Athletic Administration Program Creates New Opportunities in Sport Management
JJ Alberts worked for high-profile employers throughout his career in sports, yet he still had a professional void.
That’s no longer the case thanks to Endicott College, and he’s making sure fellow sports professionals know they can take their careers to the next level with a Master of Education in Athletic Administration.
“I really wanted to learn from experts to see what they are teaching now, how it relates to the 20 years I’ve had in the business, and how I can start incorporating some of the new techniques into my profession,” Alberts, the general manager for Learfield Sports’ Providence College properties, said.
Alberts’ two decades in the business, combined with his new master’s degree, made him the perfect candidate to join fellow elite sports management professionals for an engaging February discussion at Endicott. Alberts, his fellow panelists, and keynote speaker Sue Byrne, associate director of athletics, sales, and marketing at Harvard University, discussed everything from interviewing to networking in the world of sports and recreation.
If you had told Alberts in 1993 when he was graduating from Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in political science that he’d be sitting on such a panel, he probably would have looked at you in bewilderment. After all, his career aspirations were focused on politics, even though he wasn’t having any luck volunteering for winning campaigns when he returned to Massachusetts.
That’s when the former men’s soccer walk-on utilized a printout of Marquette alumni in the Boston area and crafted handwritten letters highlighting his other passion – athletics. A marketing internship at Merrimack College soon followed, and he since has worked for TD Garden (then the FleetCenter), ESPNBoston.com, New England Patriots, and Boston Celtics before Learfield Sports.
Alberts’ new master’s degree also has been an important addition to his résumé. What Alberts found at Endicott was a program that fit into his busy life with small, online courses taught by experienced practitioners.
“I knew this was going to be a good investment and something I would use for years to come,” he said.
D’Onofrio added: “JJ Alberts has a very impressive résumé in the fields of college and professional sports. I’ve found him to be a very dedicated, hardworking, and talented individual. He is the quintessential ambassador for our master’s program.”
Learn more about the Master of Science in Sport Leadership from Endicott, preparing students for careers in schools, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, sports governing bodies, private sports clubs, and more.