It was the first Tuesday of his freshman year when Scott Kevy ’15 admitted something to himself after leaving the Sport Management (SPM) Club kick-off meeting. “I knew I was here to stay,” he says of his decision to major in sport management in Syracuse University’s Falk College.
Since that time, Kevy has held a series of leadership positions in the SPM Club, compiled an excellent academic record that includes a minor in information management and technology in the iSchool, and mastered several professional internships, including positions at Turner Sports in New York City, Monumental Sports and Entertainment in Washington, DC, and Syracuse University Athletics. These experiences have not only prepared him to fulfill his lifelong dream of working in the sports industry, they have helped distinguish him among his peers. In October, Kevy was named a 2014 BIG Initiative Award Winner, an honor presented to 10 high-achieving sport management students in the U.S. and Canada. BIG stands for ‘Build, Inspire, Grow.’
Voted on by members of the conference planning committee, the BIG Initiative Award is a Michigan Sports Business Conference (MSBC) Award presented during the annual conference held at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It recognizes the outstanding achievements of student leaders who have reached an exceptional level of success, have a passion for the sports industry and demonstrate a truly remarkable portfolio of experience while showing promise as future movers and shakers in the field. Kevy, along with fellow sport management students James DiDonato, Matthew Ellman, and Brooke Del Guercio, attended the conference, including the award presentation.
This year’s conference theme, “Game Changers: Innovating Today. Defining Tomorrow,” offered Kevy and students an up-close opportunity to explore such topics as the intersection of sport and urban development, the economic reforming of collegiate athletics, and technology and sport—engaging the 21st century fan. The one-day event provided networking connections with other students and professionals, including John Collins, chief operating officer, National Hockey League; Jim Delany, commissioner, Big Ten Conference, Syracuse University alumnus, Mike Tirico, ESPN commentator; and Henry Stafford, president, North America, Under Armour, among many others.
Ironically, Kevy’s application packet for the 2014 BIG Award included an essay that answered the question, “If you could be any sports leader, who would you be?” Kevy’s response focused on Kevin Plank, founder and CEO of Under Armour. “Plank sees himself as an innovator,” says Kevy. “I see myself similarly. I don”t want to do things in a cookie cutter kind of way.”
A Dean’s List student, Kevy is currently a digital media intern with Syracuse University Athletics. In addition to designing and executing social media campaigns throughout the football season aimed at millennials, Kevy is assisting with producing photo and video content for all social media platforms and Cuse.com. In addition to a full load of sport management and information technology classes, Kevy is a digital and social media team member for Syracuse University’s Office of Admissions, assisting in blog and web content creation and serves as a Falk College Ambassador. As marketing chair for the 2014 Sport Management Club Charity Sports Auction taking place December 6 to benefit Make-A-Wish Central New York, Kevy is putting his classroom experience in marketing and technology to work in executing a social media marketing plan to raise event visibility and attendance.
Kevy is grateful for opportunities in the classroom combined with activities to get involved in the community and the sports industry since arriving to Syracuse University. “The sport management program has brought me to places I’ve never been before,” he says. “As a participant in the department’s Spring Break in Los Angeles Immersion trip in 2013, as well as trips to Toronto, Cleveland and Philadelphia with the Sport Management Club, I was able to see different aspects of the sport industry and learn about different sport cultures.”
Kevy’s experiences have paved the way to a future career in corporate partnerships and digital media marketing. He will complete his Sport Management Senior Capstone during the Spring 2015 semester with plans to graduate in May. “Each year, I’ve learned new and different things in the classroom and beyond that have made me better prepared for a career in sports,” concludes Kevy.