{"id":106603,"date":"2025-12-11T11:33:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T16:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=106603"},"modified":"2025-12-15T09:41:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T14:41:19","slug":"how-a-brock-masters-program-is-making-dreams-come-true-for-sport-enthusiasts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/12\/how-a-brock-masters-program-is-making-dreams-come-true-for-sport-enthusiasts\/","title":{"rendered":"How a Brock master\u2019s program is making dreams come true for sport enthusiasts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Growing up, Nolan Keats could usually be found playing hockey and lacrosse in his free time. That love of sport has shaped his career ever since, most recently inspiring him to enrol in Brock\u2019s inaugural Master of Sport Management (MSM)<\/a> cohort this fall.<\/p>\n

He first learned about the program through a connection between Professor of Sport Management Chris Chard and the head varsity hockey coach at York University, where he \u00a0volunteered doing statistical analytics, player evaluation and recruitment analysis as an undergraduate Business and Society student.<\/p>\n

\u201cChris Chard is the reason I\u2019m here,\u201d says Keats. \u201cJust hearing about what the program was supposed to be \u2014 this is right up my alley.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an MSM student, Keats says he has a unique opportunity to apply his interdisciplinary background to the world of professional sport, particularly through the much-anticipated practicum that is a key element of the 12-month program. From corporate to teams to leagues to non-profit organizations, the practicum will give students hands-on experience in sports management settings where they will be able to hone their problem-solving skills and build professional networks.<\/p>\n

Keats, who already has experience representing Professional Women’s Hockey League athletes at a sport agency, aims to work with a players\u2019 association such as the National Hockey League Players’ Association or the National Lacrosse League Players’ Association during his placement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe practicum is a springboard for a career or opportunity down the road,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He has also had the chance to get hands-on experience as a member of Brock\u2019s first-ever MSM case competition team at the 18th annual PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in Toronto in early November.<\/p>\n

Keats and fellow MSM students Riley Knysh (BSM ’23), Kylie Thompson (BSM ’25) and Ivano Labricciosa, who is also the Brock-Niagara Validation Prototyping and Manufacturing Institute Business Director, tackled a case designed and presented by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).<\/p>\n

With just hours to prepare their presentation on Nov. 1, they developed a strategy to address the declining engagement of 50\/50 raffles among younger fans and presented it to a panel of \u00a0judges the following day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a quick turnaround, very fast-paced,\u201d Keats says.<\/p>\n

Advancing through multiple rounds, the team had to adapt their approach within minutes between presentations.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the last round, the judges challenged us to present it in a different and unique way. It really pushed us to think outside the box,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The team\u2019s critical thinking and strategic acumen helped them secure a place in the finals and ultimately finish second overall, just behind last year\u2019s returning finalist team.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Burton, MSM Graduate Program Director and Associate Professor of Sport Management, says the team\u2019s success reflects the collaboration, expertise and creativity of Brock\u2019s inaugural MSM cohort.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompeting at this level so early in their academic journey demonstrates the leadership and problem-solving skills that define Brock Sport Management students,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

By combining sport management and business strategy, with a particular focus on developing data-driven decision-making, sports analytics and strategic development, Burton says the next generation of sport leaders are poised to shape the industry.<\/p>\n

Keats says the program has already exceeded his expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell the professors really care about their students,\u201d\u00a0he says.<\/p>\n

The support of faculty and sense of community he\u2019s found in the MSM program has been an important part of his Brock experience, especially as he moved to St. Catharines without knowing anyone in the city.<\/p>\n

Outside of his studies, he continues to support sponsorship outreach, research and expansion projects through the sport agency, attends Brock lacrosse games and plays volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee with his MSM classmates.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very tight-knit group. Everybody\u2019s open-minded and collaborative,\u201d he says. \u201cWe help each other study, work on projects and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about Brock\u2019s MSM program, visit the program website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Growing up, Nolan Keats could usually be found playing hockey and lacrosse in his free time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":106607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36,188,55,1],"tags":[11048,4753,7488,12849,5541,2852,594,14317,9894,3694,57],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106603"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=106603"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106609,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/106603\/revisions\/106609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/106607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=106603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=106603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=106603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}