Warsaw Sports Business Center

To make the most of their nation's Sports Hub--a vast, state-of-the-art complex scheduled for completion in 2014--and to help position their nation as Asia's top destination for professional sports, the Singapore Sports Council (SSC) will tap the expertise of Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the UO Lundquist College of Business.

What's the dress code for an interview at Nike World Headquarters? What percentage of Nike interns land jobs at the company? Members of the Warsaw Sports Business Club (WSBC) learned the answers to these questions—and many more—during the group's recent visit to the company's Beaverton campus. Events kicked off with a presentation on the company's history and brand, followed by a question and answer session with four UO alums currently working there.

"Who is this guy?" was the question on everyone's lips when first-year pro triathlete Jesse Thomas came out of nowhere to win this year's prestigious Avia Wildflower Triathlon with a time of 4:04:45. Folks at the Lundquist College of Business knew Thomas as a 2009 graduate of the school's MBA program in the sports marketing track with a secondary concentration in entrepreneurship. After graduating, Thomas put off his job search to follow his dream of becoming a professional athlete.

A grand new tradition began last month, with the presentation of the first-ever Jim Warsaw and Annalee Thurston Award at a festive dinner gala during the BNP Paribas Open in southern California. Created to honor the legacies of Jim Warsaw and Annalee Thurston, the award recognizes individuals, female or male, who have created and advanced opportunities for women in the business of sport. Its first recipient was Stacey Allaster, chairwoman and CEO of the Women's Tennis Association, who has led the way in securing equal prize money for male and female tennis players.

“Amazing!" “Phenomenal!" “Unbelievable!"--once again, the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center's annual New York trip was a huge success, providing MBA candidates with unprecedented entrée into the sports business world, including the opportunity for in-depth meetings with five of the twenty most influential people in sports--in just three short days. Still jazzed from their whirlwind experience, participants shared their excitement and inspiration.

Check out great career tips shared by MBA alums working at Nike during the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center's recent field trip. Plus, read success stories from graduates now working at Kraft Foods, Deloitte, and Hitachi Consulting. Curious where other grads found work?

"After taking my official visit, I learned about their sports marketing program, and they jumped to the top of my list," said five-star football recruit Anthony Wallace, explaining his decision to join the Ducks next year. The Lundquist College of Business's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, to which Wallace referred, is just one example of the melding of academics and athletics at the University of Oregon.