HOUSTON — A group of students will get a chance to learn how to run an NFL franchise from the experts themselves.
Rice University has added a new course in partnership with the Houston Texans that allows sport management students to learn from members of the Texans administrative staff about the ins and outs of running a professional sports franchise.
The course is called Pro Sports: Management and it’s designed to teach the business behind the ballgame.
Diane Crossey, a professor with the Department of Sport Management, is the instructor for the course. Before joining Rice in 2015, she worked for the Texans for 13 years.
The weekly class, held inside the executive offices of the Texans, will include sessions on ticketing, public relations, event management, human resources and more.
Students will be required to develop and deliver weekly presentations on these and other relevant topics.
Toward the end of the semester, students will work at a Texans home game alongside administrative staff. The final class project will include a reflective writing assignment.
“We are thrilled to partner with Rice University on a curriculum that will provide their best and brightest students with insight into the real-world opportunities and challenges facing today’s sports teams,” said Texans President Jamey Rootes. “This program is rather unique because our leading executives will work alongside Rice professors to teach current best practices in franchise management across every discipline. We believe that this type of practical industry exposure is the best way to prepare the next generation of leaders in the field of sports management and a valuable contribution to the level of professionalism within our industry.”
Clark Haptonstall, chair of the Department of Sport Management at Rice, they are always looking for new ways to challenge their students.
“Having them work directly with executives for the Houston Texans, on real-world projects, is going to push our students to show their capabilities,” he said.
The university says that at the completion of the course, students will be able to understand the challenges, risks and opportunities facing the various operating departments of professional sports teams and develop problem-solving skills and solutions to meet team goals.
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