Alumni Story

I really enjoyed the Master's in Sport Management program at Catawba because many of the other programs that I looked at were online, while Catawba’s program was in person. This provided me with the opportunity to network with other sports leaders and gave me a chance to build my connection with my current employer.”

Kyle Eager is a recent graduate of Catawba College. He obtained his Master’s degree in Sport Management in 2023 and only had positive things to say about his experience in the Sports Management program. “My experience in the Masters in Sport Management program was amazing. We went on many trips where we met many different leaders in sports and built relationships with them,” he said.

During his time in the program, Kyle connected with his future employer through his program industry hours. “I am thankful that the program required industry hours as I was able to work with the National Junior College Athletic Association and discover my passion in working in marketing for intercollegiate athletics,” he said.

The program taught Kyle more than just educational lessons. He said, “Some valuable lessons I learned from the program are the importance of building connections with people and always putting in the hours of work to attain your goals both professionally and personally.”

“I also like how the program challenged me to think outside of the box in finding solutions to problems that you are going to face in the sports industry and finding unique ways to tackle said problems,” he added.

Kyle credits the program’s required industry hours for helping him to obtain the knowledge and experience he needed to acquire a job after graduation. “I credit the industry hours we did for the program with helping me gain valuable work experience and a better understanding of what is needed to be successful in the sport industry. The assignments we worked on in the program also helped me prepare for presentations and meetings that I experience in my career.”

Today, Kyle works as an Athletics Communications Associate for the National Junior College Athletic Association.

His responsibilities at work include covering division II sports. He works with each sports’ committee to publish weekly rankings, select weekly National Player of the Week awards, and assist with seeding and selection for National Championships. He also updates the NJCAA website, write stories highlighting former and current student-athletes or coaches, travels to National Championships to assists with event operations, post on their social media channels, provides information for the weekly show on the NJCAA Network, and assists with paid social media ads.

“I love many aspects about my job. I love the variety of work, interacting with leaders in junior college athletics from across the country, telling the amazing stories of our student-athletes, and having an impact on people's journey in collegiate athletics. I also enjoy the people that I work with every day and the opportunity to grow professionally through my experiences at work,” Kyle said.