Kean Sports Business Club Seeks New Opportunities Under New Leadership I Published November 11

By: Caroline Pease

The Kean Sports Business Club is preparing for another exciting season of meetings and events as the fall semester progresses. The new president of Kean Sports Business, Nadia Shah, has a focus on expanding opportunities for students. This year, Shah aims to enhance the club’s reach and impact, creating more engaging experiences for those interested in the sports industry.

Shah took leadership of the club at the conclusion of last semester from club founder and president Sebastian Salazar, who created the club in 2022. Since its founding, the club’s intention has been to provide as many sports-related activities and opportunities as possible. These objectives enticed and motivated Shah to become more involved.

Shah is determined to make each event “bigger and better” than the year before, with plans for more guest speakers at its Sports Summit, additional sports outings, and maximizing internship opportunities for members.

Club vice president and director of public relations, Shahara Rahim, features a weekly series called ‘Work in Sports Wednesday’ on the club’s Instagram page, where students can explore various internship postings, keeping them engaged and informed about potential career opportunities in the sports industry. For instance, their first series post featured open internships for MetLife Stadium, the National and Women’s National Basketball Association, and Ultrafooty, with direct links for application.

Shah attended Kean Sports Business Club events last year, like meetings, a guest speaker series, and namely the club’s inaugural Sports Summit, which increased her interest in the possibilities of the club. Seeing the club’s ability to bring like-minded sports enthusiasts together on campus, social media presence, and talking to Salazar, she knew that it was a club she wanted to lead. She highlighted the objectives of the club as providing students with an edge into the competitive industry of sports.

“Our big thing is networking and opportunities. We just want to provide the best for students, especially since the sports industry can be very competitive. Our main goal is that students know about these opportunities so that they can take them and apply to them and get them,” says Shah.

Shah and the rest of the executive board look to provide a multitude of networking opportunities to students, namely its Sports Summit.

The Sports Summit is a student-led event and a space where students are able to directly connect with sports industry executives. The executive board, with assistance from club advisor Professor Paul Casey, creates a proposal for potential companies. The event consists of panel discussions and tables from premier companies and sports teams like Disney, the New Jersey Devils, the New York Jets, the New York Red Bulls, and the National Basketball Association.

Last year’s summit was a success, with over 200 hundred students attending and another 300 hundred tuning into a livestream of the panels.

Shah says, “[the Sports Summit] is able to give students an opportunity to get that one-on-one networking experience and also being able to talk to these people who are working in sports companies. Because I feel like it’s super important, especially in college, to get that experience, especially like internships.”

The summit is student-organized, with club member volunteer committees handling marketing, finance, event coordination, and outreach. It is tentatively scheduled for the end of November. Shah encourages all students to come to the summit, as there are facets within the sports industry for almost all majors.

 “All students are welcome to come no matter what their major is. If they’re interested in sports, we want them there,” says Shah.

Along with the Sports Summit and monthly meetings, the club plans to host a club trip to a New Jersey Devils Game at the Prudential Center. Team executives will also be present, providing another networking opportunity. The game is on December 10.

“[The intention of the club is] to give students and experts from the sports industry a chance to explore trends, give insights, and foster networking opportunities,” says Shah.

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