Braden Saint-Val – News Writer
Last Thursday, the Department of Recreation, Tourism, and Sport Management held their latest Joseph Panza Annual Sport Management Lecture in the Adanti Student Center Theatre.
The annual lecture was named after retired professor Dr. Joseph Panza, one of its originators, and since 2011, industry professionals have come to Southern to share their experience in the world and business of sports.
This year, sports media personality Matt Adams was invited to speak to students who attended.
Matt Adams has worked in golf for more than 30 years as an industry executive, golf course operator and broadcaster for the Golf Channel, ESPN, and the PGA Tour Network.
Being an expert in golf equipment technology, Adams ran a manufacturing company that built and designed golf clubs for dozens of brand name companies including Wilson, Nicklaus, Mizuno and TaylorMade.
He currently hosts “Fairways of Life,” the largest and the most widely distributed daily live golf talk show in the world. It is available on YouTube, every major listening platform, and can be seen on AT&T SportsNet, NBC Sports, MSG, and DirectTV.
He is also a New York Times best-selling author and has co-authored five books in the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series.
In his next book titled “The Golf Round I’ll Never Forget: Golf’s Biggest Stars Recall Their Finest Moments,” Adams has compiled the stories of golf champions during the most distinctive golf rounds in their careers through interviews with them to provide their perspective in those moments, and it will be released in April 2024.
To start his lecture, Adams acknowledged the optimism and open-mindness he sees in undergraduate students, which keeps them from limiting their capabilities and goals.
He then explained his career journey to students, from his fascination with radio in his youth, to creating “Fairways of Life” and interviewing golf legends like Arnold Palmer and Charlie Sifford, the first African-American to play on the PGA Tour.
Adams urged students to “know their why,” to not “self-edit” and doubt themselves or their dreams, and take advantage of the connections they can make while in college.
He explained how students have their own form of “diplomatic immunity,” where they can reach out to anyone for their needs, whether it be job availabilities or advice, without any pushback.
He also advised that those who want to work in media should get involved as soon as possible, and to everyone in the audience, he stated that being tenacious and putting full effort in anything is the best thing someone can do for themselves and their future.
“My advice to you is dream. Dream as big as you possibly can and do it without edit, because you’re at a point in your life where you can’t be wrong. If it doesn’t work, it’s not failure, it’s just learning.” Adams said.
