Tatiana Toledo Turned Her Passion for Basketball Into a Sports Management Degree

Before she came to Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), Tatiana Toledo '21 considered herself an athlete for most of her life. She played basketball competitively for 12 years and almost continued in college — until she unexpectedly found herself on the sidelines.

Toledo received an athletic scholarship from another school, but injuries derailed her plans. "That’s when I decided I couldn’t let go of sports," she said.

Once she discovered that SNHU offered a bachelor's in sports management that combined her interest in business with her passion for athletics, she made the switch.

"This program is 100,000% worth it," she said. "It changed my view on the sports industry forever and allowed me to connect with other people in my classes who loved sports as much as me."

Although Toledo already knew her way around a basketball court when she started at SNHU, she said her coursework taught her the business and employee side of working in sports. 

"This program will allow you to familiarize yourself with every in and out of the sports industry," Toledo said.

She said most of her colleagues at her current workplace have degrees in business or communications, so her sports management background set her apart from other applicants. 

Whenever Toledo needed support or had a question about her coursework, she noted that her instructors were always helpful. "Online learning requires a lot of self-discipline since you are learning from home, but my teachers were always an email or phone call away to help the class or me, personally," she said.

Toledo said she developed her communication skills while earning her degree, and the "Sports Marketing" and "Sports Sales" courses helped prepare her for her role in sales recruiting.

So if your dreams of becoming a pro athlete didn't pan out, Toledo offered some advice. "Get a degree in sports management and you’ll definitely be satisfied," she said.

Mars Girolimon '21 '23G is a staff writer at Southern New Hampshire University where they earned their bachelor’s and master’s, both in English and creative writing. In addition to their work in higher education, Girolimon’s short fiction is published in the North American Review, So It Goes by The Kurt Vonnegut Museum & Library, X-R-A-Y and more. Connect with them on LinkedIn.