As a high school varsity basketball player, Marlon Campbell ’24 (FALK), ’25 M.S., knows what it feels like when a game comes down to the wire. Five years ago, he completed his application to Syracuse University just three minutes before the deadline. Today, he knows that taking that last-minute shot was a win, as he not only earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from the Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics, but this spring will complete his master’s degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises (EEE) from the Whitman School of Management.

Campbell was a three-sport athlete at Albany Academy and had the opportunity to play Division III college basketball but always knew he wanted to manage or represent athletes. He is thankful for the mentorship and guidance of his high school basketball coach, Brian Fruscio, for instilling core values in him through the Straight Shooters organization.

His decision to come to Syracuse gave him the chance to be a manager for the Syracuse University Men’s Basketball Team. “Being a manager was one of the best experiences imaginable,” he says. “I wasn’t able to do it my first year because of COVID, but by sophomore year, I started building relationships with the coaches and, eventually, because of my basketball background, I was incorporated into practice drills. By junior year, I was traveling with the team, breaking down films, helping players manage their schedules and planning workouts outside of practices. I said, ‘Yes,’ to anything asked of me and eventually became the lead manager, where I was a part of the scouting report team,” he says.

As he completed his undergraduate degree, Campbell started to think that a business background might benefit him. At first, he figured a master’s degree in marketing was the way to go, but, after talking to Tim Findlay, assistant director of student recruitment for Whitman’s master’s programs, Campbell saw that a master’s degree in EEE was more aligned with his goals — to help his mother scale her flower business and also pursue his interest in sports management.

Campbell’s mom, Marie, a nurse who worked three jobs to support her family, started selling flowers in her neighborhood on Mother’s Day 2020 and continued throughout that spring and summer as a way to cheer people during the pandemic. Campbell helped her any way he could, and, soon, her business was drawing a crowd. She later opened a small flower shop that relied on e-commerce and walk-in customers. Her determination sparked something in Campbell, as he saw opportunities and encouraged his mom to grow the business further.

While in school, Campbell has been working in a consultant and marketing role for the flower business for a few hours every day as a way to give back to his mother for all of the years of work she put in to support him. He was even able to recruit student interns from the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) to manage her website and make her e-commerce business more efficient. And, as he completes his master’s degree, Campbell is also working to finish a new operational system to help run the business more efficiently.

He is grateful for all he learned pursuing sports management at Falk and entrepreneurship at Whitman that have allowed him to apply his knowledge to his mother’s business, noting that Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice John Torrens, Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice Ken Walsleben, EEE Adjunct Instructor Marie Adornato and Associate Dean of Business Education Willie Reddic, who is involved in Syracuse University’s Senate Committee on Athletic Policy, were especially helpful, as was Associate Teaching Professor David Meluni, who taught a class on NIL at the Falk School. Today, Blooms by Marie has become one of the larger flower shops in the Albany, New York, area, and his mother has been able to make it her primary source of income.

While he will continue to help his mom’s business, Campbell has not set aside his own dream to work in sports marketing and management. He was offered a position to work with Empire State NIL by founder Jeremiah Maher, and the startup has since contracted with several different colleges, including Syracuse University and Siena College, to represent athletes at appearances and community events, Like his mom, Campbell is juggling several jobs and school to make it all happen, but he is succeeding and has no intention of slowing down.

“When I made the decision five years ago to apply to Syracuse, I had no idea of all the experience, skillsets and opportunities I would walk away with thanks to Falk and the Whitman School,” Campbell says. “I am thankful for the guidance of family, friends and mentors along the way. The addition of a master’s degree in entrepreneurship has given me a competitive advantage that will help me get ahead in the sports industry and forge my own successful career.”

By Caroline K. Reff