UFL, Syracuse University Enter Sport Analytics Agreement
The United Football League and the Sport Analytics program at Syracuse University have entered an agreement that will allow Syracuse sport analytics students to complete statistical analysis and provide insights and visualizations to the UFL. The agreement marks the first time an American college or university has worked with the spring football league.
As part of the agreement, the UFL will provide Syracuse students with experience in professional football and access to its employees, while Syracuse will provide the data analysis skills of students from the leading sport analytics program in the country.
“The United Football League is proud to team up with the two-time national champion Sport Analytics program at Syracuse University,” said UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon, a member of Syracuse University’s Department of Sport Management Advisory Council. “Innovation is at the heart of the UFL, so it is only fitting that we seek out the creativity and the expertise of these students as we look toward a new approach to sports analytics.”
The UFL is the premier spring football league formed from the merger of the XFL and USFL in 2024. Under the combined ownership of RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia, and Dwayne Johnson, the UFL features eight teams in key markets: Arlington, Texas; Birmingham, Ala.; Detroit, Mich.; Houston, Texas; Memphis, Tenn.; San Antonio, Texas; St. Louis, Mo., and Washington, D.C.
The 2025 UFL season will kick off at 8 p.m. ET Friday, when FOX Sports debuts FOX UFL Friday – a new night dedicated to UFL action taking place each Friday during the 10-week regular season – with a matchup featuring the St. Louis Battlehawks against the Houston Renegades. The league’s second season will conclude on Saturday, June 14, when ABC presents the 2025 UFL Championship Game.
“The UFL envisions itself as a gathering place for innovative thinkers,” said UFL Vice President of Football Technology Brad Campbell. “Thanks to the contributions of the sport analytics team at Syracuse we will be able to raise this vision to a whole new level.”
Under the leadership of Sport Analytics Undergraduate Director and Professor Rodney Paul, Syracuse’s sport analytics students captured back-to-back National Sport Analytics Championships in 2023-24, and they have won numerous player and team analytics competitions in football, basketball, and baseball. About 70 students are providing data collection and analysis for 13 of Syracuse University’s athletic teams, and the program’s other professional partners include the Kumamoto Volters’ men’s basketball team in Japan, the Farjestad BK women’s hockey team in Sweden, the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, Major League Soccer’s CF Montreal, and others.
Under the agreement with the UFL, the Sport Analytics program is coordinating student participation, and seven students have joined the first phase, with more to be added later. The UFL is assigning projects related to league operations and initiatives, and the parties are holding regular meetings to discuss projects, share findings through visualizations (charts, graphs, dashboards), and strategize on next steps.
“We are honored to partner with the UFL and look forward to providing insights and actionable items for the teams and league,” Paul said. “The experience and feedback our students will gain from this partnership is something that’s impossible to replicate in the classroom. Opportunities like this have been our dream since the start of the program, and we are so appreciative of all the wonderful people in the UFL and how their experience and expertise will benefit our students in so many ways.”
About the UFL
The United Football League (UFL) is the professional spring football league born from the groundbreaking 2024 merger of the XFL and USFL. With the visionary backing of RedBird Capital Partners, FOX, Dany Garcia and Dwayne Johnson, the UFL is redefining the football landscape. Built on tradition and positioned to innovate and expand fan engagement and player opportunities, the league is poised for growth with its eight teams in key markets: Arlington (TX), Birmingham (AL), Detroit (MI), Houston (TX), San Antonio (TX), Memphis (TN), St. Louis (MO), and Washington D.C. The UFL is committed to pushing the boundaries of the game and delivering an elevated experience for players, fans, and partners alike.
About Syracuse University’s Sport Analytics Program:
The Sport Analytics program in the Falk College of Sport at Syracuse University is a first-of-its kind program focusing on key skills to prepare students for a career using analytics in sports. The curriculum approaches sport analytics from both the player/team performance and business side of sports. Students gain skills related to high-level mathematics, coding and database work, business courses, visualization, statistical modeling, and machine learning. In its brief history, Syracuse Sport Analytics majors have placed with teams across all major leagues in sports, betting and daily fantasy companies, and tech and business companies using a wide range of analytical skills.
The Analytical Advantage
19/03/25
Students Use Data to Help Orange Sports Teams Optimize Their Performance
Imagine the insights you could uncover by having every jump, swing, pivot and sprint captured and transformed into precise data. That’s exactly what students in the sport analytics program are doing, through a partnership established in 2022 between the Syracuse University Department of Athletics and the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. By revealing a deeper understanding of performance and potential, students collaborate with Orange coaching and training staff to deliver data-driven insights gathered through a combination of wearable technologies and good old stats-keeping.
“For the teams that have embedded these students into their programs, it’s worked out very well. They’ve been able to get insights that have led to a lot of success,” says sport management professor Rodney Paul, director of the sport analytics program. “That’s opened up doors for not just those students, but all the students who follow.”
Members of the Syracuse University men’s soccer team practice in PlayerData vests, which feature a GPS device to track their movements. Head coach Ian McIntyre welcomed a partnership with Falk College’s sport analytics program in 2022.
The partnership originally started with the men’s soccer team, and head coach Ian McIntyre considers the sport analytics team an integral part of the program. “They played a very important role in helping us secure a national championship in 2022,” McIntyre says. “Our analytics team wonderfully complements our coaching staff to help create the best possible training environment for our players and allows our program to compete at the very highest national level.”
The program now includes 11 teams, with students contributing to performance analysis based on each team’s needs. “We created an internship program to add value by helping teams analyze their data in meaningful ways,” says sport analytics program manager Francesco Riverso.
Students gain practical experience, refine their skills and pass on their knowledge to new interns, creating a cycle of continuous improvement. “We don’t rebuild—we reload,” Paul says.
Tracking Movement for Real-Time Insights
Nick Rovelli ’24, G’25 (center), lead analyst for the Orange men’s soccer team, joins associate head coach Jukka Masalin (left) and head coach Ian McIntyre (right) during a talk with the players.
When the Orange men’s soccer players take to the pitch, they’re outfitted in PlayerData vests with GPS trackers that provide real-time data on their movements. The sport analytics interns track and analyze metrics like total running distance, acceleration, deceleration, sprint distances, how often players speed up or slow down. The students generate heat maps that reveal player positioning during a match and have created two apps that allow them to organize their information into data visualizations. “We can transform the raw data in a way that allows the coaches to see it easily and gain insights,” says lead analyst Nick Rovelli ’24, G’25, a sport analytics graduate who has worked with the soccer team since 2022 and is now an applied data science graduate student.
Theo Schmidt ’26 sets up a GPS motion-tracking sensor during men’s soccer practice in the Ensley Athletic Center.
During home games, Rovelli is on the sidelines while analyst Theo Schmidt ’26 sits in the stands, collecting data that he feeds to Rovelli, who communicates with the coaches. “It’s definitely high pressure, so there’s some growing pains,” Rovelli says. “But the coaches have been great at giving us positive feedback and are always encouraging us to do more.”
Even during away games, the analytics team watches matches on the ACC Network and ESPN+ to gather stats, view player data and communicate with coaches. They also create scouting reports, as well as pre- and postgame analyses. Next season, they plan to use Wyscout, a platform that offers video analysis tools and a comprehensive database of teams. “The program is a great opportunity—a win-win, both for the department and the students,” says Schmidt, who joined the team in 2023. “We’ve had to build so many tools. It allows us to experiment with different applications and really take advantage of the coaches’ willingness to let us learn.”
Monitoring Player Workloads
Caden Lippie ’25 (left), an analyst with the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team, talks with associate athletic trainer Kat Chaney. Wearable GPS technology helps the team monitor player loads and minimize injuries.
Women’s lacrosse analytics interns Caden Lippie ’25 and Ryan Severe ’25 will admit they didn’t know much about lacrosse before they began working with the team in 2022-23. But since then, they’ve helped monitor player performance through the VX Sport system, a wearable GPS technology that tracks the players’ movements in real time. “Working in a program for this extended amount of time is unique,” Lippie says. “You get a different perspective working with a small staff, which is a good experience.”
The data—including live metrics on game days—helps the coaching, training and conditioning staffs manage player loads and minimize injuries. “We can work someone back into practice from a recovery or injury standpoint,” says assistant strength and conditioning coach Mike Sullivan. “It helps us plan for the future in a safe manner so we can try to keep everyone healthy and minimize any risks of overloading them.”
Analyst Ryan Severe ’25 checks the GPS devices used by the women’s lacrosse team.
Lippie and Severe upload data after practices and games into Microsoft Power BI, a software system that allows them to produce visualizations and reports. Lippie worked with associate athletic trainer Kat Chaney to incorporate a daily wellness survey the players take before practice into a dashboard with the GPS data. “It’s awesome for us to have a snapshot of each student-athlete on the team, of all their metrics we’re collecting and how the team is feeling on the whole,” Chaney says. “Caden’s information is helping us on a daily basis improve our communication with the student-athletes.”
Lippie and Severe both appreciate the opportunity to work with different technologies, especially as their use becomes more prevalent among college and pro teams. “It’s been a super valuable experience that could help us in our professional careers,” Severe says. “Learning the technologies that a lot of teams use and interacting with DI lacrosse coaches has been such an amazing experience.”
Gavi Sela ’26 (center), lead analyst for the Orange softball team, appreciates the insights he gains talking to players and coaches.
Capturing Pitching and Hitting Data
At Orange softball team practices early this semester, Gavi Sela ’26 and Andrew Diamond ’27 parked themselves behind the catchers to track pitches and hitting during batting sessions. “In the long run working with sports data, particularly in baseball or softball, will help my analytical skills, looking at all aspects of the data and being able to break it down, analyze it and look at the tendencies that a player or teams may have,” says Sela, lead analyst for the eight-member analytics team that launched a partnership with the softball team last fall.
From there, they log the location and outcome of the pitch as well as the kind of contact the batter makes. They feed the data into a spreadsheet and analyze it, helping to determine which pitches were successful and what batters were swinging or not swinging at. “The goal ultimately is to provide accurate insights to the coaching staff that can help the team improve its performance,” Diamond says.
Softball head coach Shannon Doepking says the analytics team “has already made an incredible impact on our program,” citing their work building out charts that help develop better hitting and pitching plans as well as in-depth scouting reports. “I’m excited for the future with this team and truly believe they will help us achieve goals that we have had with their help in true development of our student-athletes,” Doepking says.
Andrew Diamond ’27 (left) and Gavi Sela are part of the analytics team that began working with the softball team last fall. They regularly gather pitching and hitting data at practices.
As the softball season progresses, the analytics team hopes to work with other technologies, including Rapsodo, which tracks hitting and pitching data, and Synergy, a scouting platform that features opposing team statistics and game videos. They aim to build a foundation that will continue to grow the analytics program. While improving their analytical skills, they’re also developing interpersonal relationships with the team, learning from exchanges with coaches and players.
“Once we have a lot of data collected cleanly, we should be able to look into it at a deeper, more analytical level,” Diamond says. “Next year we’ll all be back and have a good feel for how everything works out year-round with the team.”
Effectively Communicating Data
Ian MacMiller ’25 (left), lead analyst for the Orange women’s soccer team, sets up a video camera at practice as analyst Matt Liddell ’25 checks information on his laptop.
Last season, the Syracuse women’s soccer team transitioned to wearing PlayerData vests, which use the live data from GPS trackers to monitor player workload. “I’ve worked for the team for three years now and I’ve loved every second of it,” says lead analyst Ian MacMiller ’25.
MacMiller was joined on match days by several other analytics interns who collected statistics on a shared spreadsheet and produced visualizations for a presentation that MacMiller shared with the coaches. “The interns’ main responsibility during games is to track stats that we communicate to the coaching staff so they can make necessary adjustments,” MacMiller says.
MacMiller (left) and Liddell track data during a women’s soccer practice.
Along with the wearable technology data, the student analysts track ball losses, crossing accuracy, ball receptions in the attacking half of the field and other statistics that are “helpful for coaches to know what the players could work on in practices and games,” says analyst Matt Liddell ’25, who worked with the team last fall. “I got great data collection experience, which will definitely be important for lots of entry-level jobs in data analytics. It was a great test of my multitasking skills as well, since at times I was in charge of two to three statistics.”
MacMiller created dashboards through Power BI, so coaches could view data after practices and matches. For MacMiller, the opportunity to work closely with the coaching staff, including learning how analytics can be used to minimize injury prevention, has been a welcomed benefit. “The experience has allowed me to learn how to effectively communicate data and how coaches apply that data to their game plans and training sessions,” he says.
Falk College Team Wins Prestigious Sports Analytics Research Paper Competition
A research team from Syracuse University’s Falk College won the 19th Annual MIT Sloan Research Paper Competition.
Department of Sport Management student and lead author Alivia Uribe ’25, Sport Analytics Professor Shane Sanders, and Sport Analytics Associate Professor Justin Ehrlich teamed with University of Reading (U.K.) Professor James Reade and University of Stirling (Scotland) senior lecturer Carl Singleton to write “Do Behavioral Considerations Cloud Penalty-Kick Location Optimization in Professional Soccer: Game Theory & Empirical Testing using Polynomial Regression and ML Gradient Boosting.”
The Sloan Sports Analytics Conference showcases cutting-edge research that’s featured in top media outlets throughout the world and has changed the way sports are analyzed. This year’s competition featured six sports tracks: Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Football, Business of Sports, and Other Sports. Abstracts were selected based on the novelty, academic rigor, and impact of the research.
Ehrlich explained that the group submitted an abstract in the fall. Out of thousands of submissions, the most promising were invited to submit full papers. These manuscripts were then evaluated, and the authors of the top seven papers were invited to present orally at the conference in Boston earlier this month. A panel of industry experts judged these presentations, and the winner was announced during an awards ceremony at the conclusion of the conference.
The research team that won the Research Paper Competition at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference included, from left to right, Shane Sanders, James Reade, Alivia Uribe, and Justin Ehrlich.
I am incredibly proud of our team’s work as it resulted in a fantastic project that resonates deeply with others,” Ehrlich says. “Although aiming for riskier, higher areas of the goal can yield greater expected conversion rates, players typically avoid these zones due to the increased risk of missing entirely, which carries negative perceptions. Our findings generated enthusiasm among many attendees and received considerable attention at the conference.”
Uribe, a forward on the Syracuse University women’s soccer team, is the first female lead author to be on the Research Paper Competition winning team in MIT Sloan’s 19-year history, according to the event organizers.
“This is something I’m extremely proud of,” says Uribe, a sport analytics minor. “I could not be more grateful for the professors who have helped me create this opportunity. The knowledge and expertise I bring into it as a student-athlete is something very unique.”
Sanders and Ehrlich built on their previous analytics research to assist Uribe with her research, while Reade and Singleton provided invaluable soccer data. This was the second consecutive year that Sanders and Ehrlich had a research paper selected among the top seven at MIT Sloan. Last year, they presented their study on the NBA that shows the average expected value of 3-point shots has become less than 2-pointers since the 2017-18 season.
“Falk College is an ideal place to work and teach, the best college I’ve ever been affiliated with by far,” Sanders says. “The administrators, faculty, and students really pull together here like nowhere else I’ve been. Moreover, our leadership team has positioned sport analytics to shine as a program.”
Falk’s Jonah Soos Captures National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship
The Syracuse University contingent at the AXS National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. From left to right, Sport Analytics Program Undergraduate Director and Professor Rodney Paul, undergraduate student Hunter Geise, graduate student Owen Brown, undergraduate students Piper Evans and Madelyn Forster, graduate student Andrew Odnoralov, and undergraduate student Jonah Soos.
After students from the Sport Analytics program at Syracuse University captured back-to-back undergraduate team titles at the AXS National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship in 2023-24, the program had just one more mountain to climb: An individual championship.
Late last month in Nashville, Tennessee, sport analytics major Jonah Soos ’25 reached that pinnacle by winning the championship in the undergraduate business analytics division.
“It was awesome,” Soos says. “Any time you can win a national event of this caliber against steep competition, it’s an incredibly validating feeling for the work you put in.
“I was so proud to represent Syracuse and the Sport Analytics program and all the time and effort they put in to cultivating the best rising talent in sports,” Soos adds. “I can’t give them enough credit for the work they’ve done and opportunities they’ve given me, so to give back and increase the exposure of the program is always something I enjoy doing.”
The Syracuse University undergraduate team of Soos, Piper Evans, Madelyn Forster, and Hunter Geise just missed a three-peat by finishing a narrow second to the team champions from the University of Iowa. Graduate analytics students Andrew Odnoralov and Owen B. Brown also participated in the competition for Syracuse.
Sport Analytics Undergraduate Director and Professor Rodney Paul and Sport Analytics Program Coordinator Jackie Dorchester accompanied the students to Nashville and mentored the group, and Soos praised Paul, Dorchester, and Director of Corporate Partnerships and External Engagement Francesco Riverso for “making opportunities like these a possibility.”
Jonah Soos with the trophy he earned for winning the undergraduate business analytics division.
“Our group did an excellent job in a challenging and exciting event,” Paul says. “Jonah, as always, was incredible; calm and poised in the heat of competition. He’s truly a superstar as he makes it look so easy. You can almost see ‘the game’ slow down when you hear him present and see the literal art he creates with data. It is amazing to witness.
“We are so lucky to have a talent like Jonah in our program,” Paul says. “We’ll miss him after graduation, but I can’t wait to watch his career unfold.”
Soos, who is minoring in economics and sport management, has worked as a baseball analytics intern at Wasserman, a baseball talent agency, and he’s currently a data engineering intern for the Syracuse University men’s basketball team. This past August, after presenting his research on pitchers at the Saber Seminar in Chicago, Soos was approached by several Major League Baseball teams was hired by the Cincinnati Reds as a baseball analytics trainee for the 2025 season.
We reached out to Soos to learn more about his experience in Nashville and what it took to become a national champion. Here’s that conversation:
What was the format for the individual and team competitions at the National Championship?
It was set up in a March Madness-style bracket, starting with 64 students in 16 different rounds of four students, and two students advanced from each round. Points were awarded for teams for every round a student advanced and totaled over each section (undergraduate and graduate) once the competition concluded to create the team standings.
As students, we presented our five-minute presentations to a room of judges each round, and if selected in the top two, we moved on to face other students until a winner-take-all final four in front of the entire conference. The first day was used for data analysis and the heats, and the second day was for the final four and a networking challenge.
What was your “assignment,” and were you given any advance notice of what you would be doing?
Our assignment was analyzing PWHL (Professional Women’s Hockey League) social media data provided by Zoomph to create analytical insights about ways the brand can continue to grow and expand. We were provided sample data and a study guide ahead of time to think through the question and understand the data. Most questions on the study guide were very broad and built to give a lot of flexibility for interpretation and analysis, leading to the true assignment of creatively interpreting the data to find critical data-driven insights.
What was your reaction when you received your assignment?
I definitely felt like the competition played into my strengths. My favorite part of data analysis is the storytelling component–placing data in context to find actionable insights and key takeaways that anyone can understand. In this format with quick presentations and limited time, you really have to be at your best and cut the fluff, only giving judges quick hitters to make a cohesive story.
Can you explain what kind of data you received, what you needed to analyze, and how you went about that?
We received data from different social media platforms for each PWHL team tracking post reach, engagement, and platform-specific effects. We were given roughly four hours to create the data-driven insights and build a presentation before everything was locked and no changes could be made.
That sounds nerve-wracking. What was your strategy under such a tight deadline?
When looking at the practice information, I was lacking some direction and only prepped different functions to clean the data and get it into a usable format. At 6 a.m. on the morning of the competition, I had an idea almost slap me in the face: It was super simple but innovative and I knew I could tell a compelling story. I don’t know a lot about hockey, so I placed myself in the shoes of the PWHL social media managers and asked how I would engage myself. Considering I would be new to the brand, if the post reached a lot of people like me, and I interacted or engaged with the post, I would deem that as the most successful since you’re broadening your fanbase while also generating active fans.
I entered looking to build something to fit that narrative and took the four hours to execute it, and found some interesting results. The hardest part was probably the time constraint itself, as when you’re working through a problem like this, it’s hard to manage your time effectively and execute all your ideas in such a short window. I found myself constantly pushing my own boundaries to work quick and thorough, having to focus to overcome different errors, challenges, and kinks in my analysis. Finishing the project was a win in itself, and when I looked back and saw the visual and analytical quality I generated, I was proud of myself! I felt I set myself up for success.
How was the data judged and how was it determined that you were the champion of the undergraduate division?
Each round, you would give your five-minute presentation to judges (more judges each round as you progressed), answer some questions, and wait outside as each competitor did the same. It was grueling–you had no idea whether you were scraping by in the hot seat or flying through–but there was a fun sense of camaraderie between all of the competitors, and I made some really awesome connections with people.
The first round was definitely the hardest; you had never given your presentation before and had very little prep time, so I was definitely the most nervous walking out of that presentation. As the rounds went on, I was in a flow state and felt every time my presentation got stronger and stronger up until the finals. The final round, unlike the previous ones, was a winner-take-all from the four students that advanced through the elite eight. That was the first real chance to size up your competition, see what everyone had done, and I was impressed with how vastly different each presentation was despite having the same data and objectives. Judges then voted on the order of the final four presentations, and I was fortunate enough to be crowned champion.
From your experiences at Syracuse University and Falk College, what is it about the program that prepares you to have this kind of success at the national level?
The Sport Analytics program is revolutionizing education in sport. To have the opportunity to so frequently interact with alumni in the industry, learn using real world data, and practice and compete against peers to build a collective wealth of knowledge, it’s what leads us to win all these competitions. I’ve learned so much from everyone around me–my peers, mentors, professors, and industry professionals–and without that experience, there is no way I would be where I am.
To learn more academic programs, experiential learning, and career opportunities in sport analytics, visit the Falk College Department of Sport Management website.
Major League Partnership
25/02/25
Syracuse University, Major League Baseball Players Association Team Up to Offer Academic Programs to Current and Former Players
A new partnership between Syracuse University and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) will create academic pathways for current and former players. Under this agreement, Syracuse University will offer market-relevant and industry-specific online degrees, certificates and credentials, as well as a range of non-credit professional development and executive education training programs, courses and workshops.
“My fellow deans and I are excited to partner with the Major League Baseball Players Association to provide the Syracuse University experience to those interested in pursuing our vast academic offerings,” says Falk College Dean Jeremy Jordan, whose initial discussions with the MLBPA inspired the creation of this new initiative. “This partnership reflects our collectively held value that higher education should be achievable for everyone, regardless of the demands of their profession or personal circumstances. For athletes and professionals with unpredictable schedules, our online programs offer the perfect balance of flexibility, robust academic support and real-world applicability—all without compromising their careers.”
“The Major League Baseball Players Association is thrilled to partner with Syracuse University to provide our members with exceptional educational opportunities,” says Chris Singleton, MLBPA special assistant for player resource programs and a former major league outfielder. “This collaboration underscores our commitment to supporting players both on and off the field, ensuring they have access to world-class academic resources that empower their personal and professional growth.”
The MLBPA represents the 1,200 players on major league 40-man rosters, as well as approximately 5,500 minor league players. This new partnership creates opportunities for these players to pursue several noteworthy objectives, including the following:
Skill Development and Post-Career Readiness: The partnership will align market-relevant curricula and programming with players’ post-career aspirations and needs, ensuring they acquire meaningful skills and knowledge.
Research and Innovation: The MLBPA and Syracuse will collaborate on research projects that inform progressive and advanced programming for professional athletes. These efforts may lead to the development of new technologies, products or processes, benefiting the MLBPA and other professional athletic organizations.
Practical Experience: The partnership will provide Syracuse students with opportunities for internships, co-op programs and hands-on projects with the MLBPA. This practical experience will enhance learning, make students more competitive and serve as a potential pipeline for talent to the MLBPA and other professional athlete associations.
Networking Opportunities: Players will gain access to professional mentors associated with Syracuse in sports, broadcasting and business, to aid them in post-playing career development and job opportunities.
Dedicated admission specialists and academic advisors will tailor academic pathways in support of the unique needs of each participant. These educational opportunities will be accessible through a number of formats, including online, on campus and at Syracuse’s Study Away sites in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles. The University will also offer an online academic English program to prepare non-native English speakers for success in their non-credit programs, courses and workshops.
Syracuse University is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives, and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals, and impact beyond what’s possible.
Food & Fun
24/02/25
All Children Invited to Syracuse All-Star Food Festival Sunday at the JMA Wireless Dome
Following the All-Star Food Fest on March 2 at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Syracuse University women’s basketball team will play Boston College in its last home game of the regular season.
A unique experience awaits all children 12 and under at the Syracuse University women’s basketball game Sunday, March 2. The All-Star Food Fest is an opportunity for children to experience international culture through food.
All children who have a ticket to the game are invited to arrive at the JMA Wireless Dome at 3 p.m. to taste test cuisine from eight countries and meet the student-athletes who handpicked the dishes. Each participant will receive a VIP pass and passport to learn about the student-athletes’ home countries and the food that is meaningful to them. The All-Star Food Fest is a collaboration between Kalamata’s Kitchen, Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, Syracuse University Campus Catering, and Syracuse University Athletics.
Kalamata’s Kitchen encouraged families to experience the whole world through adventures with food. The All-Star Food Fest will allow children to taste, smell, and learn about the foods that are special to the students, building a strong bond between the athletes and the young fans and fostering their curiosity for further food exploration. The featured dishes include sausage rolls from Australia, bangers and mash from Ireland, rasta pasta from Jamaica, Käsespätzle from Germany, egg empanadas from Uruguay, chicken empanadas from Puerto Rico, poutine from Canada, and jollof from Liberia.
The first 50 children to experience the All-Star Food Fest will meet the author of Kalamata’s Kitchen books, Sarah Thomas, and receive a signed copy of her book.
The All-Star Food Fest will conclude at 3:55 p.m., leading into the Orange women’s 4 p.m. basketball game against Boston College and the program’s Senior Day.
Tickets for the basketball game, which includes a free All-Star Food Fest passport for children 12 and under, are available at www.Cuse.com.
About Sarah Thomas
Sarah Thomas
Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer at Kalamata’s Kitchen
A veteran sommelier and fine-dining professional, Sarah Thomas is now the co-founder and Chief Brand Officer at Kalamata’s Kitchen, where she brings together her lifelong passions for both food and books. The daughter of two south Indian immigrants, Sarah grew up in the rural town of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and was surrounded by food from a young age. Her parents very much kept their Indian culture alive through the food they cooked, and Sarah would spend summers in Kerala visiting her grandparents, forming some of her earliest food memories.
Sarah’s love for food is what eventually led her to the hospitality industry. After launching the nationally-recognized Wine Room at Bar Marco, she spent nearly six years as a sommelier at 3-star Michelin Le Bernardin, where she obtained the prestigious Advanced Sommelier certification. Along with food, books played a special role in Sarah’s upbringing, eventually leading to a Masters in literature from the University of Cambridge.
Like many first generation children, Sarah grew up with what she felt were two conflicting identities, with her strong Indian heritage seeming to contrast against the mostly white rural town where she lived, and literature became a way for her to escape into another world. Through her storytelling work with Kalamata’s Kitchen, Sarah hopes to create a confident character that other children of color can see themselves in, while also encouraging all children to look at different foods and cultures with a sense of curiosity and compassion. Sarah has authored two books in the Kalamata’s Kitchen series, with an animated series in development.
Industry Leader at Falk
22/02/25
Head of U.S. Division of Italian Soccer League Meets With Falk College Students
Lega Serie A USA Managing Director Andy Mitchell addresses a classroom of Falk College students.
Andy Mitchell, managing director of Lega Serie A USA (the American division of Italy’s preeminent soccer league), recently visited Falk College to speak with students in the SPM/SAL 300 “Italian Football: Impact and Outcomes” class. The course includes a spring break trip to Italy, where the students will meet with Serie A organizations and other industry leaders while learning about the culture of Italy.
We asked sport analytics major Sebastian Bush ’27 about this opportunity to meet Mitchell and ask questions ahead of the Italy trip. Here’s what he wrote:
“When I heard about the opportunity to visit Italy over spring break and learn about the traditions associated with Italian calcio, or soccer as we know it, I knew I had to sign up. The class, ‘Italian Football: Impact and Outcomes,’ isn’t just about the trip, though, it’s an exploration of what makes Italian soccer so unique.
“For example, on Feb. 14 we had the incredible opportunity to hear from the CEO and managing director of Lega Serie A USA, Andy Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell spoke about his upbringing and early sports fandom, his career path that led him from CNN to Meta, and finally his journey to working in the highest levels of soccer and sports marketing.
“Mr. Mitchell credited his early experience in the digital landscape as a major factor in his career success. He recounted being ‘the last man in the pecking order’ as a young employee at CNN and therefore being handed digital and website responsibilities that no one else wanted. He found that area of development interesting, and it led him to ultimately becoming vice president of digital marketing and partnerships.
Sport analytics student Sebastian Bush ’27 (center) was one of the many students who had questions for Andy Mitchell.
“It wasn’t until a few years ago, however, that Mr. Mitchell found his way back to sports. He had never been a huge soccer fan, but after learning about the game, both he and his family quickly became infatuated with it. He was ‘obsessed’ and soon set a goal to work in the industry. Now, over one year into his job at the U.S. office of Serie A, the premier soccer competition in Italy, Mitchell has expanded the league’s reach throughout North America.
“His passion for spreading calcio across the United States is clear: From newsletters to corporate partnerships to social media and community-driven campaigns, Mitchell and his small staff have achieved quite a lot. Getting to hear about the complexities of these deals as well as Mitchell’s day-to-day responsibilities and challenges was an amazing glimpse into the elaborate world of Italian soccer.
“One highlight of Mr. Mitchell’s talk was hearing his insight into how he and his colleagues support Serie A teams and players in United States-based initiatives. For example, he talked about working with Puma and the agent for U.S. Men’s National Team star Christian Pulisic to build the Pulisic Stomping Grounds, a community-forward philanthropic effort to support youth soccer across the country.
“This was just one of the many efforts Lega Serie A USA has been involved with and it’s a great example of some of the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes. Overall, Mr. Mitchell’s talk provided invaluable context about the landscape of Italian soccer and helped prepare us for the upcoming trip to Italy later this semester. We can’t thank Mr. Mitchell enough for taking the time to speak with our class.”
Visit the Falk College website to learn more about academic programs, career opportunities, and immersion trips in the departments of Sport Management and Sport Analytics.
Bei Tempi!
20/02/25
Sport Analytics Team Discusses Trip to Italy on SU Abroad Podcast
As part of their trip to Italy in 2024, sport analytics students enjoyed visits to cultural landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome.
A team from the Sport Analytics program in Falk College recently appeared on the “Identity Abroad with Syracuse Abroad” podcast to discuss the upcoming immersion trip to Italy for the “Italian Football: Impact and Outcomes” course that explores how data is revolutionizing soccer.
For the podcast, sport analytics major Zachary Silverstein ’26 was joined by Program Coordinator Jackie Dorchester and Francesco Riverso, the Director of Corporate Partnerships and External Engagement in Falk College who helped create the trip to Italy as program manager for Sport Analytics.
Silverstein, Dorchester, and Riverso discuss the success of last year’s inaugural trip through Rome, Milan, Florence, and Bologna and what’s new for this year. They talk with student host Sebastian Talib ’25 about once-in-a-lifetime professional opportunities, opening international sport to Falk students, and, of course, amazing Italian food!
Visit here for a story with photos and videos from last year’s trip.
The “Identity Abroad” podcasts are designed to help you learn more about study abroad and tell new student stories from across a variety of destinations, majors, and experiences. Visit the Syracuse Abroad website to learn more about internships, Signature Seminars, language study at all levels, homestays, and community engagement projects.
‘Scholarship In Action’
18/02/25
Sport Management Raises $59,500 at 20th Charity Auction
The Sport Management Club at Syracuse University raised $59,500 for the Rescue Mission of Syracuse as a result of its 20th Annual Charity Sports Auction.
During the Syracuse men’s basketball game on Dec. 10, supporters purchased items and placed bids on sports memorabilia, electronics, jewelry, gift baskets, experiences, books, and trips, among other items. In addition to the in-person event, an online auction was held where online supporters placed bids on hundreds of items.
The Rescue Mission strives to end hunger and provide hope to those in need.
Seniors Adelaide Gilley (sport analytics), Livia McQuade (sport management) and Tynan Weathers (sport management) served as co-chairs for the event.
Syracuse University seniors Livia McQuade, Adelaide Gilley, and Tynan Weathers (from left to right) served as co-chairs of the 2024 Charity Sports Auction on Dec. 10 at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The SPM Club is a student-run organization in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics’ Department of Sport Management. Since its founding in 2005, the club has raised more than $760,000 for local charities. Previous beneficiaries of the club’s annual charity auction include Tillie’s Touch, Boys & Girls Clubs, Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of CNY, the Central New York SPCA, the Upstate Cancer Center, Special Olympics New York, Food Bank of CNY, the Salvation Army, American Diabetes Association, Make A Wish CNY, Meals on Wheels, the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation, McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, and Vera House.
“The students have outdone themselves with this year’s Charity Sports Auction, and I couldn’t be prouder,” says Jeremy Losak, sport analytics assistant professor who serves as the organization’s faculty advisor. “While the public sees the excitement of the live event on game day, the real work happens behind the scenes, with students spending months planning every detail.
“From marketing and sales to sponsorship activation, analytics, event management, and fundraising, this event gives students a hands-on opportunity to apply classroom knowledge while making a real impact on the greater Syracuse community,” Losak adds. “This is scholarship in action at its finest.”
The Sport Management Club meets weekly during the academic year. For more information about the annual Charity Auction, visit X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or the Charity Sports Auction website.
Falk College Associate Dean of Student Services Chandice Haste-Jackson Named to HBCU ELI 2025 Community of Fellows
Chandice Haste-Jackson
Chandice Haste-Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Student Services and interim Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in Syracuse University’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, has been selected by the Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University (HBCU ELI) as one of 46 outstanding candidates for its 2025 Community of Fellows.
This milestone celebrates individual achievements and underscores the critical importance of nurturing the next generation of executive leaders within Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Now in its fifth year, HBCU ELI is noted as one of the most prestigious executive leadership programs for HBCUs in the United States.
“I am honored to have been selected for the 2025 HBCU ELI Community of Fellows,” Haste-Jackson says. “Given the climate of higher education today, it is imperative that leaders are prepared to navigate through uncertainty and crisis and embody the skills and dispositions necessary to address contemporary and emerging issues.
“Participating in the HBCU ELI provides the opportunity to expand my skills and knowledge of higher education administration, and engage and learn from esteemed Legacy Leaders who have led institutions through the social, economic, racial, and historical contexts of higher education in this country,” she says.
Haste-Jackson, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, has held a variety of leadership positions, including: Interim Director of First Year Seminar (FYS 101), Director of the Syracuse University School of Education Liberty Partnerships Program; Executive Director of a transitional housing homeless shelter for women and children; Executive Director of an historical African American settlement house; and Assistant Director of an inner-city community center.
Haste-Jackson received her bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology from Syracuse University, her master’s degree in behavioral sciences-psychology from Cameron University, and her Ph.D. in child and family studies from Syracuse (now Human Development and Family Science). She currently serves on several nonprofit boards and is a consultant for the My Brother’s Keeper Syracuse initiative founded by President Barack Obama.
The Community of Fellows are proven executive leaders and change agents who participate in a series of virtual and residency seminars providing knowledge and hands-on skills. HBCU ELI offers a transformative learning experience that empowers participants to address the complex challenges facing HBCUs today. Through academic excellence, practical experience, and mentorship, graduates emerge as visionary leaders who are prepared to drive positive change and advance the legacy of HBCUs.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, HBCUs were established prior to 1964 with the principal mission of educating Black Americans. Although these institutions were developed in an environment of legal segregation, they contributed substantially to the progress of Black Americans by providing access to higher education. The HBCUs of today welcomes students from all ethnic and international backgrounds and lead the way in creating inclusive and transformative cultures of belonging.
About HBCU ELI at Clark Atlanta University
The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute at Clark Atlanta University (HBCU ELI) is a groundbreaking incubator for recruiting and developing the future presidents of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. ELI equips high-potential leaders with tools and strategies that support the education and business goals of more than 100 HBCUs. Through ELI, the ability of HBCUs to survive and thrive is improved. In addition to granting thousands of degrees each year, HBCUs boast illustrious alumni like Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and former Vice President Kamala Harris, among others. Visit hbcueli.com for more information and join the conversation on social media @hbcueli; #hbcueli.
