Wichita State University Sport Management Alumni
A little over three years ago, William "Boomer" Jenkinshad just finished his bachelors at Truman University and was about to start his Masters in Sport Management at Wichita State University. Today he is the Business Intelligence Analyst for the professional soccer club, Sporting Kansas City.
That position was new to Sporting KC, which allows Boomer freedom and creativity with his work. He states, “it’s great to be able to craft a new product in the fastest growing sport in the country.” Boomer has a variety of responsibilities with his current position including analyzing ticket sales and trends on the current market, sponsorship sales, customizing platforms to target companies, and many more. Being a new position, his role and responsibilities will continue to expand.
Before Boomer had his current position, he was a Corporate Partnership Sales Intern for Sporting KC. He claims, “the biggest factor in getting this position was the internship I had with Sporting KC to complete my degree requirements.”
The internship and experience based curriculum is one of the biggest things that drew Boomer to Wichita State's Sport Management program. The biggest factors in decided to attend Wichita State was, “the open communication of the faculty, the structure of the program (internship/experience based rather than dissertation), and the affordability.”
Boomer's advice for job seekers, “never stop applying, follow up directly, and to build a network and use it.” He suggests applying to as many jobs as you can, but to “customize each application” to “catch someone’s eye.” Boomer adds that online applications make it “easy [for an application] to get lost in the shuffle.” He also notes how close-knit the sport industry is and that asking former employers or coworkers to introduce you to someone and following up after an application are two of the best methods to get noticed.
Coming to Wichita State, Boomer knew that continuing his education was extremely important to being successful in his career. The work in the classroom as well as his internship helped him reach his goal. Boomer is an excellent example of taking full advantage of every opportunity presented and succeeding in the best manner possible.