Publications

08 Feb 2013
Working Paper Summaries

The Dynamic Advertising Effect of Collegiate Athletics

Keywords: by Doug J. Chung; Sports

14 Oct 2010
Working Paper Summaries

Reversing the Queue: Performance, Legitimacy, and Minority Hiring

Keywords: by Andrew Hill & David Thomas; Sports

18 Apr 2005
Lessons from the Classroom

NFL Players Touch Down at HBS

Dhani Jones, a six-foot-one, 240-pound linebacker for the Super Bowl runner-up Philadelphia Eagles, knows a lot about running around a football field. But he's a rookie when it comes to running his bow tie company. "I love my bow ties, but the business aspect... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Sports

April 2006
Teaching Note

Coach Knight: The Will to Win and Coach K: A Matter of the Heart (TN)

By: Scott A. Snook

Keywords: Sports; Competitive Strategy

11 Nov 2002
Research & Ideas

Women Entrepreneurs Usher in the Next Generation

Swan (HBS MBA '91), former executive vice president of Nickelodeon and now on the advisory board of Ascend Venture, and Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation. HBS professor Myra M. Hart was a co-organizer of... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

30 Jan 2006
Research & Ideas

Looking Behind Bad Decisions

Why is it that the U.S. federal government allows local communities to give tax dollars to wealthy sports team owners rather than to create better benefits for citizens? Why are organ-donor programs constrained to the point where... View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls

February 2021 (Revised October 2024)
Case

Muhammad Ali: Changing The World

By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer

This case describes the rise of Cassius Clay, who later called himself Muhammad Ali, from the poor streets of Louisville, Kentucky to international fame. The case describes how Ali won a gold medal in the Olympics, three heavyweight boxing titles, and became a role... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Mission and Purpose; Personal Characteristics; Religion; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Success; Power and Influence; Personal Development and Career; Sports Industry

March 1987 (Revised July 1996)
Case

Kansas City Zephyrs Baseball Club, Inc.

By: Kenneth A. Merchant, Krishna G. Palepu and Joseph P. Mulloy

Describes a dispute between the owners of the major league baseball teams and the players' union about the profitability of the baseball teams. The issue is important because of the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. A consultant is brought in to decide... View Details

Keywords: State Ownership; Compensation and Benefits; Entrepreneurship; For-Profit Firms; Accounting; Activity Based Costing and Management; Resource Allocation; Cost Accounting; Cost Management; Labor and Management Relations; Financial Management; Sports; Sports Industry; Kansas

21 Oct 2013
Working Paper Summaries

How Major League Baseball Clubs Have Commercialized Their Investment in Japanese Top Stars

Keywords: by Isao Okada & Stephen A. Greyser; Sports

11 Sep 2006
Research & Ideas

Negotiating When the Rules Suddenly Change

How can you negotiate when the rules suddenly change, and no one knows whether your particular market is headed up or down? Regrouping from the cancellation of the 2004-2005 season due to failed labor negotiations, National Hockey League (NHL) teams and players faced... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Wheeler; Sports

05 Jul 2016
First Look

July 5, 2016

More Effective Sports Sponsorship—Combining and Integrating Key Resources and Capabilities of International Sports Events and Their Major Sponsors By: Lund, Ragnar, and Stephen A. Greyser... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

November–December 2024
Article

High-Status Teammates: Award Evaluation in the National Basketball Association

By: Dominika Kinga Randle and Letian Zhang

Social evaluations proceed in stages. First, judges filter a broad pool of candidates and pick a subset for detailed assessment. Then, the chosen group undergoes a closer examination, during which winners are selected. At both stages of the process, judges are... View Details

Keywords: Performance Evaluation; Prejudice and Bias; Groups and Teams; Status and Position; Sports Industry

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January 1980 (Revised September 2008)
Case

Patterson v. Commissioner

By: Henry B. Reiling

Floyd Patterson (Petitioner) the former world heavyweight boxing champion and his manager, C. D'Amato, formed a corporation, Floyd Patterson Enterprises Ltd., to handle all ancillary rights connected with Patterson's boxing matches. The question is whether the... View Details

Keywords: Business Ventures; Taxation; Rights; Sports Industry

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September 2018 (Revised March 2019)
Case

Philanthropy and Brand Building: Jeff Vinik and the Tampa Bay Lightning

By: Stephen A. Greyser and Michael Mondello

Owner Jeff Vinik and top management of the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning are reviewing their strategy and progress in achieving their goals of brand-building and community commitment. Strategic philanthropy is unusual in sport. Tampa Bay is historically a non-traditional... View Details

Keywords: Brands and Branding; Philanthropy and Charitable Giving; Business and Community Relations; Sports Industry; Tampa

December 2008 (Revised February 2015)
Case

A.J. Washington: Retaining an NFL Star

By: Andrew Wasynczuk and Nicole Shae Bennett

General Manager Luke Kolville, of the Los Angeles Spartans, struggles with the best approach to negotiate a long-term contract for his star quarterback. The agent for Washington is relatively new to the industry and has his sights set particularly high. Kolville needs... View Details

Keywords: Retention; Human Capital; Contracts; Managerial Roles; Negotiation; Groups and Teams; Sports Industry; Los Angeles

December 2004
Case

Ciclon de Alicante

By: Francisco de Asis Martinez-Jerez

A Spanish soccer team that received a large influx of cash thanks to a real estate transaction with its stadium faces critical accounting decisions. The team's accountants are confronted with decisions about players' contracts, jersey inventory, season ticket sales,... View Details

Keywords: Decisions; Financial Statements; Sports Industry; Spain

April 1999 (Revised August 2004)
Case

Tarnished Rings? Olympic Games Sponsorship Issues

By: John A. Clendenin and Stephen A. Greyser

Focuses on the impacts for Olympic sponsor companies of the bribery allegations related to the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee's successful bid for the 2002 Winter Games. The spread of the scandal to the International Olympic Committee board members and the recent... View Details

Keywords: Crime and Corruption; Crisis Management; Marketing Channels; Consumer Behavior; Value Creation; Sports Industry

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July 2020 (Revised May 2021)
Case

Oxygen Esports

By: John R. Wells and Benjamin Weinstock

On May 4, 2020, a press release from Boston, Massachusetts, announced the launch of Oxygen Esports (Oxygen), a new organization that hoped to dominate the rising esports scene in New England. Oxygen was created from a merger between Helix eSports (Helix), an owner and... View Details

Keywords: Esports; Sports; Online Technology; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Entrepreneurship; Strategy