Miami student takes top prize at 2025 National Collegiate Sports Sales Competition
Victory highlights the power of teamwork and preparation in the highly competitive sports sales industry
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Published
Margie Conrath ’25 is the 2025 NCSSC National Champion in the Ticket Sales Competition
Miami student takes top prize at 2025 National Collegiate Sports Sales Competition
•
Published
Imagine this. You’re alone up on stage, in front of hundreds of people, representing your team, your department, and your university – and you have to close the deal. Or it’s all over.
This is the situation that Miami student Margie Conrath ’25, a Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) major, found herself in at the recent National Collegiate Sports Sales Competition (NCSSC) in Atlanta.
“It was very nerve-wracking, to be honest with you, and when I got up in front of everybody, I just tunnel-visioned,” Conrath said. “But I give all the credit to my team for pushing me through. They really pumped me up. And I felt super comfortable knowing that I had Dr. Li right there alongside my team as well.”
It went well, of course. Because after persevering through the entire single-elimination competition, Conrath went on to become the 2025 NCSSC National Champion in the Ticket Sales Competition. Her entire team – which included Miami students Oliver Stern, Drew Lawrence, Taylor Peura, and Matthew Creek, along with SLAM associate professor Bo Li, who served as their advisor – also earned the Best Team Award.
“Even though the single-elimination format is harsh and challenging, Margie remained remarkably calm and composed throughout the competition,” Li said. “This award means a lot to our students and the SLAM department. I give all the credit to our students for their hard work and dedication. All the students really helped, cared about, and supported each other. Their teamwork and selflessness were the key to our success this year.”
Every year, the NCSSC is hosted by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and Baylor University.
The event features competitions in ticket sales and corporate partnerships, and this year it attracted almost 400 college students from 79 universities. During the competition, competing students role-play as business-to-business sport sales representatives. Their goal is to pitch products and services to a potential buyer.
In the final round, for example, Conrath acted as an Atlanta Hawk sales representative seeking to sell a season package including court-side seats and all-inclusive food and drinks to a construction company.
To prepare, Li leveraged his personal network and Miami’s alumni network of sports industry professionals who provided training and feedback to SLAM students weeks prior to the competition. Even before arriving in Atlanta, they had had opportunities to interact with representatives from the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Fire, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Students who want to work in professional sports usually need to start in a sales position,” Li said. “So this is a great opportunity for our students to build networks and find jobs. And it has been very successful. All students who have participated in the Sports Sales Competition have gotten jobs directly after graduation, and nearly half of them are now working with professional sports teams.”
Conrath, too, plans to pursue a future career in sales after graduation.
After growing up loving sports from an early age, and playing and participating in every sport available, she continues to participate in many on-campus activities. At Miami, she currently plays on the women's club basketball team, works in the athletic department, and is a member of the Women in Sport Leadership student organization and Alpha Phi sorority.
It’s the competitive nature and team spirit of sport that she loves most. And in many ways, her journey reflects the importance of support and collaboration, the drive to persevere under pressure, and to foster an environment that inspires everyone to perform their best.
“Winning this award has honestly shown me that the sky's the limit,” Conrath said. “I love being competitive, but I did not expect to be the one to win it. Everybody on my team was absolutely incredible, and they had an amazing shot at winning too. The team we had made all the difference. It was just an unreal experience, and it has made me so confident going into my career.”
This is the situation that Miami student Margie Conrath ’25, a Sports Leadership and Management (SLAM) major, found herself in at the recent National Collegiate Sports Sales Competition (NCSSC) in Atlanta.
“It was very nerve-wracking, to be honest with you, and when I got up in front of everybody, I just tunnel-visioned,” Conrath said. “But I give all the credit to my team for pushing me through. They really pumped me up. And I felt super comfortable knowing that I had Dr. Li right there alongside my team as well.”
It went well, of course. Because after persevering through the entire single-elimination competition, Conrath went on to become the 2025 NCSSC National Champion in the Ticket Sales Competition. Her entire team – which included Miami students Oliver Stern, Drew Lawrence, Taylor Peura, and Matthew Creek, along with SLAM associate professor Bo Li, who served as their advisor – also earned the Best Team Award.
“Even though the single-elimination format is harsh and challenging, Margie remained remarkably calm and composed throughout the competition,” Li said. “This award means a lot to our students and the SLAM department. I give all the credit to our students for their hard work and dedication. All the students really helped, cared about, and supported each other. Their teamwork and selflessness were the key to our success this year.”
Every year, the NCSSC is hosted by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and Baylor University.
The event features competitions in ticket sales and corporate partnerships, and this year it attracted almost 400 college students from 79 universities. During the competition, competing students role-play as business-to-business sport sales representatives. Their goal is to pitch products and services to a potential buyer.
In the final round, for example, Conrath acted as an Atlanta Hawk sales representative seeking to sell a season package including court-side seats and all-inclusive food and drinks to a construction company.
To prepare, Li leveraged his personal network and Miami’s alumni network of sports industry professionals who provided training and feedback to SLAM students weeks prior to the competition. Even before arriving in Atlanta, they had had opportunities to interact with representatives from the Atlanta Hawks, the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago Fire, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Philadelphia Flyers.
“Students who want to work in professional sports usually need to start in a sales position,” Li said. “So this is a great opportunity for our students to build networks and find jobs. And it has been very successful. All students who have participated in the Sports Sales Competition have gotten jobs directly after graduation, and nearly half of them are now working with professional sports teams.”
Conrath, too, plans to pursue a future career in sales after graduation.
After growing up loving sports from an early age, and playing and participating in every sport available, she continues to participate in many on-campus activities. At Miami, she currently plays on the women's club basketball team, works in the athletic department, and is a member of the Women in Sport Leadership student organization and Alpha Phi sorority.
It’s the competitive nature and team spirit of sport that she loves most. And in many ways, her journey reflects the importance of support and collaboration, the drive to persevere under pressure, and to foster an environment that inspires everyone to perform their best.
“Winning this award has honestly shown me that the sky's the limit,” Conrath said. “I love being competitive, but I did not expect to be the one to win it. Everybody on my team was absolutely incredible, and they had an amazing shot at winning too. The team we had made all the difference. It was just an unreal experience, and it has made me so confident going into my career.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg. Interested in learning more about the Department of Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM)? Visit their website for more information.
