A University of Idaho sports management student who once planned on a career in athletic training found herself pitching ticket packages to industry professionals from the NFL, MLB, and NHL earlier this spring — a transition that reflects how the program is connecting Moscow-based students to real-world opportunities in a competitive field.
Lizzie Childers, a class of 2026 graduate, originally enrolled at the University of Idaho as an athletic training student before a sports management course and a March Madness event in Spokane shifted her direction. She eventually changed her major to recreation, sport and tourism management — and this past spring, that decision took her to Denver, Colorado for the Sports Sales Workshop and Job Fair.
Denver Trip Offers Hands-On Learning
Childers was among three undergraduate students who traveled to Denver alongside two faculty members from the University of Idaho’s movement science and sport and recreation management program. The group toured Empower Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos, and participated in workshop sessions where students practiced pitching ticket packages and conducted mock sales calls in front of working sports industry professionals.
The professionals in the room represented a cross-section of major league organizations, including the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rapids, and San Jose Sharks. Childers also received direct feedback from a manager with the Cleveland Browns, who commented specifically on her energy level during her pitch.
The experience gave Childers a sharper understanding of what selling sports really requires. “Sports are not a need, they’re a want,” she said. “You have to make it fun and memorable, so fans buy the experience.”
That perspective captures a core challenge in sports business: unlike selling a product tied to practical necessity, sports marketers are competing for discretionary time and money. The workshop placed students directly inside that reality, with working professionals evaluating their technique and delivery in real time.
Faculty Shaped Students Before They Stepped on the Floor
The trip did not begin in Denver. Faculty members Melody Alanis, assistant professor of movement science, and Brian Fowler, clinical assistant professor and program coordinator for sport and recreation management, worked with students ahead of the trip on resume development, elevator speeches, and professional networking strategies.
Alanis said the goal extended beyond sales training. She described wanting to give students exposure to the full range of what the sports industry encompasses — not just the sales track that anchors the conference curriculum, but the broader diversity of roles and organizations that make up a functioning sports business ecosystem.
“I wanted to expose these students to the diversity of the sport industry, not just sports sales, which is the basis of the conference,” Alanis said.
That preparation reflects a broader effort within the University of Idaho’s program to close the gap between academic study and professional readiness. For students pursuing careers in an industry that rarely advertises open doors, the ability to network confidently and make a strong first impression in a room full of scouts and hiring managers can define early career outcomes.
The University of Idaho has been expanding academic programming in recent years. The institution is also launching new Bachelor’s and graduate-level degrees in artificial intelligence this fall, signaling continued investment in career-focused instruction across disciplines.
What Comes Next
For Childers, the Denver trip was among her final major academic experiences before graduation. The feedback she received from a Browns manager and the hands-on sales work she completed at the workshop give her tangible talking points heading into the job market. With a background now rooted in recreation, sport and tourism management rather than athletic training, her path illustrates how program flexibility at the University of Idaho can accommodate students whose goals evolve during their undergraduate years.
Faculty members Alanis and Fowler are expected to continue developing experiential opportunities for students in the sport and recreation management program, with the Denver workshop representing the kind of industry-connected travel that sets program graduates apart when competing for entry-level roles in professional sports organizations.
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