SPM students win iSchool’s MLB Challenge

Sport Management students Olivia Lavelle ‘19, Caitlin Burke ‘18, Sarah Lundmark ‘18, and Mallory Miller ’17 teamed up to win the 7th Annual iSchool MLB.com College Challenge on November 13. The winners were given 24 hours to tackle real-world problems in the sports-tech industry and pitch their ideas to current MLB.com employees who are also Syracuse alums, including SPM graduate Carlos Ruiz ‘13.

This year’s task was to personalize the digital experience for MLB fans. The SPM team’s winning project was an addition to the already existing Ballpark app, where they created a tab called “Home Plate,” which allowed fans to extend their experience beyond the game.

The teams were judged on Business Feasibility, User Interface and Quality of Experience, Innovation & Uniqueness, and overall presentation, all of which were weighted equally.

“Ideally, we were told to think as creatively as possible,” said Miller, who has a double major in Sport Management and Information Management & Technology. “We wanted to find our unique point of view. We tried to think about the problem as a Sport Management problem, not as an IT problem, which is why I think we won.”

There were 27 teams competing in the event, and the SPM quartet is the first all-female team to win. They will now travel to New York City to visit the Major League Baseball Advanced Media offices and present their research to MLB.com executives. The students will also tour the MLB Advanced Media offices, and have dinner with company executives.