A new chapter for Sun Devil Athletics

Sun Devil Athletics Director and two-time W. P. Carey alum Graham Rossini discussed building affinity through sport during November's Economic Club of Phoenix event.

Many Sun Devils experience their first major ASU event — the university's annual Fall Welcome — at the Mountain America Stadium each August.

"It's an incredible and energetic setting, and if we do our jobs right as an institution, those students will be back in the football stadium for graduation," said Sun Devil Athletic Director Graham Rossini (BS Management '02, MBA '11) during Thursday's Economic Club of Phoenix (ECP) event. "We want to be such an enriching part of the student experience that when people graduate and start progressing in their adult lives, ASU and Sun Devil Athletics are a part of that backdrop."

During the second ECP speaker series of the 2024-25 season, Rossini discussed the business of college athletics, restructuring the Sun Devil Athletics leadership team, supporting student-athlete development, and the department's commitment to cultivating community within ASU and the Valley through sport. The two-time W. P. Carey alum brings over 20 years of sports business experience to Sun Devil Athletics, After beginning his career as the director of baseball operations at ASU in 2008, Rossini spent over 13 years working for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Since returning to Sun Devil Athletics three years ago, he has led the department's 15-year naming rights partnership of the Mountain American Stadium campaign and extended the Desert Financial Arena naming rights contract by 10 years.

Since becoming the Sun Devil Athletic director in May, Rossini has been responsible for growing ASU's athletic departments through corporate partnerships, philanthropy, ticket sales, fan experience, athlete recruitment, and issues related to student-athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL), or how student-athletes profit from their personal brands. He also serves as a member of President Michael Crow's University Council, the Athletic Department's Senior Leadership Team, and the University Management Team.

Nearly 700 student-athletes from around the globe participate in Sun Devil Atheltics' 26 varsity sports, and ASU welcomes over two million fans to its athletic facilities each year. Through new partnerships with the ASU Brand team and local media, Sun Devil Athletics is reaching more ASU fans than ever before through improved marketing and digital content, including a FOX 10 Phoenix partnership covering ASU hockey games and several new Sun Devil programs and behind-the-scenes content.

Rossini's strategy for developing Sun Devil Athletics as a business unit while supporting the department's mission of growing talent and driving ASU enrollment is simple: Obsess over the people who obsess over ASU.

"The best way to create value and, ultimately, generate revenue is by focusing on broad affinity," said Rossini, citing fun and affordable game days for fans, philanthropic investments, and mutually beneficial corporate partnerships as departmental priorities. ASU has the added benefit of year-round sports, which creates more opportunities for community connection and revenue generation and directly impacts student-athlete health and success.

Rossini is increasingly focused on the competitive advantages of NIL and how student-athletes can benefit from these contracts. These partnerships provide student-athletes — whose athletic commitments limit their participation in work-study, study abroad, or college internships — opportunities to build their resumes and professional networks.

Rossini emphasized that Sun Devil Athletics serves the ASU community and growing student-athletes in all aspects of their lives through academic coaching, life programming, financial management and education, community engagement, and mental health.

"They're not employees or professional athletes — they are student-athletes, and that's a tremendous focus of ours," said Rossini. "We're doubling down on that investment."

As the premier speaker series in the Valley, the ECP hosts leaders from some of the most influential companies in the world or offers insights to ECP members for their companies and careers, as well as opportunities to network with professionals from across the business community.

Learn more about the Economic Club of Phoenix. Speakers for 2025 will be announced soon.