Sport Management Association is a home run RSO

The association helps students network with professionals and gain managerial skills

Sports in the world today are truly unique as they are not just about what one can do on the field of play, but act as a tool that one can use to make a significant difference in the world.

Sports have been monumental in creating avenues for social issues to be brought to light and in pushing for change.

Sports present themselves as a manifesto that brings society together and act as an icebreaker to open up discussions on politics, the economy and social status. Sports are in their own way magnificent as they can make people believe that the improbable can be achieved.

The Sport Management Association is a Recognized Student Organization on campus that strives to develop members into successful professionals through field experience and networking with sport organizations. The organization sets out to achieve this through several ways, such as providing a structured organization where students can work together to achieve sustainability, networking opportunities with professionals in the sporting industry, and numerous other ways.

SMA is open to all students at Minnesota State University, Mankato as sports can act as a gateway to excel in any career, thus it acts as a link to get one to the destination they need to be. SMA meets every Wednesday throughout the academic year at 8 p.m. in Morris Hall 103.

Keyara Williams, the president of SMA, states that the association acts as a resource to students by providing them with opportunities to network out of the classroom and acquire managerial skills through various events the association plans throughout the academic year. Williams is a junior pursing an undergraduate degree in sport management.

“My little brother is an all-star athlete and my father has always coached him, thus I have been around sports my entire life, which motivated me to pursue the sport management major and join the Sport Management Association,” Williams said. “I see the role of being president as more of a challenge than a burden, as it keeps me on my toes throughout the school year and I have to balance it with my academics as well as other activities.”

SMA tries to keep itself attuned with the times—they do a majority of their advertising and marketing on social media. The association’s Twitter and Facebook pages are always active with more information on their activities. The association also presents in classes, especially the Introduction to Sport Management class, to reach out to new students in the sport management program.

SMA has numerous activities planned heading into the spring semester, such as a Sports Trivia Night, a youth baseball camp, a spring trip, and a Dinner of Distinction in the spring where there will be a keynote speaker presenting.

The association hopes that focusing on bigger activities will attract more members and will be a major advertising platform as membership is one of their main challenges.

SMA is also volunteering for the Mankato Marathon in late October to get more involved in the community and connect with people in the greater Mankato area.

“I really want to set a strong foundation as president so the person coming in after me does not have to struggle to get the association back on its feet,” Williams said. “The past couple of years have been rough for the association, but I now feel that the club is gradually getting back to the stature it once had.”

Sports are a worldwide phenomenon that the entire human race can relate to. Sports have been the spearhead to a plethora of activities and changes in society. SMA hopes to make a heavy impact on the University in the coming years and show the true power of that sports have.