Publications

01 Jun 2005
News

NFL Players Tackle Cases at HBS

Making a point: Professor Joe Lassiter leads a class on developing and evaluating business plans. On the field, they can be the fiercest of competitors. Off the field, thirty veteran NFL players teamed up to work toward a common goal... View Details

Keywords: NFL; Ted Johnson; Todd Collins; Mike Haynes; Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

March 2010 (Revised February 2013)
Case

NFL UK

By: Elie Ofek, David B. Godes and Peter Wickersham

The NFL faces a decision on how to continue efforts to grow its fanbase in the U.K. The decision needs to take into account lessons learned from previous NFL activities in Europe, market research on the U.K. sports fan, and the implications of any move on the U.S. fan.... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Innovation and Invention; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Sports; Expansion; Sports Industry; Europe; United Kingdom; United States

August 2021
Teaching Note

The NFL

By: John R. Wells

February 2013
Teaching Note

NFL UK (TN)

By: Elie Ofek and Michael Norris

October 1988 (Revised June 1993)
Case

1987 NFL Strike (A)

13 Jan 2012
News

NFL playoffs deliver huge TV audiences

March 2025
Case

YouTube: Bidding for NFL Sunday Ticket

By: Anita Elberse and Crystal Yao

In December 2022, Erin Teague, a senior director and the global head of sports, movies and shows at YouTube, technology giant Alphabet Inc.’s video- sharing platform, received the news that Sundar Pichai, the chief executive officer of Alphabet and its subsidiary... View Details

Keywords: General Management; Entertainment; Media; Sports; Marketing; Management; Business Strategy; Bids and Bidding; Sports Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

March 1986 (Revised November 1987)
Case

NFL vs. the USFL

By: Michael E. Porter

Keywords: Sports Industry

19 Mar 2012
News

NFL Players to Tackle Custom Program at Harvard Business School

01 Jun 2006
News

NFL Players Hit the Books

Thirty-five NFL players traded their shoulder pads for notepads in late February to participate in an Executive Education program designed by the HBS faculty to help them prepare for careers after football. The View Details

Keywords: Business Schools & Computer & Management Training; Educational Services

16 Feb 2010
News

NFL Players Hone Their Skills at Harvard Business School

03 Jan 2016
News

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

January 2011 (Revised September 2024)
Case

The Globalization of the NFL

By: Juan Alcacer, Mary Furey and Noah Roberson

By 2010, the National Football League (NFL) was still having trouble attracting both a global roster and fan base despite systemized attempts at internationalizing since 1989. Why? Was it simply a bad idea to try to export football, a sport that many considered... View Details

Keywords: Global Strategy; Sports; Failure; Sports Industry; United States

November 2013
Teaching Note

A.J. Washington: Retaining an NFL Star

By: Andrew Wasynczuk and Karen Huang

A.J. Washington explores the early phase of a contract negotiation between a professional football team and its star quarterback. This case illustrates the challenges associated with negotiation for human capital. Specifically, it explores the tension between... View Details

Keywords: Compensation; Human Capital; Negotiation; Sports; Compensation and Benefits; Sports Industry; United States

October 1988 (Revised April 1994)
Supplement

1987 NFL Strike (B): Negotiating Exercise

May 1985
Case

NFL vs. the USFL (A)

By: Michael E. Porter

Keywords: Sports Industry

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