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Sports management program takes third place in National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship
Mason Clines had just 90 seconds to sell himself to recruiters at the nation’s top professional sports organizations.
The elder Louis of the University of Missouri-St. Louis reminds himself to stay calm and emphasizes the wealth of real-world experience he gained through the sports management program.
“I can talk about playing in the Super Bowl,” Clines said. “We hosted NASCAR during my internship. I also participated in the Atlanta Hawks’ Virtual Sales Academy program last spring. I had those experiences to talk about, and I think the judges really enjoyed that.”
Personal Elevator Promotions are part of the National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship Quick Sales Championship in February 2024 in Atlanta. Kleins’ outstanding performance earned 95.9 points, ranking fifth in the national individual competition. It also led the UMSL sports management program to a third-place finish behind Baylor University and the University of Mississippi.
Karen Boleska, assistant teaching professor and director of the School of Education’s sports management program, said the results speak to her students’ interpersonal communication skills and ability to adapt to any situation.
“I’m proud that every year we participate in this competition, we rank No. 1 in the country in sales velocity,” Boleska said. “I like that because the students are selling themselves. It’s not an actual item. So, a lot of it comes down to personality; a lot of them have a lot of charisma in those moments.”
Seniors Tyriq Gordon and Harmauhny Faulkner and junior Andrew Price joined Kleins in Atlanta for a two-year day activities. More than 160 students from 48 universities across the country participated in the competition, which provided college students with an opportunity to showcase their sales skills and build industry connections.
The Atlanta Hawks and Baylor University’s Center for Sports Strategy hosted the event and accompanying conference, where students had the opportunity to network with professionals. Many MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL organizations have also sponsored the event and are recruiting for entry-level positions on-site.
In the Quick Sales Competition, students pitch themselves as potential employees in a 90-second pitch to recruiters and their colleagues and are scored on their pitch. The ticket sales and corporate partnership tournament is open only to recent graduates, who role-play scenarios trying to sell ticket packages to professional sporting events to potential buyers. These “buyers” are actually volunteer sales managers and recruiters for professional sports organizations.
Qualifiers consist of three 20-minute phone calls with each university’s sales team. After each call, judges rate the students’ performance based on established scoring criteria, with each school’s top performers advancing to the championship game at State Farm Stadium in Atlanta.
Kleins and Gordon earned a spot in the tournament by finishing in the top 100 nationally during qualifying rounds. Kleins finished in the top 64 in Atlanta, while Gordon finished in the top 32. But they all lost to students who went on to reach the semi-finals.
Gordon has his sights set on a future career in sports marketing, but said he is interested in competing this year because sales is a great entry point into the industry. Faulkner agreed, noting that speakers in the sports management program often tout the value of ticketing roles in career development.
“A lot of them say, ‘Well, I started in ticketing,’ ‘I started in inside sales,'” Faulkner said. “It leads people to become CEOs, presidents of organizations. It’s an entry-level position and it can actually take you somewhere. I know it’s an entry-level position and it helps a lot with development, so I know that from This will help me in the long run.”
Price transferred to the program in January and was looking for a way to start building his resume. The National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet face-to-face with representatives from major sports leagues across the country.
“You can make yourself known and start getting familiar with these teams,” he said.
Kleins thought of this too. He went on the trip with the goal of finding a full-time job after graduation and conducted dozens of interviews before and during the competition. He eventually found success, landing a full-time ticketing position with Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire.
“I don’t think it’s really affected me yet,” he said.
Clines, Faulkner and Gordon join guest coaches from the New York Mets, Orlando City, Phoenix Suns, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals and St. Louis City ahead of the November qualifiers Been training together for a few weeks. Boleska expressed her gratitude to the coaches and all other sports industry professionals who have volunteered their time over the years to help her students develop the skills they need to succeed in events like NCSSC and in their future careers.
During the training, the trio went over sales basics and how to make an effective pitch to potential buyers. The key, Clines and Gordon say, is to remain personable while still focusing on sales goals. Another is active listening.
“Are you listening to what that guy asked you?” Boleska said. “Of course, you dream a little higher and negotiate your way from there. But if they ask for a suite and you give them courtside as your first suggestion, then you’re not listening to them. So, It’s not always who sells the most money, it’s who listens best and gives the best advice based on the information provided.”
The students were trained specifically for ticket sales competitions, but Boleska noted that elements of quick-selling competitions are integrated into nearly every aspect of the sports management program. Boleska emphasizes practical skills and hands-on experience, and students are expected to interact with guest speakers and network with professionals throughout the course.
The team is excited for everyone to participate in the quick sale and grateful that the groundwork paid off in announcing the winners.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” Faulkner said. “We’re dealing with very large schools, mind you, we have athletic management programs, but some of these schools have sales programs – technically sales. We’re dealing with really high-level talent schools, and we’re getting into Top three. That’s really big.”
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