Publications

29 Apr 2013
Research & Ideas

Diagnosing the ‘Flutie Effect’ on College Marketing

touchdown—a climactic capper on one of the most exciting college football games ever. The play put BC on the map for college aspirants. In two years, applications had shot up 30 percent. Ever since, marketing experts and school deans have... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Education; Advertising; Sports

November 2018
Case

Sportradar (A): From Data to Storytelling

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Karen Elterman and Oliver Gassmann

In 2013, the Swiss sports data company Sportradar debated whether to expand from its core business of data provision to bookmakers into sports media products. Sports data was becoming a commodity, and in the future, sports leagues might reduce their dependence on... View Details

29 Apr 2013
News

Diagnosing the ‘Flutie Effect’ on College Marketing

17 Mar 2021
Working Paper Summaries

Consuming Contests: Outcome Uncertainty and Spectator Demand for Contest-based Entertainment

Keywords: by Patrick J. Ferguson and Karim R. Lakhani

14 Mar 2011
News

Mistaking Mistrust For Greed: How To Solve The NFL Dispute

03 Jan 2016
News

NFL Black Monday Insights: How Much Do Coaches Really Matter?

December 2008
Background Note

Incentives in the NFL (Abridged)

By: Brian J. Hall, Andrew Wasynczuk, Jonathan Paul Lim, Sara del Nido and Katherine Dowd

This note briefly describes compensation and incentive issues in one of the major US professional sports leagues, the National Football League (NFL). It first provides some background information on the labor market for players and the salary cap, and then describes... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Wages; Groups and Teams; Conflict of Interests; Motivation and Incentives; Sports Industry; United States

January 2002
Background Note

A Note on Incentives in the NFL

By: Brian J. Hall and Jonathan Lim

This case describes compensation and incentive issues in one of the major U.S. professional sports leagues, the National Football League (NFL). It first provides some background information on the labor market for players and the salary cap and then describes incentive... View Details

Keywords: Compensation and Benefits; Labor and Management Relations; Conflict and Resolution; Motivation and Incentives; Sports; Sports Industry; United States

03 Apr 2014
News

Sir Alex Ferguson To Teach In Harvard Business School's Executive Education Programs

05 Nov 2015
Video

The Long Run: the Impact of Brain Injuries on the NFL

August 2005
Case

Bill Belichick and the Cleveland Browns

By: John R. Wells and Travis Haglock

Genius? That is not what they were calling Bill Belichick in Cleveland. Why? Four losing seasons in five years. Fans hurled trash and insults. The media resented him. Ownership abandoned him. Players quit on him. Very different from the three Super Bowls in five years... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Leadership Style; Leading Change; Management Practices and Processes; Management Style; Sports; Sports Industry; United States

13 Jun 2011
News

Why American Management Rules the World

21 Jan 2016
News

Doing his job

05 Nov 2015
Cold Call Podcast

The Long Run: the Impact of Brain Injuries on the NFL

Keywords: Re: Richard G. Hamermesh

January 2025 (Revised February 2025)
Case

From Neverkusen to Meisterkusen:* Building a Winning Organization at Bayer Leverkusen

By: Boris Groysberg, Brian L. Walker, Sascha L. Schmidt and Gamze Yucaoglu

This case follows Bayer Leverkusen football team through 2018-2024, as Fernando Carro takes the helm and makes organizational changes. Led by CEO Fernanda Carro, sporting director Simon Rolfes, and head coach Xabi Alonso, the Club becomes league champion for the first... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Business Strategy; Alignment; Competitive Strategy; Europe; Germany

13 Oct 2010
News

Nike takes NFL apparel deal from Reebok

31 Jan 2011
News

Four Winning Lessons from the Super Bowl

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; Education Industry; Sports Industry; Tennessee