Syracuse University students train with Steiner Sports for Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles

Syracuse University students train with Steiner Sports for Syracuse-Steiner CollectiblesJune 07, 2007Gillian Ottmangeottma@syr.edu

An innovative partnership between leading sports memorabilia and marketing company Steiner Sports Marketing and Syracuse University’s Department of Sport Management and Department of Athletics is providing students with the ultimate hands-on learning experience this summer.

Selected students from the Department of Sport Management are spending part of the summer working with Steiner Sports Marketing in New Rochelle, N.Y., to train for their new venture beginning this fall: managing Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles. Professionals within Steiner Sports Marketing will train the students in how the company operates.

Upon the students’ return to campus in September, they will work with Sport Management Director and Chair Michael Veley to conduct market research, develop product lines and initiate retail sales. They will also help develop a business plan for SyracuseSteiner Collectibles, which will begin operation in late August 2007. Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles will concentrate on obtaining, marketing and selling one-of-a-kind SU athletic artifacts, autographed merchandise, apparel, photos and game-used equipment through an online auction venue. Students in the Department of Sport Management will help manage the business under the direction of Steiner Collectibles CEO Brandon Steiner ’81 and Veley.

“This is a perfect example of Scholarship in Action,” says Veley. “Mr. Steiner has provided our students with the opportunity to turn classroom learning into real-world results. Through this partnership, students will develop business and marketing skills in a true organizational structure while serving fans across the country.” Veley developed the original idea for the partnership with Steiner.

Authentic items expected to be available through Syracuse-Steiner Collectibles include furniture collectibles, along with autographed photographs and plaques created from the Carrier Dome floor on which the 2003 men’s basketball national championship team played, plus game-used jerseys and balls. Other marketing opportunities include fantasy experiences such as “meet the coaches,” being on the field for a football coin toss or attending a basketball post-game press conference.

Steiner is founder and chair of Steiner Sports Marketing, an 80-employee, $35-million enterprise. The company specializes in connecting athletes with corporate America through innovative programs, as well as offering high-profile, authentic memorabilia items from a veritable “who’s who” in the world of sports. Its inventory of collectibles includes more than 5,000 items, and its roster boasts more than 500 male and female professional athletes from virtually every sport.

The Department of Sport Management is part of SU’s College of Human Services and Health Professions. The college brings together the University’s professional programs in Child and Family Studies, Nutrition and Hospitality Management, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work and Sport Management in an environment of cross-disciplinary teaching, research, practice and service. Through classroom learning and hands-on experience, students in the college are prepared to become professionals who will provide the services that enhance the emotional and physical well-being of individuals, families and communities.