Second Session of Sports Business MBA Kicks Off in Kaunas
On 15th January, the second session of the new 2017-18 Sports Business MBA by Euroleague Basketball Institute has begun in Kaunas, Lithuania. The first session of the joint programme by Vytautas Magnus University and Euroleague Basketball was held in Barcelona, Spain.
According to Dr. Mantautas Račkauskas, Vice-Dean of the VMU Faculty of Economics and Management, the students will have their first “live” presentations and course paper defenses in Kaunas, while academic presentations will be held by various practicians and researchers, including VMU representatives Assoc. Prof. Sonata Staniulienė, Assoc. Prof. Renata Legenzova, Assoc. Prof. Audrius Šimkus, as welll as the general manager, employees, partners and sponsors of Kaunas Žalgiris basketball club and Secretary General of the Lithuanian Basketball Federation. In total, the students will receive 14 presentations from professionals-practicians.
General Manager of Žalgiris, Paulius Motiejūnas, notes that his team is one of the most efficient clubs in the Euroleague, while Žalgirio Arena is one of the top-selling arenas in the league: these efficiency indicators should be useful in the analysis of the basketball club’s activities and in comparisons of team efficiency.
“Students are especially interested in real practical information about an actual sports club and not just studying theory but also learning how to implement it in practice. Žalgiris manager Paulius Motiejūnas is also the graduate of Euroleague Basketball Institute’s study programme in Italy, back when it was organized together with the Ca’ Foscari University, so he understood the students’ needs well and contributed willingly to the organization of this week in Kaunas”, Dr. Račkauskas explained.
Over the last six months, VMU lecturers and students were busy with various activities and gained valuable experience. According to the staff of VMU Faculty of Economics and Management, the study process was intense but very interesting. The lectures were taught remotely by seven lecturers: this study format is unusual, especially when it covers the entire study programme rather than one lecture.
“Along with our partner Euroleague Basketball Institute, we are pleased to be able to provide our students with exceptional opportunities to peek behind the scenes of sports. The students gain knowledge that cannot be found in any textbook but the acquired practical insight and experience complement the taught theoretical material really well. We hope that the first graduates of the Sports Business MBA will be satisfied with our efforts and the knowledge they have gained and will become leaders in the world of sports”, Dr. Račkauskas said.
Sports Business MBA is the only international study programme conducted together with Euroleague Basketball Institute. The organization selected a higher education institution in Lithuania, Vytautas Magnus University, from all universities in the continent. The study programme was created by the Euroleague Basketball Institute and VMU in order to provide current or future professionals of sports business with more opportunities to learn directly from sports industry specialists and academic experts.
