ATLANTA (AP) -- Some students may skip classes this week to attend college basketball's Final Four, though at least a dozen have managed to score class credits out of the trip. The students are sports management majors at Lynn University in South Florida. As part of a course titled "The Final Four Experience," they will be traveling with a couple of professors to Atlanta to get a firsthand look at what goes into the major sporting event. And get this, each student gets three credits for the excursion. "It's a chance for us to meet people with high positions and see how they got to where they are now," junior Emily Lipman said. "Then we'll be able to feed off that." The group arrived Wednesday and won't just attend the Final Four. They will tour the city's pro and college sports stadiums, network with team executives and some sponsors, including representatives of The Coca-Cola Co.
The trip cost $3,250 per student. It may seem pricey but the total covered the cost of the class, a hotel room for six nights, food, roundtrip airline tickets, two rental minivans, a Georgia Tech baseball game and Thrashers hockey game, along with the Final Four and championship games at the Georgia Dome. Though it may sound like a sports fan's dream, the students will be required to put in some work. They'll take a couple of exams, keep a diary and will hold a presentation after the trip. "We said to ourselves, 'What's the best way to teach our students?"' professor Theodore Curtis said. "We knew they needed to see something and experience it, rather than sit during a lecture and listen to us." Professor Charles Barr, who has escorted Lynn students on overseas study tours, said attending the Final Four was something that couldn't be missed. "Since it's in our backyard, why not?" he asked. "With the attention the Final Four gets, it provides a perfect opportunity. It gives them a closer look at what they will do in the future." Sports management majors typically pursue front-office positions with professional or collegiate teams. "This trip is a stepping stool for us," said senior Joaquin Smits from New York, who has never visited Atlanta. "That's why I don't mind doing any extra work." Out of 30 applicants for the course, Barr and Curtis picked 12 students they thought showed the most work ethic and dedication in their major. Lipman was an easy choice. The Atlanta native, who is president of the university's sports management club, wants to work for a major league baseball franchise -- preferably for her hometown Braves. Goosey's Gabbings... I wonder if they will get credit for how much body paint they can put on, beer they can drink, how loud they can scream obscenities at the referees, and whether spending 3K on a trip was worth Mom and Dad having to once again go into their 401Ks and wait for another year to retire.
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