Each semester, the Sport Entertainment Management (SEM) MBA program gives its students the unique opportunity to learn from Dallas Cowboys executives on their home turf.

These excursions, aptly named MBA Bootcamps, provide cohort students with hands-on, real-world experiences in the sport entertainment industry – including this semester’s Sports Marketing Pitch Competition.

The competition served to give attendees a first-hand look at challenges in today’s sports industry, tasking students to innovate ways that encourage increased engagement at The Star in Frisco.

Inaara Tharani, 2023 SEM MBA candidate, led her team to bring home the win, as well as some other invaluable takeaways.

“The ability to network in such a unique and iconic setting was truly an experience of a lifetime,” explained Tharani. “Being able to lead a team who I had not met prior, also provided me the opportunity to enhance my soft skills in collaboration, communication, and responsibility.”

With just five hours to conduct research and formulate their pitches, Tharani and her team competed with some high-stake executives waiting to judge their ideas—including front office employees for the Dallas Cowboys.

Tharani’s winning presentation involved a series of weekly farmer's markets at The Star in Frisco, targeting women, 30-50. The local businesses involved in their proposal aimed to draw in new community members to ultimately generate a larger pool of consumers for The Star.

“Thank you to the University of North Texas and the Dallas Cowboys for the wonderful opportunity and recognition,” said Tharani.

“I decided to enroll in the MBA SEM program because I wanted to further my formal education, while developing strong connections in the sports community. UNT offers a variety of resources that are helping me to elevate my career and achieve my professional goals.”