Interview with Professor Timothy Wilson

Interview

Sports Degrees Online: We are joined today by Tim Wilson, Assistant Professor of Health and Human Performance at Bethel University. Thank you for taking some time to speak with us.

Professor, you have now spent over twenty years as a professor of sport management. You have also spent nearly two decades working in intercollegiate athletics in a variety of capacities. Can you share the story of how you decided to make a career for yourself in the sports industry?

Tim Wilson: Bryan, I have a unique experience as far as getting into higher education. I had the opportunity to land a position at Martin Methodist College (now the University of Tennessee Southern) in 2001 as the Program Coordinator for a brand-new sport management major at the institution. I was able to build that program up over the next 17 years.

Throughout my 17 years at MMC, I was able to not only lead the sport management academic major but I was also able to work closely with the athletic department as the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) at the school. I collaborated with our athletic director and coaches to ensure that our student-athletes were eligible to play and that we were abiding by the rules of the NAIA.

During my time at MMC, I worked closely with the NAIA in Kansas City serving on numerous national committees working with the national office staff, university presidents, athletic directors, faculty athletics representatives, and others helping to govern intercollegiate athletics.

After teaching at MMC for 17 years, I took a position in northeast Tennessee at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tennessee. I taught there for four years in both the undergraduate and graduate sport management programs as well as served as the FAR within their NCAA Division II athletic department. Most recently, I left TU and came to Bethel University in northwest Tennessee and have been here as part of this program since August.

Sports Degrees Online: These days, there are so many sport management and sport administration programs to choose from that it’s often overwhelming for students to find which program is the best fit for them. What factors should students keep in mind as they are trying to choose which sport management program is best for them?

Professor Tim Wilson: There are numerous sport management/administration programs available to students today and it can be overwhelming for them as they try to see what program best fits their needs. I always say that a student needs to look at what the program can offer them as far as experiential learning opportunities are concerned.

Programs at larger universities may offer more practical, hands-on learning within their athletic departments whereas smaller institutions like mine here at Bethel University (TN) try to provide our students with opportunities to gain experience working events off campus due to the fact that our athletic departments may not be as big as a Division I program.

We not only provide the students with a great academic degree grounded in sport management theory but we also make sure to provide opportunities for our students to work events like the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, College Football National Championship Game, etc. that help our students blend the two in a way that helps prepare them to enter the sports industry.

I also think students should look for a program that has faculty that are willing to partner with you to help you accomplish your goals that you want to achieve in the sports industry. So, number one, make sure the program can provide you with as much hands-on learning as possible and number two make sure you and the faculty are a good fit!

Sports Degrees Online: Professor, when reviewing highlights of Bethel University’s Sport Management program, I noticed that you have now had students working at the last two Super Bowls (‘22 and ‘23), also SEC tournaments, and other major events. Can you talk a bit about why experiences like this are important for sport management students? In debriefing with students after the experience, what were some of their takeaways?

Professor Tim Wilson: Events like the Super Bowl and SEC Basketball Tournament are great ways for our students at Bethel University to gain valuable hands-on learning opportunities that we can’t teach them necessarily in class.

As someone who has taught sport management for over 20 years, there is only so much learning that can take place in a classroom setting. Students in our field need to see first-hand what it takes to run an event like a Super Bowl and the only way to make that happen is for our students to have the opportunity to go and work at these types of events.

The knowledge gained through these experiential learning opportunities along with the networking opportunities our students get by participating in these various sporting events is invaluable and it allows our students to get real life work experience as well as make the connections that leads to jobs!

Sports Degrees Online: I noticed that several Bethel University Sport Management students are doing very well in the National Collegiate Sport Sales Championship. Can you explain what this is, and why it’s a great thing for sport management students to be involved with?

Professor Tim Wilson: The National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship (NCSSC) is an outstanding event that Dr. Lane Wakefield (Baylor University) and the Atlanta Hawks put on every year. I have had the privilege of bringing students to it every year that it has been in existence, and it gets better and better each year.

Sports sales is an area in the sport industry that has numerous jobs available, and this competition helps bring students and sports industry professionals together to connect. Numerous sports teams are there as well as other sports sales properties looking to hire these students and it’s a great way for the students to practice role playing scenarios through the competition and also work on their networking and interviewing skills as they are looking to find employment at the event. I would highly recommend this event to any sport management professors that want to help their students work in sports sales.

Sports Degrees Online: Many of the internship opportunities for sport management students are related to ticket sales. Can you talk about how you coach your students to prepare for experiences like these, and how they can get the most out of this kind of internship?

Professor Tim Wilson: There are so many opportunities in sports sales for students if they are only willing to take advantage of them. For some reason, students have a bad perception of sales, and it translates into them not wanting to work in ticket sales or sales in general.

Sport management professors need to combat those misconceptions and let their students know that you can have a great career in sports sales and that the job opportunities are numerous. There are jobs in ticket sales with every professional and minor league team out there as well as sponsorship sales jobs with companies like Peak Sports and The Aspire Group that students can find employment with.

I teach a sports sales class and the first thing I do is try to convince students that everything they think they know about sales and in particular sports sales is not accurate. I spend the semester trying to coach them up on how to sell and also, I try to get them in front of people in the sports sales industry that can speak to them about what they can expect working in sports sales and the various opportunities available.

I highly encourage students to intern in sports sales because the experience you will gain is invaluable. As I tell my students all the time, if you can sell, then you will always have a job whether in sports or not!

Sports Degrees Online: Now professor, I’d like to give you a chance to talk about why students should consider studying at Bethel University. In your view, what are some of the factors that separate your program from the pack?

Professor Tim Wilson: Bethel University is an outstanding university that prides itself in going above and beyond to make sure that our students are prepared upon graduation to leave this place and secure a job in the sports industry. My colleague, Dr. Josh Greer, started this program a few years back and he has done an outstanding job of partnering with sports industry professionals to provide our students the unique ability to blend the theoretical classroom knowledge needed of a sport management student with the practical hands-on learning opportunities needed for the students to succeed in the sports industry.

We provide our students with opportunities to gain as much experience as possible so that when they graduate, they are positioned to be successful in the sports industry. Our faculty provide an outstanding education for our students while also strategically placing our students in front of sports professionals though working events to guest speakers to facility tours to other events to help our students expand their network and have success upon graduation.

Sports Degrees Online: Why do you feel that Tennessee is an ideal place to pursue a degree in sport management?

Professor Tim Wilson: Despite being a small university in northwest Tennessee, we are strategically placed within 2-3 hours from Nashville, Memphis, and St. Louis not to mention many other cities with opportunities for our students to gain valuable experience in the sports industry. Tennessee is a great state to live in and it’s a great sports state as well. If you are thinking about a sport management degree and want to learn more about our program, feel free to give me a call.