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Mass Mutual Retains Sport Business Institute
Minneapols, MN, May 13, 2008 - Mass Mutual, a 500 billion plus, global financial services company located in Springfield, Massachusetts has retained the University of Minnesota Sport Business Institute to conduct sponsorship research. Mass Mutual markets through sport with their corporate partnership with professional tennis entering their 16 year of sponsoring the US Open Tennis Championships along with a number of other sponsorships of professional tennis events. The company also sponsors the U.S. Open Championship and other professional golf events. The 2008 U.S. Open Championship is a major golf championship played at the Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, CA. Mass Mutual has naming rights to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA which is a state of the art event and convention facility and home of the Springfield Falcons, of the American Hockey League of which Mass Mutual is part owner. Founded in 1851, the financial protection, accumulation and income management company has a long history of supporting and partnering with a variety of sport events and entities. www.massmutual.com /mmfg/about/sports.html
The Sport Business Institute provides sport industry clients consulting services allowing sport management students to engage in real world experience and to apply current sport management theory and practices. The institute is able to bridge the University of Minnesota and its resources through the School of Kinesiology sport management program with sport industry entities while enhancing the educational experience of sport management students and servicing the sport industry.
The Sport Business Institute is conducting research to identify not-for-profit organizations, their mission, and scope of operations, fiscal soundness and appropriate fit that aligns with Mass Mutual strategic marketing plans and is congruent with the company’s values. Sport Business Institute CEO, Rayla Allison, describes the project as “an excellent endeavor to utilize the resources of the third largest public university in the nation and its outstanding students to serve a prestigious Fortune 500 global company in their sport marketing plans.”