In a new initiative to better connect students and professionals in the sports and fitness industry, the Carolina Sport Business Club hosted its first Carolina Sport Business & Fitness Expo at Kenan Stadium’s Blue Zone Saturday.
The event featured talks from a host of esteemed individuals in the sport and fitness industry and presented former UNC alumnus and basketball legend Phil Ford.
The club’s faculty advisor, Deborah Stroman, said she saw Ford as the perfect candidate to be the keynote speaker at the expo.
“What better person than a Phil Ford? He is a native North Carolinian, he is an icon, he represents sport, he represents pro sports, he represents college sports,” Stroman said. “He is engaging, he is exciting. When many people think about the brand of UNC, I would say there isn’t one person who is affiliated with the University that would not say Phil Ford.”
When Ford took the podium during the expo, he gave the attendees an insightful view into his experiences in sports, and in particular discussed how all students should have a “Plan B.”
“I talk to school kids with every year, and I tell them, ‘Listen, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a supreme court judge, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a professional athlete, there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a world-renowned guitarist,‘” Ford said.
“But now those jobs, they just don’t fall off the truck everyday, you got to have a game Plan B. The best game Plan B I think is you guys are here right now. It’s having a good education, something you can fall back on.”
Along with Ford, there were other speakers present to give advice to the students on entering the sports and fitness industry.
“People always ask, ‘What do you look for in a hire?’ I think the best qualities you can have are curiosity and initiative,” said Will Pleasants, senior vice president of consulting at the Wasserman Media Group.
