Fox Sports University and Big Ten Network award winner of joint curriculum project

This fall, FOX Sports University and the Big Ten Network teamed up to offer a unique learning experience with an exciting, competitive twist to students at three Big Ten schools. A trip to the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis was on the line for the team that presented the most comprehensive campaign strategy.

Students from Maryland?s Robert H. Smith School of Business, Nebraska?s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and Northwestern?s Medill School of Journalism were challenged to work with the FOX Sports Consumer Insights team to research into the College Football fan, and develop a strategy that will drive excitement and awareness for College Football on FOX and FS1.

Final presentations were delivered by students at all three universities, and the winning team was selected: team tBT from Northwestern University. On December 3rd, three students from Team tBT joined the FOX Sports team in Indianapolis for a behind-the-scenes look at FOX Sports? Game Day Broadcast Operations.

While on-site, Mike Davies (SVP, Field Operations, Prod Ops Management) and Derek Crocker (Sr. Director, Collegiate Sports, College Strategy) gave the students a tour of the production trucks, including ump hat cams, the Virtual Reality feed, and pylon cams which are all part of our FOX Sports Lab technology initiative. Valerie Krebs (Director, Media Relations) took students up to the broadcast booth, where they got to watch Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt rehearse and prepare for the broadcast. They had the opportunity to meet Big Ten commissioner, Jim Delany, and FOX Sports President, Eric Shanks before taking their seats to catch a great game.

FOX Sports University is a partnership developed by FOX Sports with nearly 40 prestigious academic and athletic institutions from around the country. The program is designed to provide real-world experience to graduate and undergraduate students, while developing a pipeline of innovative ideas for FOX Sports properties. FOX Sports challenges students with a semester- long case study that is timely and relevant to FOX Sports' business-needs, tasking students to develop solutions, products, concepts and campaigns that have the potential to be executed across FOX Sports businesses. FOX Sports University also provides students the opportunity to see what it takes to make their ideas come to life. FOX Sports executives take part in the education process, giving the practical element to learning whereby students produce research, campaigns and concepts for FOX Sports and its partners.