Succeeding in the Business of Sports

A strong business ethic and a focus on achieving measurable goals have brought success to a team of Cal State Fullerton business students. 

They may not be athletes, but they scored a home run with their recent presentation on how to improve the effectiveness of Fox Sports’ interactive website, FoxSports.com. 

“I think the impact of the Cal State Fullerton student effort was more than we expected,” said Brian Wright, director of talent acquisition for Fox Sports. “They took the project to heart, accepted our guidance and well exceeded our expectations. They put in so much work and blew our executives away. 

“And the faculty involvement of Kim Tarantino and Harold Fraser (co-executive directors of Mihaylo’s Entertainment and Tourism Management Program) was critical in setting up the relationship and identifying the ‘really hungry’ students,” added Wright. “The project — which is a new initiative that Fox as an organization wants to develop further — was enriching. Literally, their recommendations have helped sell the program. We’ll always think of CSUF in that way.”

“Fox was a great opportunity for our students to show that they have the right stuff to work in this fast-paced and growing industry,” said Fraser. “We look forward to having opportunities for our students to do more projects like this.” 

“Everyone brought their A game — it was spectacular,” said graduate business major Aaron Thomas of Fullerton. “Throughout the project, we all knew what we had to do, and we did it. 

“Everything that we learned in the M.B.A. program came to the forefront on this project,” he added. “Being able to use what we learn in the classroom in a real-life situation is really what Mihaylo College and Cal State Fullerton are all about.” 

“It was a hybrid project — half business plan, half strategic analysis," explained graduate student Myra T. Chen of Brea. “The mindset of the project was thorough, rigorous and creative … which was very challenging and very worthwhile.” 

The six-member team — five graduate students and one undergrad — spent approximately three weeks conducting research, working on various aspects of the project in two-person subgroups, including best practices and the technological aspects, before planning and organizing what became their final proposal to Fox. They also held weekly conference calls with representatives of the network. 

"We studied the industry environment, uncovered key market factors and applied them to the company’s business practices,” said grad student Svetlana Zotikova of Fullerton. “It was fascinating to see the day-to-day growth of our expertise. By the end of the project, our countless hours of research became a strong foundation for our further strategic recommendations.” 

“Despite how busy they were, the Fox executives were really cooperative — sharing background, data and experiences,” said Mark Hiroshi Okumori, also a grad student living in Fullerton. 

“We definitely have to credit the Fox team,” said Thomas. “It spoke volumes about the importance of what we were doing.” 

He characterized the faculty mentors as "incredible,” noting: "They didn’t hold our hands but provided support when we needed it. That was critical." 

They "helped us manage time and provided other support, but they gave us the leeway to follow the path we wanted,” added Okumori. “What we recommended is what we really believed would help the company.” 

On the day of their presentation, the students learned that some of their ideas already were in the process of being implemented. 

"That was good to see,” said Okumori.

Oct. 4, 2010