Publications

April 2012 (Revised March 2014)
Case

Social Strategy at Nike

By: Mikolaj Jan Piskorski and Ryan Johnson

Nike, which first started experimenting with social media and networking in 2004, has been consistently reducing its spending on traditional advertising. Yet, Nike has not pulled back on its overall marketing budget, instead opting to focus on "nontraditional"... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Advertising Campaigns; Social and Collaborative Networks; Online Advertising; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

September 2010 (Revised January 2014)
Supplement

Aspen Skiing Company (D)

By: Michael W. Toffel and Stephanie van Sice

Having begun improving the environmental performance of its own operations, Aspen Skiing Company is considering "greening" its supply chain and lobbying for greenhouse gas regulations. A world-renowned ski resort vulnerable to global climate change, Aspen's activities... View Details

Keywords: Environmental Sustainability; Supply Chain; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Aspen

29 Oct 2013
First Look

First Look: October 29

scheme, more extensive than any previously revealed in professional sports history." Until that moment with Oprah, Armstrong had consistently and strenuously denied using performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), blood transfusions, or... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

27 Sep 2004
Research & Ideas

How Leaders Build Winning Streaks

company. Sports certainly produces a very high number of prima donnas and big egos, yet I was struck by how many of the winning teams were led by unpretentious people who boosted others. Larry Coker, who had one of the best records ever... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

21 Feb 2012
First Look

First Look: Feb. 21

creation of altogether new product markets and even industries. We illustrate our model with examples from the field of consumer sporting goods. The significance of user entrepreneurship and the implications of our model for theories of... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

08 Sep 2015
First Look

September 8, 2015

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=48334 Harvard Business School Case 815-071 The National Football League and Brain Injuries The National Football League (NFL) was both the most popular spectator sport in the U.S. and a major... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

26 Sep 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research and Ideas, September 26, 2017

firm and industry heterogeneity and quasi-exogenous meteorological and sport events. The evidence suggests that family CEOs value—or can pursue—leisure activities relatively more than professional CEOs. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

20 Mar 2012
First Look

First Look: March 20

industries. We illustrate our model with examples from the field of consumer sporting goods. The significance of user entrepreneurship and the implications of our model for theories of innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry emergence... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

April 2025
Supplement

Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics (B)

By: Linda A. Hill, James I. Cash and Lydia Begag

This case is a supplement to “Joe Mazzulla and the Boston Celtics” (A) and is set against the backdrop of the 2024 NBA Finals. It describes the impact of Mazzulla’s decision to rally his team with an aggressive “go for the kill” mindset instead of choosing language... View Details

January 2023 (Revised April 2025)
Case

Peloton Interactive (A)

By: Suraj Srinivasan, Lynn S. Paine and David Lane

Early in February 2022, the board of Peloton Interactive faced some knotty challenges. Immense pandemic demand for its stationary exercise bicycles and treadmills had prompted the firm to scale up production rapidly. But as gyms reopened and the virulence of the virus... View Details

Keywords: Corporate Governance; Governing and Advisory Boards; Growth Management; Investment Activism; Leadership; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; United States

October 1984 (Revised March 1999)
Case

NIKE (E)

Provides the background for a discussion of Nike (E1), (E2), and (E3). Outlines Nike's senior management group's early program to deal with the company's increasingly difficult competitive circumstance. View Details

Keywords: Management Style; Competition; Situation or Environment; Management Teams; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

10 Apr 2018
First Look

First Look at New Research, April 10, 2018

Has Entered the Mainstream By: Chatterji, Aaron K., and Michael W. Toffel Abstract—Leaders in all sectors, from business to sports to education, are increasingly wading into controversial political and social issues. Based on interviews... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

02 Apr 2015
Research & Ideas

Digital Initiative Summit: Big Messages, Small Screens, Many Choices

live TV, the play might soon reappear on a sports network's Twitter feed. According to Brown, users' attention spans are somewhat proportional to the size of the screens they use. That means they're less willing to sit through an... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Advertising

21 Mar 2012
Op-Ed

Finding the Right Jeremy Lin Storyline

professional sports a "legitimate" career path in Asian-American families? Or how many Asian-American families might steer their children away from basketball because they see it as a "black" thing? Or to what extent... View Details

Keywords: by Lakshmi Ramarajan; Entertainment & Recreation

March 2004 (Revised February 2006)
Case

Salt Lake Organizing Committee, The: 2002 Olympics

By: H. Kent Bowen, Bryce LaPierre and Courtney Purrington

After two and a half years of effort, Fraser Bullock, COO of the 2002 Winter Olympics, faced projected deficits and post-9/11 security requirements only five months before the opening ceremony. Summarizes the organizational structure and processes put in place by... View Details

Keywords: Framework; Knowledge Dissemination; Business or Company Management; Managerial Roles; Organizational Design; Organizational Structure; Planning; Practice; Risk and Uncertainty; Safety; Sports; System