WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Every professional sport started somewhere, and what could be the future of spectator sports is getting its start right in our backyard. It’s called the TMRW Golf League (TGL) and partnered with Palm Beach State College.
This innovative collaboration aims to provide students with unique opportunities in sports, technology, and media.
While it’s not much to look at right now, when the finishing touches are complete, the SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College will be one of a kind. Although the inside is still kept secret, artist renderings give a glimpse of TGL’s home. Inside the top PGA, players will compete on teams twice a week in a two-hour televised competition. Part of the game is virtual. The players will drive, hit the fairway, and approach shots toward a massive movie-style screen as the ball is tracked using the latest technology. Once on the green, players will step onto the putting surface on an enormous turntable, which can be changed for every hole.
And if that’s not enough, along with the lights, music, and live audience, the players will each wear microphones to keep it entertaining. Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley have been working on the plan for years, including where to locate it.
Dr. Stephen Joyner, Provost and Dean of the Palm Beach Gardens campus says, “Through the ESPN worldwide broadcast, people will know more about Palm Beach State College.” The college is leasing the property to TGL on a site that used to be a softball field. Joyner adds, “For our students, there are some great opportunities that have also come from this.”
See also: One dead after being ‘stabbed in the head’ near Riviera Beach apartment complex
Students have been availed of jobs, internships, and tours, and the school is planning to create a curriculum around TMRW’s innovative model, adding classes in sports management, media production, and more.
Kaitie Richardson, the HR manager for TMRW Sports, says, “The college has been phenomenal. They have great students and programs. Going to them and saying, ‘Hey, I have this need,’ is easy for them. They usually have not just one candidate, but several.”
It didn’t take long for the staff at TMRW Sports to tap into the talent. Austin Williams says getting his paid internship boiled down to being in the right place at the right time. “I went to a board meeting with the school, and I talked to one of the deans and asked him for an opportunity. He had something waiting for me,” Williams explains. He hopes his experience will land him a job in cybersecurity.
Then there’s Eveny Areas, just weeks away from earning her bachelor’s degree in project management. After her internship with TMRW Sports, she plans on seeking her master’s degree in digital marketing. “I love sports, but if you told me a year ago that I would want to work for a sports company, I would have said no, not at all,” says Areas.
Jeremy Moser earned his degree in database management. Like the others, he’d never heard of TMRW Sports and wondered about the big building at the back of the campus. “Sports entertainment is a tough industry, and there is such opportunity here. When I first heard about it, I was like, ‘Who? What?’ But as soon as you start turning the pages, you’re like, ‘Wow, this is going to be big,’” Moser says.
Richardson adds, “There was one specific role in cybersecurity, and we had two great candidates. We brought them both on and staggered them a little bit. We didn’t want to pass up on that knowledge and experience. We wanted to provide that opportunity for those students, which has been very rewarding.”
As for the interns, they hope their experience lands them a new job. Jeremy has already found one and didn’t have to look far. “I’m now a data engineer full-time with TMRW Sports. Who knew, right?” Moser says.
TMRW Sports is finishing up work at the SoFi Center, and the first TGL event is just weeks away.
We have a link at CBS12.com for you to see the TGL schedule and find tickets.
Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day’s top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can’t miss video.