MSBA-SA Program Serves Students with Diverse Backgrounds
Author: Bryan Fields
Students from All Backgrounds Thrive in the MSBA-SA Program
Students in the Master of Science in Business Analytics-Sports Analytics (MSBA-SA) program may arrive via many paths, but the program helps them all achieve their common goal — combining their love of sports with the business skills to help them succeed. In the program, students learn how to use data to help teams and companies make better decisions. A final capstone projects lets student teams work with company sponsors to deliver real-world solutions.
The program serves students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Not just limited to university athletes, students come from all areas of study, all walks of life, and all parts of the world.
Vibha Naiknavare: A Journey in the World of Sports
Vibha Naiknavare – MSBA-SA ’24
Vibha Naiknavare has always lived and worked in the world of sports. Her father, a professional cricket player, started her in lawn tennis while she grew up in India. When her father passed away in 2014, she said she could no longer afford to play. So she switched to coaching while also studying marketing and earning an undergraduate degree in business. She then earned a master’s degree in sports marketing in the UK.
“Because I was spending so much time in sports, why not combine the two?” she said.
After working in sports marketing in the UK, where her clients included several Indian sports leagues, she returned to India to work in information technology and helped fitness studios with scheduling software. She also served analytics companies in the UK. ND’s MSBA-SA program is the next step in her journey.
“I always wanted to get into scouting and analytics skills would help me,” she said. “I found the program searching online. I knew Notre Dame is passionate about sports. It’s a switch in my career but I’m looking forward to it.”
Daniel Huang: From Soccer Fan to a Career in Sports
Daniel Huang – MSBA-SA ’24
Growing up in China, Daniel Huang was a soccer fan from the age of 10. After attending college in New York City, he worked for the United Soccer League in Chicago. He said he enjoyed working for a young team, and liked how diverse the teams were. That’s when he decided on a career in sports. A friend praised the ND campus experience and shared a video, which convinced him to choose ND as his next step.
“I said ‘Wow! This is something I shouldn’t miss.’ I’m interested in the business side of sports, so this is perfect for me.”
Huang plans to stay in the US for a few years after graduation before returning to grow the popularity of soccer back home. “I dream of going back to China. The sports business is not as developed as other places. I want to go back and help the soccer industry in China succeed.”
Derrell Coleman: Bridging Sports and Service
Derrell Coleman – MSBA-SA ’24
Originally from Michigan, Derrell Coleman’s path to ND led from jobs in sports to serving in the US Army. Coleman earned a bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University, where he worked as team manager for MSU’s women’s softball and men’s ice hockey and wrestling teams. He also worked as a clubhouse attendant for the Detroit Tigers. He then spent a year and a half in the Army because he had always felt a duty to serve. After serving, he said he wanted to get back into the sports industry but knew a bachelor’s degree wasn’t enough. Now he’s leveraging his military discipline to aim for lofty goals.
“I was looking for a program that was good in business and sports to prepare me to work in the front office,” he said. “I hope to apply what I learn to baseball metrics or player analytics and be a general manager of player operations one day and lead the team to championships.”
See how the MSBA-SA program helps students get where they want to go, no matter how they arrived.
