Chase Cooper takes notes as a Buccaneers executive lectures a class [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Chase Cooper hopes to one day work for a sports agency.
The first-year master鈥檚 student in the USF Muma College of Business鈥� Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program acknowledges it鈥檚 a competitive field.
But an ongoing partnership between the 哔咔漫画 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has enabled Cooper and other students to get their foot in the sports industry door.
In addition to Cooper earning a two-year fellowship, through the partnership, the Bucs have also participated in USF's Selmon Mentoring Institute where two other students were able to shadow Buccaneers team reporter Casey Phillips.
Additionally, five groups of students presented marketing initiatives to team executives and 65 students participated in a networking event with executives from communications, human resources, stadium operations and insights and strategy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been exciting to get exposure to an NFL team and the NFL business,鈥� said Cooper, who is working with the insights and strategy department. 鈥淚 track and report key performance metrics for the marketing, partnership and guest member relations departments.鈥�
Michelle Harrolle listens to a panel of Buccaneers executives [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
The marketing groups, which consist of five or six students, were tasked with generating ideas on how the team can engage fans ages 18鈥�24.
鈥淪ome of their ideas align with concepts we are already considering, which is reassuring since they belong to that demographic,鈥� said Stephanie Kravetz, the Buccaneers鈥� partnership marketing manager. 鈥淥ur executive team was also genuinely excited about some new ideas.鈥�
Kravetz鈥檚 duties include overseeing the team鈥檚 partnership with USF.
Michelle Harrolle, director of the Vinik Sport & Entertainment Management Program, said Kravetz鈥檚 involvement also serves as an inspiration for the students. She earned her master of business administration and master鈥檚 degree in sport management from the Vinik program in 2016.
鈥淚t feels like a full circle moment,鈥� Harrolle said, 鈥渁nd it shows the students what is possible.鈥�
Nelson Luis serves as a further example of the importance of networking.
A Buccaneers executive speaks to 哔咔漫画 students [Photo by Andres Faza, University Communications and Marketing]
哔咔漫画 students present marketing ideas to Buccaneers executives [Photo courtesy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers]
哔咔漫画 students inside the Buccaneers' practice facility [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
As a 哔咔漫画 student, the 1994 graduate took a part-time job with the Buccaneers transporting players to team meals during training camp.
Nelson Luis networks with a 哔咔漫画 student [Photo by Torie Doll, University Communications and Marketing]
鈥淚 got to know some of the executives, one of whom was the football video director,鈥� Luis said. 鈥淗e offered me a job during games doing things like taking screenshots of photos so players could review formations.鈥�
Through that job, he met members of the communications team, who later offered him an internship upon graduation and eventually extended to a full-time position the following year. After leaving the organization in 1999 to follow opportunities in other sports, Luis returned to the Buccaneers in 2013 as the team鈥檚 director of communications and has since risen to become the team鈥檚 chief communications officer.
鈥淪tudents need to build a network and utilize that network,鈥� Luis said. 鈥淭his partnership provides them with an invaluable opportunity to do so. I wish it existed when I was a student.鈥�