Sports is a business. And business is good.
In September, Providence College, in a partnership with Rhode Island FC LLC, welcomed its first cohort of students in its Master of Science in Sports Administration program, a completely online program designed to give both newcomers and established professionals a leg up in the booming industry.
A two-day orientation concluded with the 14 recruits touring the Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket before participating in a panel discussion with industry insiders, including RIFC President David Peart; Jeff Hagen, president of the Providence Bruins and PSE Agency, a sports marketing agency and owner/operator of the Providence Bruins; and Digit Murphy, former Brown University women’s hockey coach.
“The energy and passion for leadership in sports here in Rhode Island is truly inspiring,” said Murphy, who founded Providence-based agency United Women’s Sports in 2024.
Providence College boasts a rich legacy of notable sports alumni, including Rich Gotham, a 1986 graduate who served on the board of trustees for nine years and became president of the Boston Celtics in 2007; and Sarah McKenna, currently serving as the chief experience officer for the Boston Red Sox.
Housed within PC’s School of Business, the program’s collaboration with Rhode Island FC offers valuable exposure for the college, as well as opportunities for students to gain experience within a prominent sport.
Student Andre Solomon-Messier said he was honored to be enrolled in the program and believes it will be an “invaluable” opportunity to start a career in the sports industry.
“Not only did the sessions expand my knowledge, but I am already significantly broadening my professional network,” he said.
Providence College School of Business spokesperson Brian Maher said having 14 students in the first class “was a nice spot for us to be in.” The college aims to double the total enrollment over the next five years.
“And we are already starting to see some good demand for next year,” he said.
PC and RIFC are no strangers. The soccer team’s crest was designed by 2003 graduate Myles Dumas, design director at NAIL, a Providence-based creative agency.
“One of our priorities from the start has been creating a strong pipeline of future sports business professionals,” said Brendan Hankard, Rhode Island FC vice president of corporate partnerships. “The partnership with [the School of Business] allows students to gain real, practical experience in professional sports, bridging what they learn in the classroom with what we do day-to-day.”
The business school will have digital and concourse signage at the stadium and benefit from branding activities at selected RIFC games during the 2026 season. The school hopes the partnership can draw greater interest to both the program and the School of Business overall.
“We have developed a strong relationship on the branding side, certainly,” Maher said, adding that Rhode Island FC has been doing more than that, helping to book speakers and planning internships and future job opportunities with the club.
The two camps are now in early-stage discussions for a consulting project next year, Maher said.
The school is actively recruiting additional faculty to join those already in place, such as Danny Hill, a London-based sports and finance researcher with an extensive background in the soccer industry.
Then, there are practitioner-based faculty like John Stamatis, a longtime executive with Learfield, a sports marketing company that now works with more than 200 top collegiate properties.
“It’s a mix of industry veterans, academics we have hired specifically for the program and existing faculty,” Maher said.
According to projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment opportunities in the fields of entertainment and sports will reach 99,700 each year from 2024-2034, anchored by the globalization of sports, advancements in digital technologies, and historic investments in sports facilities and events.
The global sports industry continues its march toward “professionalization characterized by heightened stakes and growing investments in talent acquisition, analytics and enhanced fan experiences,” according to Deloitte’s 2025 Sports Industry Outlook, which noted, “This transformation is not limited to the top leagues but extends to lower-tier leagues and college athletics in the United States, too.”
The 11 courses making up the curriculum include titles such as Ethics and Sustainability in Sports; Risk Management and Contract Negotiation; and Financial Management in the Sports Industry.
From analytics and generative artificial intelligence to the debate around name, image and likeness, this isn’t the sports industry of the past.
Maher credits Nicolas Lorgnier, inaugural faculty director, with building the program “from the ground up,” spending the last year working with the college’s business leaders to develop the curriculum and recruit faculty.
“The excitement surrounding this initiative is palpable,” Lorgnier said in a statement. “The program is off to a great start. And we look forward to what lies ahead.”
(Correction: An earlier version of this story gave an inaccurate attribution to a quote. It was Brendan Hankard, Rhode Island FC vice president of corporate partnerships, who talked about the benefit of a partnership with Providence College.)
