After hearing about a movement to start a sports management minor at the UA, Chris Moran, a finance freshman, is now spearheading the movement.

Moran heard about the movement to start a sports management minor from Stephen Gilliland, department head of Management and Organizations in Eller.

“”I got really excited when I heard they were thinking about starting a program,”” Moran said. “”Stephen asked me to represent the student interest.””

Moran collected signatures from people who are interested in the sports management minor and ended up with over 500 signatures.

“”My goal coming out of college is that I want to run the finances for a professional sports team,”” Moran said. “”I love working with numbers, but if I could do it for a pro sports team, it’s icing on the cake.””

Gilliland said he was amazed at the student response to the proposal.

“”It was unbelievable; I had no idea he’d collect that sort of support,”” Gilliland said. “”It helped us broaden our vision that this could serve a lot of interest around campus.””

“”My role is that I’m just trying to spread awareness,”” Moran said.

Moran said while talking to students, he found a student who was planning on transferring schools to find a sports management program, and talked to others who felt they would be disadvantaged in the job market without sports management training.

“”The program would help so many students,”” Moran said. “”I think the management program could help me develop my knowledge of what’s going on in the sports industry.””

Gilliland’s proposal for the minor includes creating 18 units of upper division courses from scratch. Proposed classes include Sports Administration and Planning, Sports Regulation and Ethics, Bargaining and Negotiations in Sports, Group and Team Leadership, Sports Marketing Management and Sports Communication.

The goal is to launch it in summer of 2009, Gilliland said, but it would need to be approved at every level from the Eller College, to the Arizona Board of Regents. The minor would be open to any student, but would be under the Eller College of Management’s department of Management and Organizations.

Gilliland said the sports management minor is a unique concept, but many other schools such as the University of Oregon, University of North Carolina and Baylor University have well-known sports management majors.

“”We haven’t seen other schools that actually have a minor, so our belief is students can layer this interest in sports management on top of another degree,”” Gilliland said.

Gilliland said he talked to athletics director Jim Livengood and senior associate of athletics director Kathleen “”Rocky”” LaRose to see if there’d be any interest from athletics in the sports management minor and got a “”really favorable reception”” from them.

Livengood declined to comment before the proposal was voted on.

Moran has also been working with Gilliland, trying to build the contacts with professional sports teams such as the Colorado Rockies and the Phoenix Suns.

Gilliland said he is trying to combat budget cuts by approaching alumni and sports organizations for funding to launch the minor.

On Friday the Eller faculty will discusses the issue in a committee and set a date for the general Eller College vote at that time.