Mike Tirico, an ESPN broadcaster and Syracuse University graduate, will return to his alma mater Tuesday.

Tirico, a broadcaster for ESPN’s Monday Night Football, NBA games and golf coverage, will be on hand for the presentation of ‘The NFL: 1st and the Next 10,’ a symposium on the NFL changes following the lockout.

Tuesday’s symposium will be held in the Joyce Hergenhan Auditorium in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications from 1 to 5 p.m. and include two panel discussions.

Rick Burton, professor of sport management in SU’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, will moderate the first panel discussion, ‘Moving the Chains: Keeping the NFL Business Model Strong,’ a discussion about the advertising and marketing economy of the NFL.

The panelists include Russ Brandon, president and CEO of the Buffalo Bills, and Patricia Betron, a 1988 alumna and senior vice president of multimedia sales with ESPN, according to an Oct. 10 Newhouse news release.

Mike Tirico will then moderate the second panel discussion, ‘Yards After Contact: Keeping the Fans of the NFL Connected,’ a discussion of ways to keep fans interested in the NFL in an era of new technology.

The second discussion will include panelists Rich Cimini, a 1985 alumnus and writer for ESPNNewYork.com; Troy Vincent, vice president of player engagement with the NFL; and John Wildhack, a 1980 alumnus and executive vice president of program acquisitions and strategy with ESPN, according to the news release.

Live video footage of the event will be shown on monitors throughout Newhouse. There will also be a live Twitter feed of the entire symposium via #NFLnext10, according to the release.

Panelists will analyze the forces that have shaped the multibillion dollar sports entertainment industry, according to the news release.

Tirico expresses continuous support for SU by returning to campus, said Hubert Brown, associate dean for research, creativity, international initiatives and diversity and one of the main organizers for the event.

‘He’s very interested in talking to Newhouse, Syracuse students, and he loves helping them,’ Brown said. ‘This is easy for him.’

Brown also wanted to make sure students do not overlook the symposium’s first panel discussion. Brown pointed out that these panelists represent worldwide leaders in the marketing and advertising industries, which are extremely important to the NFL, he said.

‘It’s a great opportunity to hear from someone on the frontline of sports broadcasting,’ Brown said. ‘It’s a huge opportunity for the students, both of these panels.’

Andrew Pregler, a freshman broadcast journalism and information studies major, said he is excited to hear Tirico speak.

Said Pregler: ‘It’s really great to see a guy like Mike Tirico come back to Syracuse to host this huge event on an industry as big or as prevalent as the NFL.’

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Published on October 17, 2011 at 12:00 pm

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