Southern Miss Sport Management Students Gain Real-World Sales Experience Through Ongoing Partnership With New Orleans Pelicans

Elias Bloodsaw

For the sixth consecutive fall semester, The University of Southern Mississippi’s Sport Management program partnered with the New Orleans Pelicans on the team’s Collegiate Sales Project—an experiential learning initiative that immerses students in the professional sport sales industry.

The project connects Pelicans staff with Southern Miss students, providing hands-on experience with the ticket sales process. Throughout the semester, students enrolled in SM 395 Sports Sales participated in training sessions led by Pelicans Group Sales Coordinator Elias Bloodsaw, a Southern Miss alumnus (Class of 2021).

Bloodsaw conducted three training sessions during the course. The first focused on launching the project, identifying prospects and organizing outreach efforts. Students submitted prospect lists three times during the semester, tracking outcomes such as completed sales and follow-up needs. The second session emphasized needs analysis, teaching students how to align ticket locations and perks with prospective buyers’ interests to help close sales. The final session centered on finishing the project strong, offering encouragement and practical tips for closing the sale. 

Together, the sessions introduced students to industry best practices in ticket marketing, client engagement and promoting exclusive game-day offers. Students then applied those skills through real-world sales efforts for Pelicans games.

Each student received a personalized promotional flyer created by the Pelicans’ marketing staff. The flyers included unique QR codes that students could share with potential buyers through their social media platforms and direct outreach. Students were challenged to sell at least 20 tickets during the semester, a goal many met or exceeded.

Olivia Reid

Across six semesters, Sport Management students have generated nearly $40,000 in Pelicans ticket sales, highlighting both the effectiveness of experiential learning and the strength of the partnership. More than 100 students have participated in the project to date.

The collaboration has also opened doors to career opportunities in the sport industry, with several Southern Miss graduates now working in professional sports and returning to campus as guest speakers and mentors.

The project has been particularly valuable for seniors preparing for professional competition. Students Heath DeLoach, Christopher Edmonds, Laken Firth and Olivia Reid used the experience to prepare for the National Collegiate Sport Sales Competition, to be held at State Farm Arena, home of the Atlanta Hawks, in February. Reid set a program record by generating nearly $2,000 in ticket sales.

The experiential learning initiative is led by Dr. Sabrina Reed, assistant teaching professor of sport management, who emphasized its role in career preparation.

“Students gain insight into the sales profession and the challenges that come with working in sport sales,” Reed said. “This is a great experiential learning project that prepares them for careers in the sport industry. I look forward to continuing this project and developing similar partnerships with other professional sport organizations in future courses.”