Published on October 28, 2024 by Catherine Smith  
National Sports Forum Challenge

Four Samford University Brock School of Business students made history when they competed in the final round of the National Sports Forum Challenge Cup, Oct. 21. Alyssa Ryals, Colby Hwang, Hayden Humber and Doug Davis proudly represented Samford as the only university from the United States to participate in the competition. Finished as the runner-up among university teams from Australia and Canada, Samford's team displayed the high caliber of talent and dedication that is cultivated in the Brock School of Business sports industry programs.

The National Sports Forum Challenge Cup is a prestigious international undergraduate sports marketing competition in which each team is assigned a sports marketing case at random and tasked with developing a comprehensive strategy and dynamic presentation within one week. For Samford, their case involved planning a marketing strategy that focused on increasing the number member subscriptions for USA Fencing. By executing extensive research on their assigned markets, the team methodically chose to base their hypothetical marketing strategy in Chicago, Illinois, because of the city's smaller fencing presence and large opportunity for community impact.

Alyssa Ryals commented on her experience in the competition, "I was honored to compete alongside some of the top sports business programs from around the world. It was incredibly rewarding to see our hard work come together, especially as we were recognized as the runner-up."

From conceptualizing various "pop-up" events around the Chicago area that featured nationally known fencers, to developing various buyer personas that would be inclined to purchase a USA Fencing membership, each team member refined each aspect of their presentation as they presented to a panel of well-established judges from the sports industry.

 The success of these students is credited Brock School of Business’ commitment to providing hands-on learning opportunities and real-world applications that prepare students to succeed in their career upon graduating. It also speaks to Samford’s No.8 ranking for career preparation by The Wall Street Journal /College Pulse.

Darin White, executive director of the Center for Sports Analytics, emphasized the significance of the team's success and reinforced Samford’s commitment to preparing students for their careers.

"Having our students reach the NSF Challenge Cup finals—as the only U.S. based university represented—validates what we've known for a long time: the Brock School of Business’ sports industry program prepares students to compete and succeed at the highest level of the business side of sports" he said. "Their achievement not only sets a new standard of excellence for future generations but also demonstrates that our program is delivering on its promise to develop world-class sports business leaders."

Team member Doug Davis, a senior economics major, remarks on their team's success, "Being the final school from the United States to place in the top three confirmed what we already knew —Samford is emerging as a powerhouse in sports marketing and analytics."

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.