November 15, 2023 – Raleigh, NC: Senior students in the sports management program at Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) in Raleigh, NC, have had the opportunity to participate in the business development of a new sports tech venture during the fall semester. That venture, SkoolKast.com, is an SMS score distribution service designed to give small colleges and high schools a unique way to monetize their sports content while keeping fans engaged. The platform will support both club and varsity sports at the university. SkoolKast will be the first project launched by the new SAU Innovation Center, which is slated to open in early 2024.

The sports management class has focused on a pilot launch at SAU. Over the second half of the semester, there has been more emphasis on developing a marketing plan to recruit new HBCUs to try the platform to keep their fans updated and even to manage local high school sports content in their regions.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to take part in this new project at SAU. We can create a nice revenue stream for the school and help other schools do the same. I’ve learned a lot about the sport tech and sports media space engaging in our class work, and I think I’ve been able to contribute a lot too based on my own experience,” says J. Johnson, a senior sports management student who is already an entrepreneur, influencer, and creator in his own right. Johnson owns a wellness technology company, High-Frequency Highway (www.highfrequencyhw.com), and his sportswear brand.

Ultimately, more content equals more subscribers and more advertising revenue for schools, according to Dr. Mark Janas, SAU business school professor, sports tech innovator, and founder of the school’s club sports program. “Our goal is to develop a meaningful pool of HBCU sports content and subscribers that captures the attention of both regional and national sponsors. There is no higher-valued advertising target than an opted-in SMS subscriber. We all read our text messages, and we read them nearly right away,” adds Janas.

SAU students will continue working on the project through the Spring 2024 semester, beginning with an organized effort to recruit additional HBCUs to use the platform. Representatives from interested schools can contact Dr. Van Sapp (vbsapp@st-agu.edu) or Dr. Mark Janas (mjanas@st-aug.edu) for more information.

About the SAU School of Business, Management, & Technology and the SAU Club Sports Program:
The Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) sports management and club sports programs are part of the ACBSP-accredited School of Business, Management, & Technology (SBMT). SAU club sports include cycling (the first HBCU team in the country), BMX, rowing (the first HBCU ladies’ team in the country), Ultimate (the first HBCU team in the country), SIM golf, and SIM motorsports. Sports in development include flag football, pickleball, paddling, VR tennis, 3v3 basketball, and adventure racing. The program is designed to support the SBMT curriculum and introduce sports that are not typically part of the HBCU experience. For more information, visit www.sauclubsports.com.