Laurence McCarthy, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Economics and Legal Studies and associate professor of management at Seton Hall University, has returned to teaching after serving as president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland for three years. McCarthy said, “I love being back in the classroom.”
At the Stillman School of Business, McCarthy applies his international leadership experience to help students prepare for careers in sport management. He structures his courses so that students develop marketing plans tailored to their professional interests. “All of the sport marketing students complete a marketing plan,” he explained. “They choose a sport organization, product, or individual that they are professionally interested in and build a full marketing plan around it.”
McCarthy encourages students to use these projects as tools for career advancement. “The advice I give students is that the project should be professionally beneficial,” he said. “It should help them take a concrete step toward where they want to go.” He advises students to focus on organizations or sports they hope to work with, saying, “If you have an ambition to work with a particular organization, perhaps you should do a marketing plan for that organization. Or if you want to be involved in a particular agency or sport, you should look at that sport as the topic for your sports marketing plan.” According to McCarthy, this approach provides insight and background information useful for securing internships or jobs.
He notes that interest in sport management is strong among students but emphasizes the challenges of entering such a competitive field. “The students who come into sport management obviously want to be in the sports industry,” he said. “This line of work is very attractive. And because it is so attractive, it is extremely competitive. You have to work very hard to stand out.” McCarthy tells his students: “You have to carve yourself out, or propel yourself forward. Present yourself well, build real experiences, and make sure those experiences serve you professionally.”
During his time leading the GAA in Dublin, McCarthy commissioned a study on the association’s economic and social impact in Ireland. The results were published in the 2024 GAA report and later presented at the European Association for Sport Management Conference 2025. McCarthy said, “That study was published in the 2024 GAA report shortly after I finished up as president. Then we turned it into an academic presentation.” He added that there are plans to develop this research into a journal article.
McCarthy integrates examples from his research into his classes at Seton Hall when relevant—particularly regarding stadium management and organizational issues.
His public profile led to mention in Irish Parliament discussions about license exchanges for returning citizens; Deputy Michael Collins cited him as an example: “Many in the Dáil may be familiar with former GAA president Larry McCarthy, who returned to Ireland in 2021 and had to hire a driver so he could do his job, despite having originally held an Irish license and then a US license for 37 years.” McCarthy described this reference as unexpected: “kind of ‘out of the blue,’” calling it a surreal moment from his time as GAA president.
Looking ahead, McCarthy intends to continue both teaching and scholarly work at Seton Hall University. He stated: “I’ll continue teaching the classes I enjoy,” adding with humor about publishing occasionally: “I’m back to academic life, back to academic work.”
