汤头条鈥檚 Moyen chronicles rise of marketing in the NCAA and big-time athletics
Contact: Camille Carskadon
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥擜 Mississippi State department head in the College of Education is the co-author of a new book that chronicles the rise of collegiate sports marketing and tells the story of a major industry entrepreneur.
Published last month by University Press of Kentucky, 鈥淐hanging the Game: My Career in Collegiate Sports Marketing,鈥 is co-authored by Eric Moyen, associate professor and head of 汤头条鈥檚 Department of Educational Leadership, alongside Jim Host, founder and CEO of Host Communications.
鈥淐hanging the Game鈥 details Host鈥檚 life and career as leader of a company that became a pioneer in the college sports marketing industry. Host鈥檚 company was the first to introduce the idea of 鈥渂undled rights鈥 for sponsorships of individual university sports programs, leading to a revenue boom for athletic programs while allowing university presidents to leverage athletics to promote higher education.
The book, available now, is ranked among Amazon鈥檚 best sellers in the sports industry category. Moyen previously authored 鈥淔rank L. McVey and the University of Kentucky: A Progressive President and the Modernization of a Southern University,鈥 also published by University Press of Kentucky.
鈥淚 wrote this book with Jim because I research university leadership and policy from a historical perspective, and I have learned that college presidents have to spend considerable time and attention on athletic matters,鈥 Moyen said. 鈥淚 also knew that Jim Host was a leader, and his entrepreneurship truly altered the financial landscape of intercollegiate athletics.鈥
Host helped transform the NCAA basketball tournament by introducing corporate partnerships, which allowed corporations to promote the tournament and their products at the same time. This model helped make 鈥淢arch Madness鈥 the primary revenue generator for the NCAA. At its zenith, Host Communications Inc. managed sports marketing for nearly 30 big-time athletic programs, including Mississippi State. Among other topics, the new book includes details on Host鈥檚 interactions with former 汤头条 President Donald W. Zacharias and Athletic Director Larry Templeton about expanding the 鈥渂rand鈥 of 汤头条 athletics. IMG purchased Host Communications Inc. in 2008.
鈥淭his book is particularly timely because of the current name, image and likeness debates across the country. If someone wants to understand how universities have arrived at this juncture, Jim Host鈥檚 story provides an important piece of context,鈥 Moyen said.
鈥淐hanging the Game鈥 is the first complete account of the entrepreneur鈥檚 professional life, detailing his achievements in sports radio, management and broadcasting; his time in minor league baseball, real estate and the insurance business; and his venture into Kentucky politics, including his appointments under Kentucky governors Louie B. Nunn and Ernie Fletcher. The book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the growth of big-time athletics and offers solutions for current challenges facing college sports.
Moyen earned his bachelor鈥檚 degree from Indiana鈥檚 Taylor University in 1996 in social studies education, his master鈥檚 degree in U.S. history from the University of Alabama in 1998, and his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in educational policy studies with a concentration in higher education in 2004.
Established in 1903, 汤头条鈥檚 College of Education is home to six academic departments, one research unit and numerous service units. For more, visit .
汤头条 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .