Publications

16 Jan 2019
Research & Ideas

What Football Firings Teach Managers About Staying Relevant

his managerial skills over time, working more effectively with key stakeholders than during his time in New England. Outsource less-critical tasks or tasks in areas of non-expertise. As advances in technology, analytics, and sports... View Details

Keywords: by Boris Groysberg, Evan M.S. Hecht, and Abhijit Naik; Sports

September 2016 (Revised April 2020)
Case

Dwyane Wade

By: Anita Elberse and Jennifer Schoppe

In July 2016, while on his annual China tour to help promote the sportswear brand Li-Ning, basketball superstar Dwyane Wade and his long-time business manager, Lisa Joseph-Metelus, face a decision regarding one of his other business partnerships—that with the American... View Details

Keywords: Branding; Fashion; Superstar; Celebrity Endorsement; Innovation; Creative Industries; Talent; General Management; Sports; Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Management; Strategy; Personal Development and Career; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; China

10 Feb 2016
News

Drone Racing League Launches

Keywords: Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Arts, Entertainment

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

28 Nov 2018
Blog Post

Making the Switch from Finance to Fitness

go to an indoor cycling class with her. I didn’t understand. The bikes didn’t move – why would I do this? Nevertheless, I went to a class at Flywheel Sports and left feeling better, physically and mentally. While I grew up playing... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

01 Mar 2023
News

Action Plan: Casting Call

in our 90s understand, a few aches and pains are a small price to pay for being with family and friends,” he observes. And no doubt the ongoing challenge of fly-fishing keeps him young: “It’s the best sport of all,” Berkley asserts,... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; hobbies; balance; meaning; longevity; aging; Paper Manufacturing; Manufacturing

June 2013
Case

STATS: Moneyball 2.0

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Mark Cecchini and Elizabeth Collins

Keywords: Sports

September 2020
Case

Wladimir Klitschko: F.A.C.E. Your Challenges

By: Boris Groysberg, Michael Norris and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In 2020, Olympic goal medal winning boxer and former heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko had built himself a “second ring” to continue his career after retiring from professional boxing. He was a hotelier, boxing promoter, author, teacher, speaker, and had... View Details

Keywords: Experience and Expertise; Business Education; Training; Entrepreneurship; Personal Development and Career; Sports; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Ukraine; Germany

September 2015 (Revised June 2017)
Case

Futbol Club Barcelona

By: Anita Elberse

In June 2015, FC Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu sees his team lift the UEFA Champions League trophy, completing an impressive trophy haul in the 2014-2015 season. Unique for a club of its caliber, five of the starting eleven are products of FC Barcelona's youth... View Details

Keywords: Superstar; Talent; Talent Development And Retention; Talent Management; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Nonprofit; Marketing Strategy; Talent and Talent Management; Entertainment; Media; Competitive Advantage; Sports; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Barcelona

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

01 Mar 2005
News

In the Blood

Clay with 2004 Kentucky Derby champion Smarty Jones. To leave Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport, exit on Man O’ War Boulevard, named for one of history’s greatest Thoroughbred champions. It’s a little like taking the new Ted Williams Tunnel from Boston’s Logan Airport —... View Details

Keywords: Hanna, Julia; horse racing; Animal Production and Aquaculture; Agriculture; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

April 2020
Teaching Plan

Malcolm Turner at Vanderbilt

By: David G. Fubini, Amy Klopfenstein and James Barnett

This teaching plan serves as a supplement to the case “Malcolm Turner at Vanderbilt,” HBS 420-024. The case examines the early decisions of Vanderbilt University’s new athletic director, Malcolm Turner. A newcomer to college athletics, Turner made a series of... View Details

Keywords: Organizations; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Sports; Planning; Strategic Planning; Education; Higher Education; Leadership; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Tennessee

13 May 2013
Blog Post

The Summer is Finally Over

Reuniting with my classmates and catching up on our amazing summer experiences. - Getting the chance to pick and ultimately take my own classes for the first time My tentative schedule looks so exciting! - Enjoying even more of what Boston and Cambridge have to offer... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

05 Feb 2014
Research & Ideas

Can Putin Score Olympic Gold?

viewers who tuned in—especially if it was known that Americans performed well in popular sports such as swimming and gymnastics. The network also harnessed social media to increase buzz about the Games and viewership, including... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Sports; Sports

February 1995 (Revised November 1996)
Case

MasterCard and World Championship Soccer

By: John A. Quelch and Carin-Isabel Knoop

The MasterCard vice president for global promotions and other MasterCard executives are appraising the results of MasterCard's worldwide sponsorship of the 1994 World Cup soccer championship. They must decide whether to commit to sponsor the 1998 championship to be... View Details

Keywords: Credit Cards; Marketing Strategy; Multinational Firms and Management; Advertising Campaigns; Globalization; Sports; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; France; United States