Sports and business mix at PU

Chaney pulls symposium together

By: Mark Rosenthal
   Six months ago, Princeton University senior Chris Chaney came up with an idea to combine his love of sports with his eagerness to learn about the business side of them.
   The plan was to organize a gathering of former athletes and leaders in the athletic industry to discuss business related topics within the realm of sports. A sports symposium is how he would describe it.
   Like Plato’s famous symposium, which gathered the minds of ancient Greek scholars to discuss topics of philosophy, Chaney envisioned getting some of the greatest sports minds that we have today.
   "I wanted students here at Princeton to have the opportunity to learn about the industry and gain an insight about the business side of it, and to allow them to possibly network with some of its most influential people," Chaney said. "My own desire to learn about the industry is what lay at the root of my idea."
   After much planning and organizing, Chaney’s lofty idea finally became a reality last Friday, s Princeton University held the Princeton Sports Symposium in Dodds Auditorium.
   The event consisted of four panels of speakers that discussed questions that were posed by a moderator. Each panel spoke on a different topic of their area of expertise. Topics included sports management, marketing and retail, the change in the business of sports in the 21st century, and post college athletics.
   Some notable attendees included Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics, David Gross, Commissioner of Major League Lacrosse, and Bill Duffy, founder and CEO of BDA sports management which represents many current NBA stars such as Steve Nash, Yao Ming and Carmelo Anthony.
   A personal highlight for Chaney was having Princeton alumnus Dick Kazmaier attend. Kazmaier was a first round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1953 NFL draft, but chose to attend Harvard Business School instead of playing football because he felt he could make more money in business.
   "Dick Kazmaier is a former Heisman Trophy winner, won the male athlete of the year award, was on the cover of Time magazine, and is a very successful businessman. It was a real honor to have him," Chaney said.
   The turnout for the event surprised even Chaney himself.
   "It exceeded my expectations," he said. "I was a little worried that people might not attend. But we were able to pack the room and even had to bring in some extra chairs. It was standing room only by the end. We had people from far and wide, driving from as far as Massachusetts. The most interesting part was having such a wide range of ages represented. We had people as young as 28 and as old as mid-70s, so that gave it a great dynamic as we were able to get a lot of different perspectives."
   Chaney hopes to get a job in the sports industry himself upon graduating in the spring.
   "I’m interested in sports marketing, sports consulting, and basketball operations," said Chaney, who is also a manager for the basketball team at Princeton. "I would love to get a job with the NBA, because I have a particular passion for that sport.
   "Really, I just have a fascination with the effort that goes on behind the scenes to hold a sporting event, to create a product, to secure a venue, make sure there are fans in the seats and that players have jerseys. Just all the people and all the work that goes on to make a game happen."
   Chaney knows the work that goes on from first hand experience. He organized several basketball tournaments in his native Germany, and in the spring he will hold his 4th Annual Charity Streetball Tournament at Princeton.
   Chaney has also shown some early business savvy by using money he received from winning a business planning contest to fund a startup company called Crossover, which deals in sports apparel.
   With all that he has accomplished so far, maybe the next time someone comes up with the idea to hold a sports symposium, Chris Chaney will be one of those invited to speak.