Bradley Pincus has some experience in American professional sports. The New York native worked as a batboy for the New York Mets for several years and even joined the team during spring training in Florida.

But Pincus, 25, said nothing prepared him for the behind-the-scenes glimpse he and his classmates got during their 10-day stint at Spain’s top soccer league, LaLiga.

“It was an eye-opening experience,” said Pincus, a senior studying sports administration. “Seeing the sports world from a European perspective, and especially how one organization can bring an entire city together, was really special.”

Pincus, who will graduate with a master’s degree in sports administration in December, took part in a new, fast-paced study abroad trip to Madrid and Barcelona last spring break along with 19 bachelor’s and three master’s students.

The group toured several Spanish stadiums and training centers, met with LaLiga executives to discuss the organization’s business and marketing strategies, and attended a Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Italian soccer team Napoli.

They also attended a EuroLeague basketball game, which Pincus said was “a little more physical than in the U.S.”

“The intensity of sports and sports fans in Europe is unlike anything we see in the United States,” Pincus said.

The students’ extensive experience with European sport was made possible through a partnership between the School of Education and Human Development’s Sport Administration Program and LaLiga North America, which was launched in 2021 with the goal of training the next generation of sports administration professionals.

The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring or minoring in sports administration and can be offered in person or through UOnline by the university’s Division of Continuing Education and International Education.

“This partnership reinforces the global presence that the university’s sports administration program has built with its graduate and undergraduate programs both on campus and online,” said Dean Laura Kohn Wood. “The internship and study abroad opportunities offered by LaLiga allow students to experience the diverse environment that this sport offers.”

La Liga North America also contributes to the university’s sports administration program. The league provides speakers for workshops on the globalization of sport and offers mentoring and internship opportunities to support women and underrepresented minority students in the sports industry.

In September, a group of students from LaLiga Business School will visit the University of Miami and attend a lecture on college sports in the United States, said Erin McNary, an associate professor of sports administration who manages the university’s relationship with LaLiga.

“You learn a lot from international sports experiences like this, but they also help students see the industry from a new perspective,” McNary said. “Sitting in the boardroom at LaLiga headquarters and listening to industry experts in Madrid gives you an insight into the opportunities that are available to students.”

The students were given a case study task to organize and promote an event for the LaLiga FC Pro Cup.

“They presented their ideas brilliantly and received real-time feedback from the LaLiga front office,” said McNary.

Doctoral student Jose Blanco Chock said he signed up for the LaLiga program because he wanted to experience what the sports industry has to offer outside the United States.

“We often talk about the United States being the global center of sports, but when it comes to the biggest sport in the world, soccer, it is best known in Europe,” says Chock, who will graduate with a master’s degree in sports administration in December.

“This journey helped me shape my ideas about what I wanted my career to look like,” Chock added. “It also helped me understand other aspects of the industry and opportunities that I may not have considered before.”

Pincus and Chock both said the trip was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for students who had previously only had sports experience in the United States.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is to experience and try as many things as possible because that’s the only way you really know what you want to do,” Chock said.

Pincus said the trip was worth it for every sports administration student.

“From the international contacts we made to the LaLiga executives we met in person and the exclusive tours of the facilities, this trip showed me how to diversify my work and talents in ways I might not have encountered otherwise,” he said. “Plus, you only live once. It was so worth it.”