Every January, UCLA’s sports marketing department reviews
its football marketing plan to evaluate what worked and what
didn’t work in the previous year.
Cassidy Moore saw something that didn’t work.
“I want to hear what the students want to do, to build up
student morale,” she said.
As one of the department’s assistant directors, Moore is
launching the UCLA Sports Marketing Association to cull more
student enthusiasm for athletics. The group will meet monthly to
give students exposure to the professional sports marketing world,
and more importantly, to improve student fan involvement in Bruin
sports.
A brainstorming meeting was held Tuesday night in the Morgan
Center to hear student concerns.
“As a student I want to see more student involvement at
basketball and football games,” said second-year marketing
intern Carl Pestelos.
Moore spent her undergraduate years at the University of
Arizona, where the students’ attitude toward campus sports is
“completely different.”
“And that has nothing to do with the students that
go,” she explained. “It’s the community around
the school. In Tuscon, there’s nothing else to do other than
be involved in Arizona athletics.”
Moore took the model for the UCLA Sports Marketing Association
from the marketing plan at Arizona. She admits there are
distractions in Los Angeles that don’t exist in Tuscon, but
is guided by the philosophy that student enthusiasm is
self-perpetuating.
Many of the over 50 students who attended Tuesday’s
meeting want a new student seating plan at Pauley Pavilion to fuel
that enthusiasm.
“I wish to see more student involvement, especially at the
basketball games, because currently we have no home-court
advantage,” said Lauren Schirrmacher, a student intern in the
marketing department.
According to the Athletic Department, a new student seating
arrangement ““ one that would give more floor seating to
students ““ is currently in the works.
Scott Mitchell, UCLA’s director of sports marketing
acknowledged that this issue will attract students to the group,
but feels the group will have a broader focus ““ one that
Moore believes will bring fan support to more than just the
men’s basketball and football teams.