Students Gain Sports Marketing Experience
by Jacy Johnston
Concordia students have created a marketing team designed to draw more supporters to Concordia basketball games.
Senior Brandon Namuth came up with the idea for the Concordia Student Marketing Team last year when working on a marketing project in professor Jonathon Moberly’s marketing class.
“Moberly was really impressed,” Namuth said. “We began to talk and he told me to pursue and try to actually create the organization.”
After Namuth’s first attempt to develop the club was unsuccessful, Moberly introduced Namuth to men’s basketball coach Ben Limback. With Limback’s help, the Marketing Team began to grow.
The Marketing Team has various plans to encourage students to attend basketball games. On Dec. 2, the Marketing Team handed out “6th man” T-shirts at the home men’s and women’s basketball games against Nebraska Wesleyan.
“We want as many students at basketball games as possible [and for] the student body to take pride in their university,” Namuth said. “While we are improving student attendance, we want to create a different atmosphere and be a true ‘6th man.’ We like to believe that the student body can be a contributing factor in how the game plays out.”
In addition to the free T-shirts, the Marketing Team advertised an upcoming giveaway for flat-screen TVs for those who attended the game.
The organization consists of three founding members: Senior Libby Zagel, senior Jake Sells and Namuth. The trio meets multiple times per week.
“Countless amount of students have approached me and asked to join,” Namuth said. “The internship already started so I had to say wait till next year, but I think it is great that students want to be a part of something the three of us have created.”
While the Concordia Student Marketing Team is focused on improving attendance at basketball games, the club hopes to expand its reach in the future.
“My vision for the rest of the year is to create an atmosphere so wild and fun for the students that it becomes a true powerhouse or known for being one of the toughest places to play basketball,” Namuth said. “In later years, I hope students who run the program can market to other sporting events to the point where there is a team that improves student attendance to every sporting event.”
