«Canada's sports business: experience of NHL, MLS, NBA»

          

Another RMA internship program was conducted on January 11th through 24th in Toronoto, Monreal and Ottawa for the students and partners of RMA business school "Sport Industry Management" program titled «Canada's Sports Business: experience of NHL, MLS, NBA».

The main events of the internship were, of course, centered on hockey: Canada, as is comonly known, is the original birthplace of this game, and it still remains the undisputable leader among the popular sports, enjoying the kind of popularity that soccer has in a country such as Brazil.

Among the clubs, that our participants had a chance to get acquainted with, were two absolute legends in the field. We are talking about Toronto Maple Leafs  and their prime contender Montreal Canadiens, which is the oldest and most titulated club in NHL, and which included such stars Jacques Plante, Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur, Ken Dryden, Larry Robinson, Patric Roy and many others.

Undoubtably, the was a lot of interest in visiting Ottawa Senators, despite the fact that this team has not had very large victories, the Senators were able to win Stanley Cup 11 times, and were at the time widely considered a hockey team of a considerable challenge.

Besides that, the program included a visit of a cult like (particularly among the fans) Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronoto, a familiarization with the work of The National Hockey League Players' Association, which is particularly relevant in light of the upcoming 2016 World Cup, as well as the attendance of a game involving a current Stanley Cup winner - the Chicago Blackhawks. 

It's worth noting the unique approach of the North-American sports industry in engaging their audience, their event management and a show component, all of which elevates it to a leading position on a world stage. Beside the detailed and in-depth introduction to the day-to-day operational activities of the Canada's hockey grandes, the internship program was also aimed at learning the transient rules of the organization and management of the professional clubs that include Top-10 most popular leagues in the world: NHL, MLS, NBA, MLB, and had given it's participants the unique opportunity to acquire a cutting edge marketing and commercial instruments, which are only now begining to be implemented in the European sports industry.

The coordinator of the prject was Darius Kasparaitis, an Olympic champion (1992), who had spent 14 seasons playing in the NHL, and now is heading a development company Verzasca Group (Miami, USA).