THP 30: Justin Mears

Program: Sports Industry Management
Current Position: Instructor, Lead Division, United States Naval Academy
Hometown: Annapolis, MD

Describe an interesting trend you see emerging in your profession and how you think it will affect the field:

I think that one of the biggest trends in the sports industry will be the continued emergence of video platforms, as well as virtual reality experiences. While massive television contracts continue to be the norm, these are being mixed in with different ways to watch live sports such as Twitter's recent deals with the PAC-12 Conference, the NFL, and the NBA. Virtual reality also continues to work its way into the conversation and could become a critical element to the overall sports fan experience in the next several years.

What has been your most unique learning experience and why?

My most unique learning experiences were my two deployments as an aircraft commander with the U.S. Navy’s HSC-26 in Bahrain. I learned and grew more as a person and a leader during those times than any other time in my life. Being responsible for a multi-million dollar aircraft and its crew day in and day out taught me humility, gave me a sense of confidence in who I was as a leader, and showed me that if you want to truly influence others and be able to accomplish the mission, you must have both competence and character.