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- July 2021 (Revised September 2021)
- Case
Sarah Robb O'Hagan: The Rocky Road of Passion
By: Jon M. Jachimowicz and Francesca Gino
In November 2018, Sarah Robb O’Hagan is reeling from an unceremonious exit as CEO of Flywheel, a chain of indoor cycling studios. In the past, Robb O’Hagan had led transformational change across companies throughout the sports and fitness industry, including as... View Details
- June 2021
- Teaching Note
Michael Phelps: 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay'
By: Boris Groysberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Michael Norris
Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 421-044. In 2020, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals in various swimming events, was now retired. As he looked back on his 20+ year athletic career, he considered what had gone into making him the... View Details
- 2021
- Working Paper
MLS as a Sports Product—The Prominence of the World's Game in the U.S.
By: Stephen A. Greyser and Kenneth Cortsen
The purpose of this Working Paper is to analyze how soccer at the professional level in the U.S., with Major League Soccer as a focal point, has developed over the span of a quarter of a century. It is worthwhile to examine the growth of Major League Soccer (MLS) from... View Details
- April 2021 (Revised April 2021)
- Case
Project Restart: Deciding the Future of English Football
By: Nour Kteily and Deepak Malhotra
In March 2020, the English Premier League football (soccer) season was suspended partway through due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two months later the season remained in limbo, with a looming deadline to decide whether to attempt to complete the season or curtail it—and... View Details
- March 2021
- Supplement
Sky Deutschland Analysis: Results
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Sascha L. Schmidt, Renate Imoberdorf and Sebastian Koppers
Carsten Schmidt, CEO of Sky Deutschland, needs to prepare for the auction of German soccer rights. Much was at stake. Not only was soccer the most widely watched sport in Germany, the company had long advertised that only Sky showed “every game, every goal.” In... View Details
- March 2021
- Case
Sky Deutschland - Bidding for Sports Rights (A)
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Sascha L. Schmidt, Renate Imoberdorf and Sebastian Koppers
Carsten Schmidt, CEO of Sky Deutschland, needs to prepare for the auction of German soccer rights. Much was at stake. Not only was soccer the most widely watched sport in Germany, the company had long advertised that only Sky showed “every game, every goal.” In... View Details
- March 2021
- Supplement
Sky Deutschland - Bidding for Sports Rights (B)
By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Sascha L. Schmidt and Sebastian Koppers
Carsten Schmidt, CEO of Sky Deutschland, needs to prepare for the auction of German soccer rights. Much was at stake. Not only was soccer the most widely watched sport in Germany, the company had long advertised that only Sky showed “every game, every goal.” In... View Details
- March 2021
- Case
Astralis Group: Determining a Brand Strategy
By: Benjamin C. Esty, Mette Fuglsang Hjortshoej and Emilie Billaud
After launching a Danish esports company in July 2019, and going public in December 2019 with multiple brands associated with different games, the Astralis leadership team was contemplating a shift to a single, corporate brand. While the original arguments for... View Details
Keywords: Brand Strategy; Esports; Video Games; Corporate Scope; Positioning; Ecosystem; Brands and Branding; Strategy; Business Ventures; Business Startups; Entrepreneurship; Ethics; Sports; Competitive Strategy; Value Creation; Diversification; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Denmark; Europe
- 2021
- Working Paper
Consuming Contests: Outcome Uncertainty and Spectator Demand for Contest-based Entertainment
By: Patrick J. Ferguson and Karim R. Lakhani
Contests that are designed to be consumed for entertainment by non-contestants are a fixture of economic, cultural and political life. In this paper, we examine whether individuals prefer to consume contests that have more uncertain outcomes. We look to... View Details
- February 2021 (Revised February 2021)
- Case
World of Dreams Entertainment Group: Building a Resilient Business
By: Lynda M. Applegate, Sarah Endline and Michael Norris
In 2021, Ron DeShay, former American Idol producer, is launching his new business venture: World of Dreams Entertainment Group. World of Dreams rethought the existing TV production model, giving audiences more power to directly influence the creation of shows through a... View Details
- 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
- January 2021 (Revised January 2022)
- Case
Dick's Sporting Goods: Getting Out Of The Gun Business (A)
By: George A. Riedel
Dick's Sporting Goods was one of the top five retailers of a range of firearms in the US. Over the last several years and specifically following the Parkland shooting of 2018, Ed Stack, the CEO and chairman, had wrestled with the question of their role as a leading... View Details
- January 2021
- Supplement
Dick's Sporting Goods: Getting Out of The Gun Business (B)
By: George A. Riedel
- October 2020
- Case
Michael Phelps: 'It's Okay to Not Be Okay'
By: Boris Groysberg, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Michael Norris
In 2020, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 28 medals in various swimming events, was now retired. As he looked back on his 20+ year athletic career, he considered what had gone into making him the greatest of all time—the highs and lows,... View Details
- October 2020 (Revised March 2021)
- Case
Pete Carroll: Building a Winning Organization through Purpose, Caring, and Inclusion
By: Ranjay Gulati, Matthew Breitfelder and Monte Burke
Competing at the highest levels of the National Football League (NFL) requires tremendous skill, dedication and persistence. The most successful coaches in the NFL know how to draw out a higher level of performance and consistency from their players. This is typically... View Details
- 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
- 2020
- Chapter
Emotions and Emotion Regulation
By: Svenja A. Wolf, Amit Goldenberg and Mickaël Campo
This is the first textbook to explore and explain the contribution of social groups and social identity to all aspects of sports and exercise—from leadership, motivation and communication to mental health, teamwork, and fan behaviour.
In the context of increasing... View Details
- July 2020 (Revised April 2022)
- Case
Paris Saint-Germain: Building One of the World's Top Sports Brands
By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente
In March 2020, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the president of French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain (‘PSG’) sees his team clinch a spot among the last eight clubs to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Established in 1970 and initially a club with only moderate success, PSG’s... View Details
- July 2020
- Case
Steve Kerr: Coaching the Golden State Warriors to Joy, Compassion, Competition, and Mindfulness
By: Francesca Gino and Jeffrey Huizinga
Steve Kerr, coach of the 3-time NBA champion Golden State Warriors, reflects on his values-driven leadership style in the wake of a challenging season. View Details
Keywords: Coaching; Values; Basketball; Agility; Leadership; Values and Beliefs; Diversity; Leadership Style; Sports
- June 2020 (Revised April 2022)
- Case
AFC Ajax
By: Anita Elberse
In July 2019, AFC Ajax’s chief executive officer Edwin van der Sar finalized one of the biggest transfers in soccer—that of Matthijs de Ligt, only 19 years old but already one of the sports world’s brightest stars—from AFC Ajax to Italian powerhouse Juventus FC for a... View Details