Renowned Sports Industry Veteran Shares Life Lessons with Syracuse University Students

A visit from Brandon Steiner, a graduate of Syracuse University's Class of 1981, brought life lessons and stories to students in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics' Department of Sport Management. As founder and chairman of Steiner Sports Marketing and Memorabilia for over 30 years and chair of the Falk College's Sport Management Advisory Council, Steiner shared his experiences growing up in a low-income neighborhood in Brooklyn to working with top athletes like New York Yankees legends Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

Steiner met with students from two sport management classes: Alexia Lopes' Principles of Sport Management class and Rick Burton's Managing the Sports Organization class. Following the classes, Steiner had lunch with nine current sport management students (and one alumnus). The students had the opportunity to discuss their experiences with Steiner, who emphasized the importance of building strong relationships and doing the extra mile.

When asked about her experience with Steiner, sport management major Erin Moore '25 expressed gratitude for having the opportunity to meet him. "Listening to his stories about working with New York Yankees legends like Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera was incredible... Overall, I'm incredibly grateful to Mr. Steiner for taking the time to share his insights with us."

Tynan Weathers '25 also shared a positive experience with Steiner, saying that he had a passion for the sports industry as well as Syracuse University's sport management program. "His discussion on both the NIL space and women's sports brought in real-world cases of how he viewed issues and solutions... The advice I took away is the importance of being able to dedicate time and make sacrifices that others aren't willing to make."

To support students in the Falk College, Steiner created the Brandon S. Steiner Sport Management Student Support Fund, which awards funding for a single academic year to deserving students enrolled in the Department of Sport Management. Students can apply for funds by completing this survey.

Additional opportunities and awards are available to students in the Falk College. For more information on how to apply, please visit the Awards and Scholarships page on the Falk website.