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Sport Management

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The sport management program at Missouri Baptist University is designed to assist students in developing skills to organize, administer and facilitate sport programs at the corporate, agency, professional and amateur levels. Opportunities are provided to develop knowledge and skills relevant to the performance of these functions.

Sport Management graduates work in a variety of supervisory and management positions in sport-related organizations and businesses including:

  • Professional teams
  • Semi-professional teams
  • Youth sports programs
  • Intercollegiate athletics
  • Intramural sports
  • Sport foundations
  • Health and fitness clubs
  • Ice arenas
  • Aquatic facilities
  • Golf courses
  • Sport equipment retailing
  • Boy’s Clubs
  • Girl’s Clubs
  • YMCA
  • County park and recreation departments
  • Youth sport programs
  • Ice arenas
  • Community centers
  • Theme parks
  • Travel companies
  • Tourism planning agencies
  • Event planning businesses

Area Professional Sport Organizations

Area University Athletic Programs

Other Area Sport Organizations

SPORT MANAGEMENT MAJOR

Applicable Degrees: Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Professional Studies (Offered Online)

Required courses: 39 hours
SMGT 113 Introduction to Sport Management
SMGT 223 Sport Management Practicum
SMGT 253 Tournament and Event Management
SMGT 263 Communication in Sport
SMGT 323 Governance and Leadership in Sport
SMGT 333 Sport Sociology
SMGT 373 Sport Marketing
PHED 413/5131 Sport Facility Management
SMGT 423/5231 Sport Law
SMGT 463/5631 Sport Finance
SMGT 483 Senior Seminar in Sport Management

Elective courses: 3 hours*

*Qualifying students may spend the equivalent of full-time employment (400 hours) in an appropriate agency for six elective internship credit hours. Prerequisites: 90 hours of accumulated course credit, a minimum of 24 hours of course credit completed in the major, 3.0 GPA in the major, and the internship coordinator’s permission.

See the catalog section on Senior Permission for information on earning graduate credit for this course.

MINOR:
Business Administration  – 18 Hours
(for Non-Business Division Majors)


Required Accounting (ACCT) courses:
ACCT 213 Principles of Financial Accounting
ACCT 223 Principles of Managerial Accounting

Required Business (BUSN) courses:
BUSN 303 Business Ethics
BUSN 353 Communication Strategies in Business

Required Management (MGMT) course:
MGMT 303 Management Concepts and Practices

Required Marketing (MRKT) course:
MRKT 313 Introduction to Marketing
 
Total required: 60 hours


Admission Requirement:
Freshmen: Student must have a 21 or higher composite ACT score
Transfers: Student must have a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA

Students not meeting the Sport Management admission requirement upon entering the University may be immediately accepted into the Fitness Management major.  Students wishing to be admitted into the Sport Management major will be allowed to present a written request for acceptance to the chair of the Health and Sport Sciences Division after at least one full semester of study at MBU if the cumulative 2.5 GPA requirement has been met.

A 2.5 cumulative grade point average is required for graduation.
 

*It is strongly suggested that Sport Management students:

  • Be cognizant of courses which are only offered once a year so that graduation can occur in a timely fashion.
  • Finish all undergraduate requirements in the same semester as the internship. This will allow full-time employment to be more readily available after graduation.

SPORT MANAGEMENT MINOR
SMGT 113 Introduction to Sport Management
SMGT 263 Communication in Sport
SMGT 373 Sport Marketing
SMGT 423/5231 Sport Law
SMGT 433/5331 Sport Psychology
SMGT 463/5631 Sport Finance

Total Hours 18

Greg Comfort, Division Chair


Division Chair & Director of Distance Learning
Contact information:
greg.comfort@mobap.edu
314-392-2282

Bio:

Greg completed his doctoral work at the University of Arkansas in 1992 and has held teaching positions at Liberty University (1988-1999), Wichita State University (1999-2003), and Missouri Baptist University (2003-current).  He currently serves as the chair of the Health and Sport Sciences Division and teaches undergraduate and graduate classes in sport management.  Greg enjoys singing bass in the Lake Saint Louis Baptist Church choir throughout the year and riding his bike during the summer.

Courses Taught:

SMGT 113 – Introduction to Sport Management
SMGT 333 – Sport Sociology
SMGT 403/503 – Sport Management Project
SMGT 583 – Leadership in Sport
SMGT 533 – Sport Psychology
SMGT 576 – Sport Management Internship


Janet Comfort

Instructor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
janet.comfort@mobap.edu

Bio:

Janet earned her B.S. degree in Accounting at Liberty University in 1991.  In 1998 she coached women’s softball at Lynchburg College while earning her Master’s degree in Accounting.  After moving to Wichita, Kansas in 2002, Janet completed a graduate degree in Sport Administration at Wichita State University and taught at several area colleges.  Janet moved to the Saint Louis area in 2003 and began teaching online classes for Missouri Baptist University (MBU).  Continuing to teach online, Janet owned and operated a business in the O’Fallon, Missouri area from 2006-2014. After teaching on campus Accounting classes in 2014, Janet decided to return to the online classroom in 2015 because of her love for online learning.

Courses Taught:

SMGT 463/563 – Sport Finance
SMGT 501 – Sport Management Orientation
SMGT 523 – Sport Law
SMGT 563 – Sport Finance


Guy Danhoff, Assistant Professor


Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
guy.danhoff@mobap.edu
314-744-5352

Bio:

Guy holds a M.S. degree (1992) in Exercise Science as well as a B.S. degree (1990) magna cum laude in Corporate Fitness from Western Illinois University.  He has recently completed the coursework for his Doctorate in Business Administration (ABD) with a specialization in marketing from Northcentral University.  Mr. Danhoff began his teaching career at MBU in 2008 after serving 14-years in the fitness industry with positions in sales, sales management, business development, marketing, operations, and his last appointment as the director of fitness entertainment technology.  Guy currently serves as the Graduate Fitness Management Program Coordinator and teaches fitness and sport management courses in both the undergraduate and graduate programs.  Mr. Danhoff also serves as the sideline field reporter for MBU football home games and as is a broadcast color analyst on the Spartan Digital Network.

Courses Taught:

EXSC 453/553 – Fitness Management
EXSC 463 – Senior Seminar
PHED 533 – Sport Entrepreneurship
SMGT 263 – Communication in Sport
SMGT 373 – Sport Marketing
SMGT 423/523 – Sport Law
SMGT 513 – Research Methods
SMGT 543 – Advanced Sport Marketing
SMGt 573 – Sport Public Relations
SMGT 583T – Thesis Proposal
SMGT 583D – Thesis Defense

Andrew Elvington, Assistant Professor of Health


Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
andrew.elvington@mobap.edu
314-485-8405

Bio:

Prior to joining the Missouri Baptist University family in the fall of 2015, Dr. Elvington completed a BS in Microbiology at Clemson University, after which he completed his PhD in Biomedical Sciences, awarded with distinction, from the Medical University of South Carolina. Active in scholarly research, Dr. Elvington conducted biomedical research and maintains a research collaboration at Washington University School of Medicine. In addition to the current course load, Dr. Elvington is highly experienced in gross anatomy, immunology and pathology, and public health coursework, among others. Personally, Dr. Elvington is married with two boys, Henry and Samuel, and currently lives in south Saint Louis County

Courses Taught:

EXSC 313 – Exercise Physiology I
EXSC 321 – Exercise Physiology II Lab
EXSC 323 – Exercise Physiology II
HSCI 113 – Introduction to Health Sciences
KACT 101F – Aerobic Theory & Practice
KACT 101G – Golf
KHSC 333 – Health & Wellness

Mark Kimzey, Assistant Professor of Health


Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
kimzey@mobap.edu
3143922275

Bio:

Professor Mark A. Kimzey is an alumnus of Missouri Baptist University (90’).  He has earned an A.S. in Religion (88’), B.A. in Religion (90’), a M. Div. (94’), and a M.S.E – Kinesiology (06’).  Professor Kimzey began his career at Missouri Baptist University in 1992.  In 1996 Professor Kimzey began teaching as an adjunct instructor, and moved to full-time teaching in 2006. He served as the Exercise Science Program Coordinator for ten years, leading the team to accreditation under CoAES/CAAHEP in 2009, and again through the five-year accreditation visit in 2014.  Professor Kimzey has a great passion to see all students reach their full potential, and to help them see God’s great work in their lives.

Courses Taught:
EXSC 113 – Introduction to Exercise Science
EXSC 343 – Motor Learning and Control
EXSC 363 – Adapted Physical Activity
EXSC 476 – Internship/Practicum in Exercise Science
KHSC 333 – Health and Wellness

Michael Nolan, Assistant Professor of Health


Contact information:
michael.nolan@mobap.edu

Bio:

Michael Nolan holds a B.S. in Athletic Training from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an M.S.Ed. in Kinesiology from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. Michael brings clinical experience into the classroom as he has served Missouri Baptist University (MBU) in the Athletics Department since 2011 as an athletic trainer. Previous to MBU, Michael served as an athletic trainer at SIU-Carbondale and AAA minor league baseball. Michael currently serves on the NAIA Athletic Training Executive board and is the Co-Chair for the NAIA Council for Student Athletes.

After serving as an adjunct professor for five years, Michael accepted a full-time faculty position at MBU in 2018. He hopes to encourage every student and help cultivate their God given gifts and talents. Michael is married to his wife, Whitney, and they have two daughters, Madelyn and Katelyn.

Courses taught:
EXSC313 – Exercise Physiology I
EXSC323 – Exercise Physiology II
EXSC321 – Exercise Physiology II Lab
EXSC373 – Lab Assistantship
EXSC433 – Biomechanics
KACT101F – Fitness Theory

David Pierce, Assistant Professor of Health


Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
david.pierce@mobap.edu
3146407658

Bio:

Dave Pierce holds a BS degree in Education, a MS degree in Sport Management, and brings a wealth of experience in the field into the classroom.  Dave served as an intercollegiate athletic director for almost 30 years, retiring from Maryville University in 2002. Dave is a member of four Sport Hall of Fames and is currently serving on the Lakeland University Board of Trustees.

After serving as an adjunct professor for two years, Dave accepted a fulltime teaching position and the undergraduate sport management coordinator position at MBU in 2006. As the undergraduate sport management coordinator, Dave hopes to continue to use his many contacts on both the local and national front to help undergraduate sport management students at MBU reach their full potential and the undergraduate program reach higher levels of prominence in future years.

Courses Taught:

PHED 413/513 – Sport Facility Management
SMGT 223 – Sport Practicum
SMGT 253 – Tournament and Event Management
SMGT 323 – Governance and Leadership in Sport
SMGT 476 – Sport Internship
SMGT 483 – Senior Seminar
SMGT 486 – Sport Management Apprenticeship

Jessica Stapleton, Assistant Professor of Health


Assistant Professor of Health and Sport Sciences
Contact information:
jessica.stapleton@mobap.edu
3144858492

Bio:

Dr. “J” Stapleton became a Spartan in 2014 after completing her Ph.D. in Ontario, Canada.  She is a Sport and Exercise Psychologist who studies social influence on physical activity among persons with mobility impairment and self-regulation among collegiate athletes.  She enjoys teaching sport and exercise psychology and consulting athletes.  When not at MBU, Dr J is resistance training, playing basketball, and frequenting local parks with her Newfoundland, Zion.

Courses Taught:

EXSC 113 – Introduction to Exercise Science
EXSC 223 – Practicum in Exercise Science
EXSC 413 – Test & Prescription
EXSC 411 – Test & Prescription Lab
EXSC 443 – Exercise Physiology Lab Experience
EXSC 403/503 – Exercise Psychology
EXSC 373/473 – Lab Assistantship
EXSC 473B – Internship in Exercise Science
KHSC 413/513 – Chronic Diseases & Obesity
SMGT 433 – Sport Psychology

 


Joy Brueggeman


Contact information:
joy.brueggeman@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
KACT 101L – Stretching for Flexibility
KHSC 333 – Health and Wellness
PHED 263 – Movement and Rhythms

 

Randy Curless


Contact information:
randy.curless@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
SMGT 313 – Sport Evangelism

Iris Dixon


Contact information:
iris.dixon@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
KHSC 103 – Substance Abuse

SMGT 373 – Sport Marketing

Meredith Dill


Contact information:
meredith.dill@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
EXSC 233 – Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries

Deno Merrick


Contact information:
deno.merrick@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
KHSC 333 – Health and Wellness

Mark Sissom


Contact information:
mark.sisson@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
PHED 133 – First Aid and Emergency Care

KACT 101X – Bowling

Tom Smith


Contact information:
tom.smith@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
SMGT 583 – Leadership and Management in Sport

Eddie Uschold


Contact information:
eddie.uschold@mobap.edu

Courses Taught:
KHSC 333 – Health and Wellness
EXSC 283 – History and Philosophy of Sport
KACT 101A – Archery