BOSS | National Sports Authority

Business of Sport Success (BOSS)

The Business of Sports Success (BOSS) is one of the primary initiatives of the Authority. We use sport as a vehicle to motivate middle and high school students to complete high school and go on to college by exposing the students to the business side of an arena far too many youth can only see themselves participating in as athletes.

WHAT BOSS can be a single or multiple day program that brings together approximately 300-400 student athletes and 30-40 mentors who are leading industry professionals. The mentors engage the students in a full day of conversation about career and entrepreneurial opportunities in the sports business industry. The program also includes an inspirational keynote luncheon speaker, a tour of an operating sports facility and, in the case of the multi-day program, field trips and other exciting learning opportunities.

BOSS incorporates a curriculum that uses sports to expose and inspire students in math, technology, and composition and helps students better appreciate the relationship between school and preparation for life and career/entrepreneurial opportunities. BOSS also exposes students to non-sports career and entrepreneurial opportunities which require the same underlying skill sets and competencies, i.e. health and technology. Past keynote speakers and mentors have included, George Fraser, Chairman and CEO of FraserNet, Inc. and author of critically acclaimed “Success Runs In Our Race”; Kelly Carter, of NYT bestseller, “Come to Win”, co-authored with Venus Williams; Jim Hill, CBS Sports Anchor; Kevin McDowell, Chief Administrative Officer, AEG and Clark Kellogg, Vice President of Player Relations for the Pacers. Previous BOSS city events include: Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles and Indianapolis.

We continue our connection with 25 selected students during the 9-month mentoring component of BOSS that provides a variety of opportunities and experiences to help the students expand their knowledge of the requirements and resources available to pursue career and entrepreneurial opportunities in sport and otherwise.

WHEN BOSS programs are offered year round on HBCU campuses across the country as well as in cities that are home to major college and professional sports franchises.

WHERE BOSS is staged in partnership with the local high schools, colleges anduniversities, including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The Authority has nurtured a network of business, community, education and religious leaders from across the country and through our network we are able to identify student participants, rally the community and secure mentor support and participation. In addition, we have been able to secure the participation of the owners/operators of area sports facility to serve as the BOSS venue so that the students can experience firsthand the behind-the-scene workings of a professional organization.

BOSS programs are also offered around major sporting events, including the past 3 Super Bowl games and the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

WHY Our high school students are underperforming and more than 1/3 of them are dropping out of school for various reasons, including a lack of connection to the school, a lack of motivation and a perception that school is boring and classes are not interesting. It's a huge issue in all of the large urban districts across the country and over the past 10 years there has been an alarming trend of students who are not successfully finishing high school.

As a nation it is also no secret that we are also facing a competitive disadvantage in the areas of engineering and the sciences. Industry leaders believe that we can bridge that gap if we focus on recruiting students who have not traditionally gravitated to engineering, many of them minorities. Studies show that the major reason why Black students who don’t dropout say they will not consider careers in these fields is because they feel they are not good at school subjects relating to these disciplines.

Through the BOSS curriculum we are able to help the participants learn how to manage information and knowledge around career and entrepreneurial opportunities in the sports business industry that has application to many different industries, including science and technology. As a result, we are able to engage our young people around career fields that not only are projected to grow substantially over the next decade, but also have high earning potential. And we would have used sports, which they are already passionate about, as the so-called “hook” to solve the problem of getting their attention in the first place.

For More Information About BOSS email: eglenn@thensa.org