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The Two STHM Students Behind Temple University’s First Sport Law Conference

By: Courtney Kubitza
First Published: March 16, 2018
Topics: In the News, Sport, STHM School, Student Stories

When choosing their internship, Will Bubenik and Jordan Ohl wanted to combine their passion for sport with their future career interests: entrepreneurship and law. The two seniors at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM), teamed up to develop the symposium Game On: Sports and the Law where experts will cover hot button issues within amateur and professional sport.

Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and STHM are co-hosting the event with Bubenik and Ohl leading every step of the way.

This conference, which began as an unconventional senior internship idea, has become a hands-on project for both Bubenik and Ohl. From pitching sponsorships to securing keynote speakers, the duo found themselves at the heart of planning a full-scale symposium. Jordan Ohl, who plans to attend law school after he graduates in May, remarked how one of the best things to come out of the development of this conference was the partnership between him and Bubenik.

“We attend every meeting together and approach each aspect of the conference as a team,” Ohl noted. “The conference will include five panel discussions, one keynote session and a networking reception. A mixture of sport lawyers, sport professionals and academic partners are presenting and attending to ensure participants receive an abundance of insightful information.” Will Bubenik, whose interests lie in disability empowerment, sport law and entrepreneurship, initially came up with the idea after seeing other universities hosting sport law conferences and wanted Temple to follow suit. Bubenik’s involvement in the Sport and Governance Association (SAGA) allowed him to connect with Sports Law Director and Professor Ken Jacobsen of Temple’s Law School who also saw potential in the conference. Bubenik wrote a proposal to develop the conference and was hired as a full-time intern to plan the event from start to finish. “I give full credit to STHM for preparing me for this opportunity. I remember marching into Dean Montague’s office my freshman year set on a career as an NBA scout and suddenly realizing how narrow-minded I was,” Bubenik said. “STHM guided me through every opportunity that came my way including helping Jordan and I plan this conference.”

This isn’t the first time Bubenik and Ohl have started a project from the ground up. In 2017 Bubenik started The Amy Carol Project, a community named after his mother and grandmother, which is dedicated to enhancing the disability experience through sport, entrepreneurship and employment. Ohl, on the other hand, started a baseball camp in his hometown, which is headed into its eighth year.

“Will and I are really hoping that this conference continues after we graduate and becomes an internship for other seniors in the years to come,” Ohl said. “We’re very excited to have been given the opportunity to create the first sport law conference especially since Temple Law and STHM are two very big players in both of their industries.”

The event, which will take place on Thursday, April 19, 2018, will be the first sport law conference to occur at Temple University.

If you’re a current STHM student interested in volunteering at Game On: Sports and the Law conference you may reach out to Will Bubenik at GameOn@temple.edu

If you’re interested in attending the conference, visit the event website to learn more.