Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here

Since 2018, Ben Alon has watched the Syracuse Sport Business Conference — an independent, student-run organization — flourish from individual conversations into a two-day virtual conference. Last year’s in-person conference was canceled, and Alon and the rest of the conference planners have used the last year to adapt and plan the first conference with panels of industry leaders and keynote speakers.

The organization put on digital panels throughout the summer and fall semester to build an audience on Instagram and Twitter ahead of the virtual event, which will take place from Thursday to Friday. 

Social media posts such as Motivation Monday, where SSBC posts inspirational quotes from former and future conference speakers, allowed the organization to gain followers and grab the attention of possible conference speakers. SSBC was able to book speakers for its virtual conference who might not have normally been able to attend the conference, said Danielle Parr, the SSBC vice president of outreach.

“Instead of having to travel to Syracuse to partake in this in person, they’re able to do this from their offices or homes and still be able to interact and engage with us,” she said.

This year’s conference will bring in a lineup of speakers, including Syracuse graduate and Clippers radio voice Noah Eagle and former SU football player Andre Cisco.

The speakers will be divided into seven panels, covering different topics and issues in the sports business world ranging from sports media to diversity and social justice. The conference will be free of charge, split into two different days and held online because of COVID-19 restrictions. 

SSBC hopes to inspire young entrepreneurs and promote change within sports business through its speakers. The Diversity and Social Justice panel — consisting of Unique Sports Management CEO Torrel Harris, TGQ Inc. Founder Hussein Abdullahi, New Project Founder Marcus Allen Thomas and Lori Hamamoto, senior vice president of Tony Fay — and will tackle issues of inequality in the professional sports industry.

Isaiah Freedman, SSBC’s chief marketing and communications officer, reached out to Thomas during the beginning of the pandemic as social justice became a prevalent topic in sports. After chatting, Thomas — whose brand collaborated with the NBA — joined the SSBC digital series to speak about social justice movements in sports. Thomas said there’s not enough representation of Black, Indigenous and people of color, as well as women, in sports business.

Thomas remembers being one of the only Black speakers for the digital series, but he now commends the group’s diverse crop of panelists and speakers.

“To now compare it to last year to this year and see how diverse each panel is, not just our panel, each panel, is very diverse,” Thomas said.

In addition to panels, SSBC will be hosting virtual career fairs through Toucan Events, a platform that emulates the environment and engagement of a career fair.

Charles Lerner graduated with a sports management degree from SU in 2014. Last year, Lerner interviewed former basketball manager Kevin Belbey for the digital series. When he was in college, Lerner never had the opportunity to attend an SU sports business conference.

“The reality is that’s how most people will end up getting their job or internship,” Lerner said. “It’s through a conference or meeting somebody and creating relationships over time.”

Freedman has worked alongside Alon since the planning phase of the original conference in 2018. He’s seen the conference flourish into the event it is today.

“I’m just so proud of the growth of the kids (helping plan the conference),” Freedman said. “It’s really special to see, and that’s what we want to get out of this.”

Published on April 13, 2021 at 10:59 pm

Contact Adam: amccaffe@syr.edu