ASMS Alumna Mandy Barefoot (Class of 2004) Speaks with ASMS Research Fellows Students and Mentors a Student Research Project
Written by Julia Schwartz, ASMS junior from Madison County
On Tuesday, January 9th, ASMS alum Mandy Barefoot (Class of 2004) led a Lunch and Learn for ASMS students to share her experience working in sport management. She also spoke to the ASMS Research Fellows Program classes while on campus. She is currently working on her PhD in Kinesiology and Sport Management at Louisiana State University.
“Adaptability and openness to new experiences are two vital characteristics for people wanting to go into sport management or work in sports. Communication and people skills are also very important across the industry and in sport management academia. No two days are ever the same!”
Not surprisingly, she also recommends this field to people with an interest in sports. Barefoot grew up watching minor league baseball and has gravitated towards ice hockey in her career. She mentioned that becoming an industry insider changed the way she views games, noticing more of the behind-the-scenes decision-making that contributes to the fan experience, the flow of the game, and the overall success of the team. Even small things like when certain songs are played or how sponsors are picked shape the experience for the fans.
Barefoot’s interest in sports shaped her ASMS experience as well. As a student, Barefoot was on the volleyball team, kept the stats for the basketball team, and managed the men’s soccer team. She was also editor of the newspaper and Film Society president. After ASMS, she attended The University of Alabama for Athletic Training, then earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management from Post University and a master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Management from Louisiana State University. She has worked for several hockey and baseball teams, including her hometown Huntsville Havoc, the Memphis RedBirds, and the Macon Bacon.
As the Service and Ticketing Manager of the Mississippi RiverKings, she shared her passion for sports to inspire young fans through the Face Off Field Trip program. Barefoot has several published academic articles and has given numerous conference talks. While she was visiting ASMS, she talked about her experience managing sports teams including improving ticket sales, looking at why people attend games, analyzing ticket sales through Ticketmaster, and seeing which email headlines get more clicks.
Right now, she is working on her dissertation on how the seasonal cycle of the professional sport calendar impacts the experiences of business office employees in these organizations. “My research is centered around the experiences of employees working in minor league professional sports in the U.S.” She also teaches classes in sport marketing and sport ticket and sponsorship sales. Her goal is to become a professor at a research university
In addition to visiting ASMS to speak, Mandy is mentoring a research project through the ASMS Research Fellows Program this year. While on campus, she met with her research mentee, Jordan Simmons. Their research topic is a qualitative analysis of media coverage of female basketball players.
We appreciate her visiting and sharing her career insights with us and our students!