my career.”

Congratulatory letter from the Bidens

Faculty Updates

NEFERTITI WALKER NAMED SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, STUDENT AFFAIRS, AND EQUITY AT THE UMASS PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

A McCormack professor and former Isenberg associate dean, Nefertiti Walker, PhD, has served as deputy vice president for academic affairs, student affairs, and equity since July 2023, following her role as presidential advisor for equity and inclusion. She joined the UMass President’s Office in January 2022 while also serving as vice chancellor for diversity, equity, and inclusion at UMass Amherst.

F1 ACADEMY RESEARCH PARTNERSHIP: NICOLE MELTON AND KATIE SVEINSON

Nicole Melton, PhD, McCormack professor and department chair, and Katie Sveinson, PhD, McCormack assistant professor, continued their research partnership with the Wasserman Collective, F1, and the F1 Academy in 2024. Melton and Sveinson attended the Miami and Dutch Grands Prix, collecting new data and insights.

CALVIN NITE NAMED SMAANZ FELLOW

Calvin Nite, PhD, associate professor and one of McCormack’s new faculty members, was recognized as a Sport Management Association of Australia and New Zealand (SMAANZ) Fellow. He is the first SMAANZ Fellow on our faculty and one of only nine individuals in our field to receive this distinction. This prestigious award honors research excellence and dedicated service, celebrating those who have shown a long-term commitment to advancing the organization and its mission.

AJHANAI KEATON NAMED NASSS 2024 RESEARCH FELLOW

Ajhanai Keaton, PhD, assistant professor and new McCormack faculty member, was named a North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) Research Fellow in 2024. To qualify as a fellow, a candidate must have a continuous and high quality record of scholarship, including no less than ten published journal articles and twenty conference presentations.

Stay Connected with McCormack

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visiting with graduate

Osmanski spoke about the future of US Soccer, growing the game, and the upcoming move to the federation’s new facility in Atlanta.

Mark H. McCormack Department of Sport Management

Isenberg

School of Management

University of Massachusetts Amherst

121 Presidents Drive

Amherst, MA 01003

A111796