New Sport Management Club Connects Students to Experience and Opportunity

Published: October 30, 2026

Author: Liz Dowell

For Greenville University senior Eduardo “EJ” Rodriguez, sports have been part of his life since childhood. Now, as he prepares for a career in the industry, he is helping create something for the students who will follow in his footsteps.

This fall, Greenville University launched its first Sport Management Club, giving students a new way to turn their interests into hands-on experience, professional connections, and opportunities beyond the classroom.

Professor Matt McSparin made the club a priority when he joined GU full-time in August 2025. McSparin believes the department hasn't had a club before, and he wanted something for students to join that would help them in the field they are passionate about.

Students helped provide the foundation themselves. A finance and fundraising class raised approximately $2,000 during an event at Scott Field last spring, providing seed money for the new organization. Since then, students have begun developing social media channels, planning activities, and exploring ways to work alongside GU athletic teams.

For McSparin, those experiences are designed to help students “connect the dots between classroom and career.”

Rodriguez, a sport management major from the Dominican Republic with minors in business and coaching, is among the students helping lead that effort. He also serves as an assistant coach and director of player development for GU’s men’s basketball team.

The new club has already attracted approximately 14 students, including several first-year students.

One of Rodriguez’s goals is to create opportunities for students to discover where they fit within the wide-ranging sports industry. Club members could gain experience in areas such as marketing, game-day operations, video production, interviewing athletes, or other behind-the-scenes roles.

One goal of the Sports Management Club is to provide industry insights and help students determine what careers they want in the field.

The club also hopes to strengthen connections between current students and GU sport management alums. McSparin envisions alums serving as guest speakers, mentors, and professional contacts who can help students find internships and employment opportunities.

For Rodriguez, building that network is also about leaving something behind.

By the time he graduates, he hopes the club will give future students resources, experience, and connections they can use long before their senior year.

“We can have a better network with the alumni, better networking opportunities with any sports organization or businesses,” he said, “giving them opportunities to succeed.”

For GU’s newest student organization, that future is only beginning to take shape. But its first members are already building the connections they hope will carry the club—and future sport management students—far beyond campus.