Publications

16 Jun 2023
News

On the Move: Adam Laitsas (MBA 2016)

Laitsas will oversee PFL’s expansion plans and grow the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the Middle East with the launch of PFL MENA in 2024. Laitsas was previously SVP of Marketing Strategy for Madison Square Garden Sports.... View Details

Keywords: marketing; career changes; mixed martial arts; sports; MENA; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

06 Feb 2014
News

Why the X Games Won't Dethrone the Olympics

Keywords: disruptive innovation; sports; competitive advantage; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

November–December 2022
Article

Number One in Formula One: Leadership Lessons from Toto Wolff and Mercedes, the Team behind One of the Greatest Winning Streaks in All of Sports

By: Anita Elberse

Toto Wolff, the team principal for Mercedes-AMG Petronas—arguably the most impressive team in F1 racing history—has led his organization to unparalleled success. Mercedes earned the Constructors’ Championship (for best overall team performance) every year from 2014... View Details

Keywords: Formula One; Leadership; Organizational Culture; Management Style; Success

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27 Mar 2018
News

A Dream Job at World Wrestling Entertainment

Keywords: wrestling; women; leadership; sports; career paths

16 Oct 2014
News

Tampa Bay Rays Name New President

Keywords: baseball; sports team management; local government; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Arts, Entertainment

March 2016 (Revised February 2021)
Case

Lotus F1 Team

By: Stefan Thomke, Nikolaos Trichakis, Jérôme Lenhardt and Daniela Beyersdorfer

Describes the detailed inner workings of a high performance Formula One (F1) racing team. It shows how Lotus F1 Team has been able to battle bigger rivals in a very fast-moving, highly regulated, and ultra-competitive environment, where winning races can come down to... View Details

Keywords: Formula One; Motor Sport; Racing Cars; Car Development; Supply Chain; Logistics; Innovation and Management; Competitive Advantage; Product Design; Research and Development; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

October 2016 (Revised April 2018)
Case

ASICS: Chasing a 2020 Vision

By: Elie Ofek, Nobuo Sato and Akiko Kanno

In early 2016, Motoi Oyama, president and CEO of ASICS, a major sports apparel and footwear manufacturer based in Japan, lays out his company’s growth plan for the upcoming 5 years. The new plan set ambitious goals in terms of revenue and profit increases. At the heart... View Details

Keywords: Brand Management; Sports Apparel; Competitive Positioning; Direct To Consumer Marketing; Retail Formats; Lifestyle Brands; Information Technology; Competition; Brands and Branding; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Digital Platforms; Product Positioning; Marketing Channels; Sports; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

February 2022
Case

Toto Wolff and the Mercedes Formula One Team

By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

In December 2021, Toto Wolff, team principal and chief executive officer of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team (the ‘Mercedes team’) is preparing for the start of the 2021 Formula One (‘F1’) season’s last Grand Prix, in the United Arab Emirates. Everything the... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Team Management; Culture; Organizational Culture; Sports; Entertainment; Media; Superstars; General Management; Engineers; Competition; Problems and Challenges; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

01 Jun 2024
News

3-Minute Briefing: David Perpich (MBA 2007)

personalized sports page, with the best reporting and analysis from 450 journalists about the teams and players you care about and the biggest and most compelling stories in sports. I’m a Washington Commanders fan, but I also love Duke... View Details

Keywords: Julia Hanna; sports reporting; digital media; strategy; management

01 Jun 2002
News

Up to the Challenge: Martin Gonzalez - Quiet Courage

to contribute financially to his family back home. Gonzalez has given much thought to the concept of leadership, in sports and in business, and describes it as “the glue for different opinions.” “Leaders need to listen and to value what... View Details

Keywords: Deborah Blagg; courage; sports; illness; cancer; international students; Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services; Professional Services; Food Manufacturing; Manufacturing

February 2025
Case

RedBird Capital Partners

By: Anita Elberse and David Moreno Vicente

In July 2024, Gerry Cardinale, the founder and managing partner of RedBird Capital Partners (‘RedBird’) has helped orchestrate a high-profile deal in the world of entertainment: one in which Skydance Media (‘Skydance’), a content production studio led by David Ellison... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Media; Film; Television; Sports; Superstars; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Investing; Mergers and Acquisitions; Private Equity; Asset Management

June 2013
Supplement

Will RacingThePlanet Ltd. Reach the Finish Line? (Spreadsheet Supplement)

This is the spreadsheet supplement for the "Will RacingThePlanet Ltd. Reach the Finish Line?" case #807148. It contains exhibits 4 and 9. View Details

Keywords: Entrepreneurs; Global Ventures; Global Operations; Marathons; Sports Management; Early Stage; Entrepreneurship; Global Strategy; Operations; Sports Industry; Hong Kong; Mongolia; Egypt; Antarctica; Chile

January 2022
Case

FIFA and The World Cup: The Future of Football

By: Anita Elberse, Oliver Band and Howard Johnson

Should FIFA host its biggest event—the FIFA World Cup—every two years instead of every four, as it has been doing since the event’s inception in the 1930s? In September 2021, Gianni Infantino, the president of the International Federation of Association Football... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Soccer; Football; Entertainment; Media; Talent Development; Globalization; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Governance; Decision Making; Governing and Advisory Boards; Problems and Challenges; Brands and Branding; Sports Industry; Sports Industry

December 2024
Case

AC Milan

By: Anita Elberse

In April 2024, Giorgio Furlani is nearing the end of his first full season as chief executive officer of Italian soccer club AC Milan. A Harvard Business School Class of 2007 graduate with a finance background, Furlani was appointed by RedBird Capital Partners’ founder... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Soccer; Football; Entertainment; Media; Talent Management; Superstars; Marketing; Strategy; General Management; Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership; Business Strategy; Competitive Strategy; Business or Company Management; Sports Industry; Milan

01 Mar 2014
News

Insight: Yenball

Business of Sports course and has conducted research for both professional teams and leagues. In a new HBS working paper, he and Isao Okada—a journalist and former Fulbright visiting scholar at Harvard's Reischauer Institute of Japanese... View Details

Keywords: Morrell, Daniel; Masahiro Tanaka; Hideki Matsui; Isao Okada; business of sports; Arts, Entertainment

December 2022
Case

LIV Golf

By: Alexander J. MacKay

On March 17, 2022, Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, announced the 8-tournament schedule for the inaugural season of the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Norman, a retired professional golfer and former world #1, was helming the league to compete with the PGA Tour, which was... View Details

Keywords: Anti-trust; Golf; ＂Sports Organizations,; Sports Management; Competition; Competition Policy; Strategy; Strategy And Leadership; Competitive Strategy; Sports; Sports Industry

August 2023
Teaching Note

LIV Golf

By: Alexander J. MacKay

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 723-371. On March 17, 2022, Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf, announced the 8-tournament schedule for the inaugural season of the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Norman, a retired professional golfer and former world #1, was helming the league... View Details

Keywords: Anti-trust; Golf; ＂Sports Organizations,; Sports Management; Competition; Competition Policy; Strategy; Strategy And Leadership; Sports; Competitive Strategy; Lawsuits and Litigation; Sports Industry

February 2014 (Revised August 2016)
Case

Strava

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III, William A. Sahlman and Sid Misra

Strava is a new fast-growing social network for the avid cyclist and runner. The Strava case traces the entrepreneurial journey of two serial entrepreneurs who have been co-founders in a prior venture, and who have co-founded Strava 3 years ago. The protagonists must... View Details