«Will always choose education to idling by on the couch»

A new student had joined the «Sports Industry Management» RMA program - the captain of basketball CSKA club Victor Khryapa. We are offering you a part of an interview with the new student.

Where did you find out about RMA?

From my friends. However, non of them were directly related to sports, not even from the baskeball players themselves, and I know you've had Dmitri Domani studying here earlier, as well as Sergey Bykov and Ilona Corstin.  But speaking of specific people who have guided me over to RMA, then it is Denis Kozlov and Vasiliy Kozlovtsev. Both of them have graduated from your school, and Denis worked at CSKA, in the international department, and Vasily is now working as the team's administrator.

And what exactly did they tell you about RMA?

They basically said that I want to become a sports manager, then it is a perfect place to start. They said that studying here gives you an absolutely wholesome perspective on the way our sports industry operates. They explained why is it that way: because students interact directly with the practitioners in the field, who are actively managing the sports business, and because there is a very intense hands on program with field trips to the club's facilities, various federations and other such places where people can see for themselves the exact inner workings of the industry.  And it is crucially important - to see the real life, and not be limited by the mere theory on the subject. 

Do you have any kind of preliminary idea as to which area in sports you will most likely be applying your knowledge in? I've read one of your interviews, and was surprised to learn that you were the one who came up with the CSKA current mascot - «Just the horse»… And moreover, you have spoken a great deal about the fans, and the difference between them here and in America. Perhaps working with fans is your calling?

Once again, I don't think I can discuss what will happen in the future with with absolute certainty. I definitely don't exclude anything: even that my work as a manager will end up not being tied with basketball altogether. But in a way you are right: I could do quite well working with fans. Firstly, because unlike some other sports players, I do truly enjoy communicating with fans, and it has never been a problem for me. And secondly, there aren't that many basketball players in Russia who have been playing both here and in NBA, who would know the mechanisms of attracting viewers to the stadiums, and who would be in the position to replicate those successes here to the highest degree possible.

You are an active duty sports player, hence you have a very tight schedule. Do you manage to combine all your training and games with your education?

You know, I don't want to fool anybody. Of course, there is no question that I won't be able to attend each and every class outlined in my curriculum. But nevertheless, every opportunity that I'll have available to be here will seized. The games and training sessions are of course sacrosanct. But I assure you that when my classes will fall on my off days, I will surely be here studying rather than idling by on the couch. .