Sport Management  News

Alison Gilmore ’24 has a deeply heartfelt passion for baseball and softball. Diagnosed at 2 ½ years old with cerebral palsy, she never had the opportunity to compete on the diamond, but she sure embraced the game. The Pennsylvania native, who has a twin sister, settled in on the sidelines, rooting for her siblings, tracking statistics and joining her dad as a longtime dedicated fan of the Baltimore Orioles. “The baseball and softball fields were kind of my home growing up,” says Gilmore, a sport analytics major in Syracuse University’s Falk College. “I looked forward to the early morning games. I loved interacting and watching them play—and my love of sports grew from that.”

Today, that love is evident. Gilmore relishes tuning into ballgames, soaking up stats and building her knowledge base. She’s a Dean’s List student who’s enhancing her education with a minor in sport management and one in information management and technology from the School of Information Studies. All of this supports her focus on developing her programming and data analysis skills with the goal of landing a front-office analytics position with a Major League Baseball team after graduation. “I think data is really powerful,” she says. “To uncover extra information that could help a team or an organization improve its performance excites me.”

Gilmore recognizes her identity as a disabled woman is a rarity in the male-dominated sport industry, and she is motivated by the idea of being a role model for others, carrying that drive with her beyond the playing fields. “I have always realized the importance of educating others in order to create a more inclusive society,” she says.

As a disability advocate, she shares her story to help other students with disabilities navigate their journeys. She does that, in part, as a student assistant at the Intercultural Collective and Disability Cultural Center, where she welcomes students at the front desk and serves as a peer mentor. “I always say that my disability doesn’t define me, but it’s a huge part of my identity and who I am. Obviously our society was built for able-bodied individuals, and so I often have to overcome the inaccessibility and ableism that’s deeply rooted in society,” she says. “I’m faced with that every day, and I have a huge compassion for individuals with disabilities, so being able to engage with them as a mentor is really important to me.”

Finding the Right Fit

Gilmore saw sport analytics as a perfect way to combine her math and statistics skills with her love for sports—and she credits her father for first learning about the Syracuse University program and knowing she’d love it. “I looked into sport analytics and from that day I knew I wanted to come to Syracuse,” she says. “I’m so grateful to be here and forever grateful to my family for encouraging me.”

Once on campus, Gilmore needed little encouragement to get involved. While facing some difficult challenges during her transition to college life, she appreciated the support she received from the Falk College community, especially sport analytics program manager Francesco Riverso G’05 and academic counselor Matthew Yager. Riverso has seen Gilmore blossom throughout her time at Syracuse, noting her determination and that she “has never shied away from an opportunity to grow, personally and professionally,” he says.

For instance, Riverso recalls Gilmore speaking to her peers in the Sport Analytics Living Learning Community at an event focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA). “Alison was candid about her journey as a disabled woman studying in sports, and it was incredibly inspiring,” he says. “She captivated the audience with her honesty, sharing her experiences in an effort to educate and inspire the first-year students. This was quintessential Alison, a young woman who is dedicated to impacting her community through her advocacy, insight and passion. To say that we’re lucky to have her as part of our program would be understating her importance. She is a role model and one of the most motivated students I have worked with in over two decades in higher education.”

Digging into Data-Driven Performance

Right off the bat, Gilmore joined the Sport Analytics Women club and currently serves as vice president of the student organization, which conducts research and networks with women leaders in the field. She also became a member of the Baseball Statistics and Sabermetrics Club, which does research and competes in Diamond Dollars Case Competitions hosted by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Her devotion to analyzing baseball stats was rewarded when she received an Anthony A. Yoseloff Foundation scholarship to attend SABR’s 50th anniversary convention in August in Baltimore. Not only did she enjoy the convention and attend an Orioles’ game, but she met members of the team’s front office, including Sig Mejdal, vice president and assistant general manager, analytics, who shared advice with her on building her technical skills. “I learned so much and engaging with those individuals was super meaningful,” she says.

That wasn’t Gilmore’s only valuable experience last summer. She was also the recipient of a Women in Sports Tech Inc. Fellowship, which placed her at Zoomph—a sport analytics platform that tracks sponsorship, media-value exposure and audience behavior—as a social intelligence analyst intern. The highlight of her work was analyzing social media data and engagement and content value of the 2022 NCAA Women’s College World Series and publishing a blog entry on her findings. “My internship at Zoomph was a really valuable experience in terms of being able to analyze data in the sports realm,” she says.

As a Berlin Scholar at Falk, Gilmore is among an elite group of students in the sport analytics program who receive scholarship and financial assistance, participate in competitions and symposiums, and conduct research with a faculty mentor. Under the guidance of Professor Rodney Paul, director of the sport analytics program, she plans to explore the effectiveness of the changing roles of pitchers in Major League Baseball. “I really look forward to engaging in the research,” she says.

Spreading Passion and Inspiration

When Gilmore needs inspiration, she keeps in mind the work of acclaimed sportscaster Jason Benetti ’05, whose broadcasts she’s admired for years, long before she even knew he was a Syracuse alumnus or that they shared the same disability. Through the Falk College network, Gilmore connected with Benetti, who’s now with Fox Sports. He serves as a mentor to her—his hard work, dedication and success showing her that “you can do anything if you put your mind to it,” she says. “Jason is someone I greatly appreciate. His willingness to interact with me is something I truly value.”

Outside of the sports world, Gilmore is passionate about making a positive impact on other students and helping them succeed, giving back for the support from faculty and staff that means so much to her. She meets prospective students as a Falk admissions ambassador and serves as a First-Year Seminar peer leader, facilitating DEIA discussions. She’s been active in OrangeSeeds— the University’s first-year volunteering and leadership empowerment program—as a participant, mentor and member of the executive and membership boards; and has served on the Goon Squad and as a committee member of OttoTHON, the University’s dance marathon that raises funds for the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Gilmore cites her experiences at Syracuse University for helping her build leadership and public speaking skills and gain self-confidence, and she says the sport analytics program “has done wonders in preparing” her for the work she wants to pursue. “The resources at Syracuse University are just incredible and there’s no shortage of opportunity,” she says. “That truly means a lot to me and has had a major impact on the person that I am.”

Jamal Salmon ’12 plays a major role in the motion picture industry. He’s not a Hollywood star, director or producer, but he’s influential when it comes to understanding audiences and promoting blockbusters. As the senior vice president of global data analytics at Paramount Pictures, he infuses data and information into studio executives’ decision-making process on movies. Whether questions focus on advertising and marketing, targeting specific audiences or even adjusting trailers to amplify a movie’s appeal, he provides data-driven guidance that shapes a film’s fate. “My role is to help inform everything—from is this the right ad to run on Monday Night Football, to is this the right audience to advertise to for a film, to everyday questions of should we be making more or less of this type of movie?” says Salmon, an alumnus of Syracuse University’s Falk College.

Salmon’s work has helped propel the success of such smash hits as A Quiet Place and Top Gun: Maverick, which blasted by the billion-dollar mark at the box office. With the proliferation of streaming services and changing viewer habits, Hollywood has had to adjust accordingly—and embracing data analysis is a key part of that shift. According to Salmon, who joined Paramount in 2017, incorporating data as part of the business strategy is relatively new for the film industry. “My favorite thing about my role is that I’m often tasked with trying to come up with solutions for problems that didn’t exist even two years ago,” he says. “I’m always solving new challenges in a space where people are watching movies at home and in the theater, and that pattern changes every single day.”

Salmon—who was honored at Orange Central with the 2022 Generation Orange Award, which recognizes outstanding graduates of the last 10 years—previously held analytics positions at Netflix and Google. But he forged his foundation in analytics in the sports world. After earning a bachelor’s degree in sport management, he joined Bloomberg Sports as a basketball/baseball analyst and then became a senior research analyst at ESPN, where he’d interned in college.

“At the time I was a Falk College student and as a sport analytics professional, a lot of the learning was around trying to understand how we could infuse traditional business concepts into the very specific realm of sports,” he says. Now, Salmon draws comparisons between the evolution of analytics in the sport and film industries. “For me, the biggest parallel is they’re both environments that historically haven’t had strong data representation,” he says.

Captivated by Sports Stats

Salmon has always been a big sports fan. Growing up in Queens, New York, he spent a lot of time watching ESPN’s SportsCenter and feasting on box scores and stats. “My connection to sports has always been through numbers,” he says. “I could quote batting averages, league leaders and many different stats for baseball and basketball.” And when he realized there were careers in the sport industry for a numbers guy like him, he looked to explore that path in college. “Falk College was the leader in the sports program space, and that’s where I wanted to be,” he says.

For Salmon, his Syracuse University experience was transformational. He built strong relationships with Falk College faculty advisors, who provided both academic and career guidance. He emphasizes how collaborating on group projects and managing an intense course load while carving out time for a social life and activities helped prepare him for the problem-solving challenges he faces today. “The ability to go to Falk College was really special for me,” he says. “The idea that I could take courses that touch so many disciplines and were all connected by what I was most passionate about—the sports business—was really unique, hard to find and everything I thought it would be.”

Among Salmon’s fondest campus memories are playing basketball, especially intramural league battles on the court. He was also tight with a group of friends who met regularly at the Schine Student Center to hang out and catch up on their days together. Many of them became lifelong friends. “The friendships I made at Syracuse have supported me not only in my personal life, but also in my career,” he says. “Friends of mine have shared opportunities, and I’ve been able to do the same for them. The opportunity, almost by chance, to meet them on this campus has changed my life.”

Creating Student Opportunities

Salmon says his career vision began to take shape on campus, and he treasures those moments where he learned and grew as a person, realizing the positive impact of his time on campus. Today, he supports the University as a member of the Office of Multicultural Advancement Advisory Council and through the Our Time Has Come Scholarship program. “When I think about the opportunity to give to Syracuse University, it’s through the lens of, what if I didn’t have those four years, what would that mean to me?” he says. “I know that a lot of opportunities are provided by giving back to the University. Contributing to the Our Time Has Come Scholarship gives that opportunity to so many students, especially students of color.”

Salmon also likes to mentor students and has welcomed students from the Syracuse University in Los Angeles program to Paramount for an inside look at the studio. For him, it’s all part of sharing his success by helping others while continuing to innovate in his career. “Every day I’m learning something new,” he says. “I still think I’m breaking new ground and that, for me, is the part that’s most exciting.”

~ An SU Story by Jay Cox originally published on November 28, 2022.

Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca is credited for saying that “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

In other words, we make our own luck. And that’s exactly what Falk College Sport Analytics major John Asel ’23 did this past summer at the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) Analytics Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

Utilizing the preparation and communication skills he learned from his family members and Sport Analytics mentors, Asel received the 2022 Doug Pappas Award for best oral presentation at the conference. Asel also used the opportunity to network and among the industry leaders he met at the conference was Sig Mejdal, assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mejdal was impressed by Asel and remembered his award-winning presentation. Asel subsequently applied for a position with the Orioles and was recently notified that he will start a job in the team’s analytics department in the 2023 baseball season.

(Access Asel’s PowerPoint presentation: Meta Pitch Tracking: How The Changes In Pitch Tracking Technologies Should Change How We Look At The Data They Collect.)

Asel, who is working on additional baseball research with Falk College assistant professor of sport management Jeremy Losak, spent summer 2022 as a performance analytics intern with the Tampa Bay Rays. He says he was confident he had given a strong presentation at the conference but was shocked that he won the award, which is named after the late baseball researcher Doug Pappas.

“The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, especially regarding my delivery of the presentation,” Asel says. “Perhaps my favorite compliment was one attendee asking if I was a drama student because I had been so expressive. In our Falk education we hear a lot about the value of being able to communicate the analytics and it was amazing to see firsthand the kind of reception communication can receive.”

We asked Asel to share his experiences from the SABR conference and his thoughts on winning the prestigious award. Here’s what he shared with us:

“This August I attended the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) annual convention in Baltimore. I had attended twice before, even writing about my first experience in my college admissions essay. Everyone’s love for baseball and in-depth research on the most niche topics makes the hotel boardrooms feel like home. Only this year it was different: I was presenting.

“There were nerves leading up to the presentation but as soon as I got going, they all went away. The body language of the audience was positive and there were friendly faces in the front row. My parents, grandmother, and my high school journalism and math teachers had made the drive from Virginia to support me.

“To those faces in the front, I owe a lot of thanks. They had each taken time to indulge my enthusiasm for baseball at various stages. In my parents’ case, they had even helped me with my presentation up to the night before. They were both crucial in encouraging me to submit my research and refine my script. The task of telling a story about data at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday was daunting and they helped me get over the hump.

“With reflection, the project I presented encapsulates what Falk’s Sport Analytics major teaches: They give you the coding skills to answer questions harnessing big data and emphasize being able to communicate your findings in an understandable way. The value of doing so was well exemplified in the reaction to my presentation.

“As my family was leaving the last panel we planned on attending, I was pulled aside and informed I had won the Doug Pappas Award for the best oral presentation. It was shocking. I thought I had given a strong presentation, but as a first-time presenter I did not have awards on my radar.

“The convention was surreal. Along with my presenting experience, I spoke with Sean Forman, founder of Sports Reference; Mark Armour, president of SABR; Sig Mejdal, assistant general manager of the Baltimore Orioles; and Dan Evans, former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. A packed weekend to say the least.

“Hopefully, it is the beginning of a long journey in Baltimore as I have accepted an offer to join the Orioles’ analytics department this upcoming season. Funny enough I will be working with Mr. Mejdal to bring a World Series to Baltimore. Go Birds!”

To learn more about the Falk College sport management and sport analytics academic programs, career paths, and experiential learning, visit the Department of Sport Management.

Syracuse University Sport Management major Elena Randolph ’24 was recently named a 2022 BIG Initiative Award Winner by the Michigan Sport Business Conference, an honor presented to 11 high-achieving sport management students in the Unites States and Canada. BIG stands for “Build, Inspire, Grow.”

Randolph attended the prestigious conference Oct. 28-29 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She heard from featured guest speakers and industry professionals, including ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro and WNBA Chief Marketing Officer Phil Cook.

“I am honored to be chosen as a BIG Initiative Award Winner,” Randolph said. “Having the opportunity to attend this conference and connect with students dedicated to being the future leaders of the sport industry was so important to me. I am thankful to have met professionals of color who encouraged me to keep pushing boundaries and creating space for other young professionals of color.”

Launched in 2013, the BIG Initiative annually recognizes outstanding student leaders in sport business who have achieved an exceptional level of success. Each year, the MSBC attracts top applicants from across the nation. Those receiving the honor are selected on the basis of demonstrated entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation, and leadership. Nominees must be students with a passion for the sport industry who demonstrate a truly remarkable curriculum vitae.

Randolph attended networking sessions and breakout panels on topics such as sport and fashion, NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), and sport storytelling. She also met with representatives from the Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA. BIG Initiative winners also attended a Detroit Red Wings game, complete with a facility tour.

“It was amazing to network with representatives from those organizations,” Randolph said. “Working for the NBA is my goal, so it was beneficial to hear from these professionals and learn about opportunities to gain more experience working in basketball.”

Randolph interned with the WNBA in Summer 2022. She previously interned with Syracuse University Athletics in Facilities and Game Operations. Randolph is the President of the Sport Professionals of Color Club and was a 2021 Peer Advisor in Falk College. She studied abroad in London in Spring 2022.

As a non-traditional, first-generation undergraduate student at Syracuse University, Chandice Haste-Jackson excelled academically but always felt there was something missing in her pursuit of knowledge.

That missing piece? Connecting with others.

“Ultimately, I discovered that in connecting with others, I could expand my knowledge and understanding beyond anything I learned from textbooks,” Haste-Jackson says. “That set me on a career journey oriented toward human connection, holistic development, and service, whether that be in fields of teaching, counseling, leadership, or administration.”

This past summer, Haste-Jackson’s lifelong journey of connecting with others continued with her appointment as Associate Dean of the Office of Student Services in Falk College. An associate teaching professor in Falk’s Department of Human Development and Family Science (HDFS), Haste-Jackson previously held several prominent HDFS positions and was chair of the Dean’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. In 2021-22, Haste-Jackson served as Syracuse University’s interim director of the First-Year Seminar course.

Before joining Syracuse University, Haste-Jackson was drawn to work that supported vulnerable populations. It was her job, she says, to help those populations expand their understanding, move from deficit toward sufficiency, and identify what wholeness, health, and stability meant to them and/or their families.

“Was this difficult work at times? Yes!” Haste-Jackson says. “But what I gained from these experiences is that our humanity connects us all, even those who are not like ourselves. We all want similar things–health, happiness, longevity, stability–and that makes us more interconnected than we think we are.”

To introduce Haste-Jackson to Falk students, we asked her to discuss her previous experience with students, the services offered by the Office of Student services, and questions that students might ask. Here’s that conversation:

What attracted you to your new job and why is it important that you’re helping Falk College students succeed?

After 20 years of working in nonprofit organizations and schools, rising through the ranks of direct service to executive leadership and administration, I spent a good deal of time teaching and training frontline employees and college student interns. In working with college student interns, I developed a desire to teach, mentor, and prepare the next generation of human service workers, a field that is very broad but one that involves human connection, holistic development, and service–tenets I live my life by!

Given the climate in which we live in today, college students are dealing with issues that may impact their ability to successfully engage in academic pursuits. The COVID-19 pandemic, mass racial violence, wars, and significant personal losses have impacted academic performance and emotional well-being. Helping students to navigate these challenges during their time with us in Falk College is what I endeavor to do, and I am committed to leading and supporting the professional staff in our office who have made that same commitment to student success.

I’m a first-year or transfer student who isn’t familiar with the Office of Student Services. What are the services you provide?

In your first year at Syracuse University, our office will provide academic counseling and advising around other areas in your life that you identify as being important to your growth as a student in Falk College. Additionally, our office supports career exploration and professional skill development, and offers opportunities for learning through career immersion experiences.

Every first-year and transfer student has an assigned academic counselor, and the Office of Student Services will be one of the first places that you connect with to learn more about your major and all the resources available at Syracuse University.

I’m a student struggling with my classes and I’m not sure if I’ve chosen the right major. How can you help?

This is common for students who are adjusting to the intensity of college-level work. We can help you identify the source/cause of the struggle with your classes and then locate campus resources that you might consider accessing for help.

Sometimes, making a change in how you study, how much time you give to studying, or even where you study is all that may be needed to alleviate the struggle. Sometimes, motivation is at the root of the struggle and subsequently causes you to consider if the major is right or not. We’ll help you to explore and develop a pathway to successful academic performance.

I’m a student having a hard time being away from home and I’ve got personal issues that are getting in the way of my sleep, classwork, and social life. Do I go to you or somewhere else?

You most certainly can meet with your academic counselor to discuss these personal issues. Our academic counselors will listen and help you find the resources that are right for you and meet your needs. You do not have to be alone in trying to address emotional, social, or academic well-being.

We also recommend that students contact the Barnes Center at The Arch and/or Hendricks Chapel for support with any personal issues that arise. We are well-connected to these two resources and support student engagement with their services.

Why is it important for students to see you if they have issues rather than trying to work them out on their own? Isn’t that what college is for, learning how to handle stress?

Absolutely! Learning how to handle stress is an expectation of a college student, yet many students are not prepared for the inherent stress that comes with transitioning to college. During the first year of study or even subsequent years, there are a series of social, emotional, and academic adjustments that must occur for you to be successful as a college student. There will be some new stressors, and some of your past ways of handling stress may not be as effective for you now.

Being proactive in seeking help before something becomes an issue is also something that college students are expected to learn early in their college career. We can help you to learn these skills and support you along the way as you employ them.

Help is Here

The Falk College Office of Student Services is in Suite 330 Barclay Hall. You can visit at any time or schedule an appointment by calling 315.443.3144 or emailing falkss@syr.edu. Visit the Office of Student Services webpage for more information and a complete list of services, important announcements, and staff directory.

Mary E. Graham, professor of sport management in Falk College and an affiliated faculty in the Whitman School of Management, has been named Syracuse University’s new faculty athletic representative (FAR), a critical role ensuring that the student-athlete experience reflects the University’s ongoing commitment to academic excellence and overall student success. Graham was selected from a pool of talented and highly qualified faculty applicants.

“Mary stood out based on her academic research and deep understanding of equity issues in college athletics,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “The depth and breadth of her professional experiences—from being a legislative aide, to her research in human resource management, to her advocacy work in the field of gender equity—uniquely qualifies her to be a trusted advisor to me on all things related to the student-athlete experience.”

In her role as FAR, Graham will advise the Chancellor and provost on updates to legislation and policies of the NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and represent Syracuse University as the voting delegate to the annual NCAA convention. The FAR also acts as liaison between athletics and academics, periodically reporting to the faculty and administration on the academic well-being of student-athletes. Graham will also be responsible for reporting out on the academic preparation and performance of student-athletes for each sports team to the administration, Board of Trustees, Athletics Compliance Committee and head coaches, among others.

“I am extremely honored to be the new faculty athletic representative at Syracuse University,” says Graham. “As the liaison to Syracuse Athletics, the NCAA and the ACC, I will dedicate my efforts to enhancing the academic opportunities, learning and well-being of student-athletes. I look forward to working collaboratively with Chancellor Syverud, Provost Gretchen Ritter and Athletics Director John Wildhack and his team on these efforts.”

Graham has been a faculty member of the Falk College since 2012. She teaches courses in research methods, managing the sport organization, human resource management and organizational behavior at the undergraduate, MBA and executive levels. She recently developed a new undergraduate course, Race, Gender and Diversity in Sport Organizations.

In 2018-20, Graham served as a Provost Faculty Fellow, working with the provost and University Senate to implement shared competencies that ensure all undergraduate students graduate with a defined set of competencies, skills and abilities. Graham and colleagues received national attention for research published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior that examines the relationship between the gender composition of executives among National Football League (NFL) teams and subsequent misconduct by players on those teams. She has completed other studies on the mistreatment of NFL cheerleaders, employment discrimination enforcement policy, and the use of formal pay systems and high-level accountability for reducing employment discrimination. Graham is a co-editor of the Seneca Falls Dialogues Journal and serves on the editorial board of the journal Human Resource Management. She is a member of the Academy of Management and the Labor and Employment Relations Association.

Graham succeeds Rick Burton, David B. Falk Endowed Professor of Practice in Sport Management, who served as FAR since 2014.

“I am grateful for Rick’s hard work on behalf of our University, athletics program and student-athletes,” says Chancellor Syverud. “He has done terrific work advocating on behalf of the Orange community and ensuring our student-athletes have access to the resources, services and opportunities to be successful, both in the classroom and on the playing fields.”

Prior to her faculty appointment at Syracuse University, Graham held faculty positions at Georgia State University, George Washington University and Clarkson University. She has published extensively and has been widely cited in the areas of human resource management (HRM), public policy and employment discrimination, gender in employment and HRM in supply chains. Graham earned a Ph.D. in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a B.S. in accounting from LeMoyne College, where she played on the women’s soccer team. She also earned her C.P.A. and worked for several members of the U.S. House of Representatives prior to her graduate studies.