What is NCSSC? An Inside Look

Recently, Epic Hire became the preferred digital resume tool for NCSSC students to showcase their competitive profiles. Sounds like an awesome partnership right? We agree, but we also want to introduce the event to our followers because we recognize that some may be asking “What is NCSSC?”

Let’s start with the most literal answer to that question. NCSSC stands for the National Collegiate Sports Sales Competition. While many of the groups we partner with are often in the student club and organization space, NCSSC is unique since it is an event. This means students on Epic Hire showcasing an NCSSC badge are not members of a club, but rather competitors. 

When is NCSSC?

NCSSC is currently preparing for their annual Championships that will be held in January of 2025. On January 22-23, 2025, the 6th annual championship round will take place in Atlanta, Georgia.

The preliminary virtual qualification round will take place between November 1-15, 2024. So far, this upcoming version already has 68 universities and over 260 college candidates ready to compete.

A panel at the most recent NCSSC. All photos courtesy of NCSSC.

How Did NCSSC Start?

NCSSC is the brainchild of Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business and more specifically their Center for Sales Strategy in Sports and Entertainment (S3E) program. The professors who started the event realized that many aspiring sales students are motivated by competition and could be a pathway for standout students to further their resumes.

Participation

Nearly a decade into the existence of NCSSC, the competition has expanded dramatically. In recent iterations of the event, NCSSC welcomed nearly 100 participating professional sports organizations and competitors from over 70 universities across the country. 

NCSSC has also expanded, not just in participation, but also scale. For the last number of years, Baylor’s event migrated from Waco, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia. The change of scenery is thanks to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks becoming the official sponsor of NCSSC. The competition’s finals are now hosted at the State Farm Arena, the home of the Hawks.

The Hawks aren’t the only major name in pro sports that attend and recruit NCSSC students. Others include:

  • Detroit Pistons (NBA)
  • Boston Celtics (NBA)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
  • San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
  • Chicago Bulls (NBA)
  • Tennessee Titans (NFL)
  • Washington Commanders (NFL)
  • San Diego Padres (MLB)
  • Chicago White Sox (MLB)
  • Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB)
  • New York Mets (MLB)
  • Philadelphia Union (MLS)
  • Philadelphia Flyers (NHL)
  • New York Islanders (NHL)
  • Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
  • NASCAR
  • Any many others

Students do have to earn a place in the championships so attendance from specific universities isn’t guaranteed, however, here are a few schools that have made consistent appearances in recent years or are confirmed for January’s Championship already.

  • Baylor University
  • North Carolina State University
  • University of New Mexico
  • University of Wyoming
  • Florida State University
  • Kansas State University
  • University of Dayton
  • University of Iowa
  • University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  • And many more
Winners and participants from NCSSC. All photos are courtesy of NCSSC.

What is the Structure of NCSSC?

Students can compete in three different championship divisions; Role-Playing tournaments, Speed Selling, and the Quantum Quiz Tournament. The Role-Playing tournament is further broken down into role-playing competitions in ticket sales and corporate partnerships. 

The Role-Playing tournaments can be considered the “main event” as participation is reserved for seniors that anticipate graduating in the year that NCSSC takes place. Graduate students can also participate as long as they do not have any professional selling experience. To qualify, universities are allotted a designated number of spots based on performance in a preliminary, virtual round of competition.

Interestingly, the student that competes in the virtual round, does not have to be their school’s representative at the in-person tournament. So, if the original competitor receives a job offer between qualification and the championship, or they elect not to compete for other circumstances, another sales student from their school can be appointed to the starring role at the championship. 

As for the Speed Sell, all students are eligible and can compete. The Quantum Quiz Tournament can have up to two competitors from each participating school. Students then try to answer questions correctly before their opponents. Students who compete are given study guides ahead of the championships in Atlanta.

How Do I Get Involved?

Many participating schools have relationships directly with the S3E program and Baylor will often reach out to administrators of schools with sports business programs.

However, schools without preexisting relationships or for students that don’t have a professor/coach, you can find more registration information here.

For employers or recruiters in sales, that are not participating with their company, can opt to volunteer. NCSSC always has need for volunteers to either judge or act in role plays for the qualification rounds in November. More information can be found here.

More Coming Soon!

Ultimately, the entire point of the competition is for students to showcase their talents then land jobs with participating sports teams and sports entertainment companies. With that said, there is always ample time for everyone to network with competitors and recruiters between events in Atlanta.

Watch Epic Hire’s site and social media to watch for further updates on the upcoming competition and for announcements about this year’s NCSSC winners.

All photos are courtesy of NCSSC.