Name change means fresh take for sports business organization

A small name change is doing a lot for an IU club.

Formerly known as the Association of Student Sports Management Professionals, the newly named Hoosier Sports Business Organization has broken away from its old standard and opened up the club to anyone looking to get involved in the sports business.

“The old name gave most students the wrong impression that our organization was solely for students majoring in sports management,” said HSBO president Jared Casden. “Anyone who is aspiring to someday work in the sports industry is encouraged to join, and the opportunities are unbelievable.”

Scott Lipsky, former undergraduate adviser of HSBO, said the organization was founded about 20 years ago, around the time of the creation of the Sports Marketing and Management area of study. The club offers many different opportunities to its members, from guest speakers to networking trips to meet with professionals in the field of sports business and more.

“We’ve had career conferences in the past and job fairs we encouraged our club members to attend,” said undergraduate adviser and senior Brendan Schafer. “We’ve taken networking trips. We’ve been to Chicago the past two years. We’re just trying to expand as we go on and offer as many opportunities as possible to our members.”

Last year, the HSBO brought in more than 160 members, an all-time high for the organization. However, Casden expects bigger things this year.

“We think that our numbers will at least double,” he said. “I really think that it’s a realistic goal that we have 300 members this year.”

Among those bigger things are more networking trips similar to their annual trips to Indianapolis and Chicago.

“We’ve been on big trips in the past,” Casden said. “This year, we plan to have more of these including, but not limited to, New York City and Louisville, Kentucky.”
HSBO is unique in Schafer’s eyes because it offers an opportunity to be in a sports-related professional organization.

“What people need to realize is that this club, eventually, will benefit them,” he said. “You’re doing it for your own good.”

The organization also has a mentoring program that caters to younger students and allows them to get help writing resumes and cover letters and handling an internship process.

“The older people of the club mentor freshmen and sophomores,” said Vice President of HSBO Molly Philips. “It’s basically someone you can just meet with to give you advice.”

The HSBO will hold its call-out meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 110 of the Student Recreational Sports Center. Philips believes students should take advantage of the club’s opportunities.

“It’s something that everyone should go to the call-out meeting and find out more about,” Philips said. “We’re providing an opportunity to meet people in the field, and if you take advantage of that opportunity, then you’re doing a great thing for yourself.”