ASU business students take on the big leagues

Each year, sports fans from across the country flock to Arizona to attend major events like the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Fiesta Bowl and Cactus League Spring Training. 

These mega-events generate millions of dollars, support thousands of jobs and create immersive learning opportunities for students at Arizona State University.

One of those opportunities came to life this spring through MKT 494: Business of Spring Training, a new course led by Ryan Kota, a clinical assistant professor of marketing.

In this innovative class, 25 students worked with four spring training venues — Goodyear Ballpark, American Family Fields of Phoenix, Tempe Diablo Stadium and Hohokam Stadium — to plan and execute a unique "activation" project aimed at boosting fan engagement.

"Real-world experiences outside the classroom are essential to student learning because they receive unfiltered experiences in the industry," Kota said.

Working in four teams, Kota's students each partnered with a spring training venue to boost ticket and concession sales through game-day events, sponsorship deals, community outreach initiatives and social media campaigns before and during their assigned game.

They also gained a behind-the-scenes view of the venue's day-to-day operations through site visits, shadowing venue interns and staff, and studying the logistics and legalities of spring training. 

The experience solidified sports business and marketing student Briana Gardiner's dreams of working in the sports industry.

"I gained a deeper understanding of everything involved in executing a spring training event," said Gardiner, whose team partnered with Hohokam Stadium to coordinate game-day activities and marketing campaigns for the athletics department. "My time at ASU wouldn't be the same without the real-world experiences I've gained through this class."

Campbell Leid ('25 BA in sports business) collaborated with Tempe Diablo Stadium to host pre-game events for an Angels game.

"In the sports industry, you learn by observing and doing," Leid said. "This project allowed us to do exactly that."

Kota provided each group with insight and advice throughout the planning process but encouraged them to take control of collaborating with stadium leadership and implementing their activation ideas. He was impressed with their creativity — from developing long-term fan programs to planning a Western-themed game and even a corgi race on the field.

"I wanted them to connect with their groups, the team staff and executives they partnered with, and the community," Kota said, "The students owned their projects, kept an open mind and learned new information about how the business side of spring training operates."

At the start of the semester, Leid and her teammates — fellow sports business students Tyler Bennett, Antonio DeVito, Andy Lin, Nathan Stump and Lauren Towne — met with Jerry Hall, manager at the Tempe Diablo Stadium, and Meg Rajala, assistant stadium manager, to determine goals for their spring training activation project.

The venue wanted to focus on attracting a younger crowd, so the group proposed three ideas based on the stadium's timeline and budget: A little league tug-of-war, a corgi race and a T-shirt giveaway.

In the weeks preceding the game, the students focused on marketing tactics like a Diablo Instagram campaign and an innovative "golden ticket" promotion where they hid tickets around campus. Students who found the tickets were invited to attend the game for free.

"Coordinating a project seen by thousands of people is way more stressful than anything I've done inside a classroom. But it brought our team together while exposing us to the many roles necessary to create a successful spring training event," Bennett said.

Leid agrees that the experience opened her eyes to the industry's many opportunities.

"Yes, I can work for a team, but there are so many adjacent opportunities available, whether that's working for a brand negotiating sports sponsorships or a city that manages stadiums," she said.

Gardiner's team worked closely with Joe Pun, director of spring training business operations for The Athletics, to draw as many ASU-affiliated audience members as possible to Hohokam Stadium. 

Gardiner and fellow sports business and marketing students Kelsey Pinta, Nahje Daniel, Lucca Giurlani, Declan Morante and Junghoo Park branded the event "ASU Day" and partnered with the rideshare app Fetii to promote it through discount codes on rides and game-day tickets.

To boost ASU fan attendance, the group gave away four ASU baseball tickets during the game and collaborated with ASU baseball to cross-promote their games through additional ticket giveaways. The team also brought in Devil's Halo beer, a beverage sold exclusively at ASU baseball games, which supports college athletes through NIL partnerships.

Through Kota's course, Gardiner has had opportunities to work with the NCAA Final Four and NASCAR, in addition to spring training.

"I gained a different understanding of everything involved in executing an event," Gardiner said. "These opportunities have taught me invaluable lessons in hard work, accountability and skills that extend beyond the classroom."

For Pinta, the experience has provided insights into the roles she finds most fulfilling, and highlighted the importance of fan experience and engagement. She saw firsthand how every decision — from promotions to in-game entertainment — can impact the success of a major sporting event.

"Even small details make a big difference: Things like signage, parking flow, concession efficiency, and security can make or break a fan’s experience," she said.

When the management team at American Family Fields of Phoenix — led by Brianna Tavilla, director of business operations and community engagement for the Milwaukee Brewers — suggested a country-themed night during a Brewers spring training game, a group of ASU students stepped up to the challenge.

A group of students studying marketing, business data analytics, sports business and communications — Evie Lemm, Mackenzie Marshall, Katie McCumber, Taylor Morales, Drew Prucyk and Patrick Carnahan — brought the idea to life by creating "Boots at the Ballpark," a themed event complete with a cowboy dress-up competition held on top of the dugout during the game.

The team focused primarily on marketing, collaborating with ASU Housing to promote the event to students through newsletters. Cowtown Boots helped spread the word and even lent the stadium a pair of cowboy boots for the competition.

In addition, After the Homestretch — a local nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting former racehorses — cross-promoted the event and sent staff members to attend the game, adding another layer of community engagement.

Meanwhile, Stamantina Syrengelas ('25 BA in sports business) and her teammates took a long-term approach at Goodyear Ballpark. Under the guidance of General Manager Bruce Kessman, they developed proposals for future seasons — including youth sponsorships, influencer partnerships, annual baseball tournaments and ticket discount programs.

"Kessman wanted our project to focus on longevity and developing programs that can continuously attract fans to the ballpark every season," Syrengelas said. "Our project helped us understand the logistics and longevity behind every spring training process."

The team — including sports business and marketing/finance students Marcos Galindo, Oliver Howard, Clarissa Lopez, Francisco Martinez, Joshua Vigil and Christian Wall — saw firsthand the importance of finding ways for a stadium to stand out in a crowded spring training landscape.

The students also learned the importance of persistence and patience, as many campaigns take years to come to fruition — especially those requiring approval from the MLB.

"Kessman described his role as being 'in the business of creating memories,'" Howard said. "It was a great learning experience and networking opportunity; the ability to build relationships with people already in the industry is extremely valuable."

By showing students the business behind the scenes at spring training, Kota helped many discover that professional sports is exactly where they want to be.

For Syrengelas, the experience solidified her interest in pursuing a career in baseball operations, and Pinta now has a clearer vision for her post-graduation professional plans.

Leid was so inspired by the project that she decided to apply for — and was recently accepted into — ASU's Master of Sports Law and Business program.

"I'm so excited for opportunities similar to this project, to work alongside people as passionate about sports as myself, and to leverage Phoenix's exciting sports landscape," Leid said.