Sport Management
An 18-credit minor across the business of sport — promotion and sales, sport law, leadership, facility and event management, and finance.
About the Minor
ACU’s Sport Management Minor is built for students preparing to work in the business side of sport — athletic administration, sport marketing, facility and event management, sport finance, and the broader sport industry. The 18-credit minor walks through six dedicated sport management courses: Introduction to Sport Management (BSM 201), Sport Promotion and Sales (BSM 320), Sport Law (BSM 332), Leadership in Sport Organizations (BSM 340), Sport Facility and Event Management (BSM 400), and Sport Finance (BSM 420). Introduction to Business (BUS 101) serves as the 3-credit prerequisite gateway and can overlap with other major requirements.
The minor’s distinction is its sport-specific focus. Where the Business Minor stays broad and the Marketing Minor goes deep on marketing alone, Sport Management applies business disciplines to the specific context of sport — where the products are intangible (entertainment, identification, experience), the customers are emotionally invested, the legal framework is unique, and the events come on tight schedules.
Pairs especially naturally with Communication, Athletic Coaching, Exercise Physiology, Christian Ministries (especially sport-and-ministry work), and any major where work in or near athletics is part of the post-graduation plan.
What You'll Learn
Understand the Sport Industry
Survey the structure, segments, and economics of the sport industry — from amateur and collegiate through professional levels.
Apply Sport Promotion and Sales
Build the working skills sport marketing actually requires — ticket sales, sponsorship, brand building, fan engagement.
Engage Sport Law
Study the legal framework sport organizations operate inside — contracts, liability, intellectual property, regulatory compliance.
Lead Sport Organizations
Develop the leadership skills specific to sport organizations — managing athletes, staff, and the unique demands of competitive enterprises.
Run Facilities and Events
Apply facility and event management principles to sport — from venue operations to game-day execution.
Manage Sport Finances
Build the working command of sport-specific finance — budgeting, revenue, cost structure, and the financial realities of athletic programs.
Sport Business Through a Biblical Worldview
A Biblical Worldview takes sport seriously — both as a place where character is formed and as an industry that comes with real ethical questions about how the business is conducted.
Sport as Formative Space
At its best, sport forms character — discipline, perseverance, teamwork, handling success and failure. A Biblical Worldview takes that formative dimension seriously, meaning sport-business decisions should serve the people sport is meant to form, not exploit them.
Equips you to evaluate sport-business decisions by who they actually serve.Stewardship of Sport Organizations
Sport organizations steward time, money, athlete welfare, fan trust, and community investment. The minor's finance, facility, and leadership courses treat that stewardship as central — sport managers are caretakers of something larger than the bottom line.
Anchors your sport-management work in accountability for the people and communities sport touches.Integrity in a High-Stakes Industry
Sport business creates constant ethical pressure — recruiting, sponsorship, contracts, scheduling, athlete care, fan management. BSM 332 Sport Law and the broader minor take ethics seriously as foundational to long-term success, not as constraint."
Prepares you to lead sport organizations in environments where doing the right thing matters far beyond any single season.Where This Minor Takes You
Sport Management opens doors across collegiate, professional, and amateur athletic settings — and in the businesses that serve them.
Athletic Administration
Step into athletic-department, conference, or athletic-association roles in K–12, collegiate, or governing-body settings.
Sport Marketing and Sales
Move into sport-specific marketing, ticket sales, sponsorship, and brand-partnership roles at teams, leagues, and agencies.
Sport Facility and Event Management
Lead venue operations, event production, and game-day management at stadiums, arenas, and sport-tournament organizations.
Christian Sport Ministry
Combine the minor with Christian Ministries for sport-ministry organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, or church-based sport outreach.
Sport Finance and Operations
Step into financial-analysis and operations roles at sport organizations — uncommon path but real, especially with strong analytic preparation.
Bridge to Sport Management MBA or MS
Build foundation for graduate study in sport management, athletic administration, or sport business.
Why Students Choose This Minor
The Sport Management Minor at ACU stands out for the dedicated six-course BSM sequence — actual depth in sport-specific business disciplines.
Six Dedicated Sport Management Courses
Introduction, Promotion/Sales, Sport Law, Leadership, Facility/Event Management, and Sport Finance — actual depth, not just an introductory survey.
Sport Law Required
BSM 332 Sport Law is mandatory — sport's legal framework is unique and required learning for any serious sport-business role.
Facility and Event Management Included
BSM 400 brings the practical operations side of sport business into the required core — uncommon at the minor level.
Pairs With Athletic Coaching Minor
Combining Sport Management with ACU's Athletic Coaching Minor creates an unusually strong sport-administration-plus-coaching preparation.
Same Faculty as the BS Sport Management
Sport Management Minor students sit in the same courses with the same professors as ACU's sport management majors.
Getting Started
The Sport Management Minor has a clean prerequisite chain — BUS 101 first, then BSM 201, then the four upper-division BSM courses.
Talk With Your Academic Advisor
Map the 18 minor credits plus BUS 101 into your degree plan.
Take BUS 101 Early
BUS 101 Introduction to Business is the prerequisite for BSM 201 Introduction to Sport Management. Schedule it freshman or sophomore year.
View BUS 101 →Add BSM 201 Sophomore or Junior Year
BSM 201 Introduction to Sport Management is the prerequisite for every other BSM course in the minor. Take it before your senior year.
Sequence the Upper-Division BSM Courses
BSM 320, 332, 340, 400, and 420 can be taken in nearly any order once BSM 201 is complete. Spread them across junior and senior year.
Explore More Options
Ready to Work in the Business of Sport?
The Sport Management Minor gives you the sport-specific business preparation athletic administration, sport marketing, and the broader sport industry actually require. Apply or reach out today.
