Course Syllabus
Syllabus (Dec 18)11/9/18
BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS (MGMT E-5500) Spring 2019
Professor Stephen A. Greyser, Harvard Business School (Emeritus) with Roland Regan, MBA, JD
Course DescriptionThe Red Sox, National Football League (NFL), Nike, and the Olympics—all share a focus on management, marketing, and branding issues across the sports industry. This course examines those issues. Topics include new and established league and team development and marketing strategies, corporate sports sponsorship, broadcasting contracts, licensed merchandise, event management, the role of agents, and athletes as endorsers. The perspective is strategy-based with an orientation to building fans, viewers, sponsorships, and revenues. Content and Perspective
The now multibillion dollar business of sports has become a pervasive element in our economy and our society. Major business elements of sports regularly move from the sports pages (where the focus is dominantly on competition) to the business pages (often about sales of clubs, major sponsorships or broadcast contracts, ticket price hikes, new types of merchandise, arena/stadium naming deals, the impacts of scandals such as in FIFA, etc.), and occasionally to the front page (e.g., strikes/lockouts, threats of franchise transfers, plans for new stadiums, signing of home-team super-star free-agent players, and the like). Also, treatment of sports business has become global, reflected in worldwide coverage of the business dimensions of mega-events such as the Olympics and the World Cup, and expanded intercontinental travel for team and individual competitions. The context includes, illustratively:
In addition, effective management in the sports industry calls for addressing the traditional needs to attract in-stadium fans, broadcast audiences, and advertisers, and to market merchandise that consumers see as appropriate. Understanding the enlarged landscape for the business of sports calls for recognition of the possible limits to growth in money/or time on the part of fans, broadcast viewers/listeners, merchandise consumers, and sponsors/advertisers. For example, how did the economic downturn affect pricing, luxury box sales, sponsorships, et al? Many clubs (MLB, NBA especially) use variable pricing (like airlines) where the same seat has a different price vs. different visiting reams or on different days of the week. In our society, sports has become the lingua franca of 21st century workplaces and gathering spots. Indeed, it has spawned the sports bar industry. In the manner of a secular religion, sports commands big audiences; almost al the largest TV audience programs are sports competition, led (by far) by the Super Bowl. Educational FocusThe focus of the course is on the issues and new challenges for effective strategy and management within this changing and more complex environment. The course is marketing-intensive within the context of general management and strategy. Considerable attention will be devoted to the fan/consumer perspective on issues of the business of sports. In terms of marketing, most of the financially highly successful leagues, teams, events, collegiate athletic programs/ conferences/events, sports broadcast properties, and licensed merchandise manufacturers are associated directly or by analogy with building successful brands, e.g., the Olympics, NBA, Boston Red Sox, Real Madrid, "March Madness"/The Final Four, Nike, and others. Hence, matters of brand-building will be part of many sessions. Course StructureEach week we meet for two hours. Class sessions will include cases, video material, discussion of issues, and occasional visits from executives involved in meaningful decisions affecting the sports business. (The latter are typically people who have cooperated in providing class material.) The course will rely extensively on the discussion method of teaching/learning. Case studies will often be the vehicle for discussion. Lectures/lecturettes will also be employed. See "Course Materials" below for information on the required book and other material. Among the topics expected to be addressed are: sport/league development at different life cycle stages (e.g., MLS, NASCAR, MLB); the climate for existing (WNBA) and emerging (if any) women's professional sports; network television philosophy for attracting viewers (NBC and the Olympics); corporate sports sponsorship and its differences from advertising on sports broadcasts; the business of intercollegiate athletic programs and the power of major conferences; team and league marketing; globalization of leagues and its multiple dimensions; licensing merchandise; fan satisfaction programs (separate from team performance); athlete endorsements; event management; roles of agents and management firms; salary caps and revenue sharing; player/team/fan loyalty; stadium development; minor league ownership; the role/use of sport in building nation brands; and others. There is much more content in the field than can be covered in the class time we have. Some planned topics may not materialize; new ones may develop ̶ e.g., a season-long work stoppage (NHL) would not have been in our sights prior to 2004-5, yet partial shutdowns or threats to do so (NBA, NHL) now seem almost normal. When the now big business of fantasy sports emerged, it would have been difficult to think their evolution would lead them to be considered gambling by some legal officials. And legal betting on games is now endorsed by some leagues. League expansion issues (NHL) and new or transferred clubs (in LA, NFL) are present (again).
Some of our class scheduling will be linked to the calendar, e.g., the Super Bowl, the start of the MLB season, etc. On some weeks we shall address multiple topics.
Course Requirements
Students are expected to be present, to be prepared, and to participate in class discussion. For those to whom grading is pertinent, your in-class contribution (including occasional short papers based on class topics – see below) will constitute about one-third of the grade. A term paper (15-20 pages) on a topic of your choice (approved by the instructor) will constitute about one-third. An in-class written Exam (with several alternative questions) on the last evening (May 13) will constitute one-third. Based on the actual mix of those enrolled in the course, modifications may be made in the paper components, after input from class members.
Regarding paper topics, some excellent prospective ones relate directly to (but would go beyond) material in our assignments. Several such topics would be:
You may have your own ideas of topics that build on longstanding or new elements of the business of sports.
Prior experience in the field is desirable but not required. If one does not have experience, it is helpful to have a grasp of (but not necessarily depth in) the "sports aspects" of sports. One does not have to have solid knowledge about U.S. sports. Some topics (including on the first week) will draw on experiences in other countries.
Past student experience and comments support my intent and belief that after taking this course, you will never read, see, or hear a business-related sports story the same way again. I hope this will be true for all course members. “Student Panels”
On some weeks, a small group of students will be assigned in advance to be especially well-prepared, as resources for the class as a whole. If you have particular topics, among those we are treating, to which you would like to be assigned, let me know. Some of these assignments will be in the form of short papers. Last year, each student wrote several “short papers” (ungraded) during the semester in conjunction with specific weekly assigned topics, most of which were on self-selected topics. Instructor
Stephen A. Greyser is Richard P. Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, Harvard Business School. Among his many activities, he created and developed the Harvard Business School MBA course on “The Business of Sports,” the first one in any leading business school. He received the 2010 American Marketing Association Lifetime Achievement Award for “distinguished career contributions to the scientific understanding of sports business.” Biographical information on Professor Greyser is attached.
Working with Professor Greyser is Roland Regan, JD, MBA, a former player agent and a sports marketing and management consultant. Biographical information on Mr. Regan is attached.
Contact
Professor Greyser may be reached via his Harvard Business School office in Cumnock Hall:
Phone: 617-495-6329 FAX: 617-495-8736
He accesses his voicemail regularly outside of office hours and will call you evenings and weekends if you prefer. If you have questions about the course, please contact him. (He expects to be traveling during some of December, and Cumnock’s offices will be closed for much of the holiday season.)
You may send E-mail to sgreyser@hbs.edu. With your E-mail, always include your phone/fax contact in the signature block, since they will be the primary vehicle of his response. You may also contact Luz Velazquez – lvelazquez@hbs.edu – on administrative matters regarding the course. Her HBS phone number is 617-496-2051. Unless your question/comment for Professor Greyser is personal, please copy Ms. Velazquez on emails to him.
Course Materials
The required book for the course is The Business of Sports: Text and Cases on Strategy and Management, by Foster, Greyser, and Walsh, published by Thomson South-Western. The book is (recently) out-of-print, but the Harvard Coop in Harvard Square tells us that they have located some used copies for this year’s course. If that should become problematic, we shall pursue alternative ways of providing the materials.
A small packet of Harvard Business School case studies for the course will also be available for purchase from HBS Publishing prior to the start of the semester. This group of HBS cases includes several for early in the semester. Last year the cost of the packet was under $20 payable by credit card and downloadable by you. Details will be sent close to the start of the course. Separately, additional required materials selected by Roland Regan will be available early in the semester to those enrolled in the course; the separate charge should be the same as last year, $99, to be paid to the publisher early in the semester.
Let me call your attention to a recently-published [or soon to be] book of collected observations and commentaries from a wide range of sports leaders. Rick Horrow is the editor of The Sport Business Handbook, published by Human Kineties. Also, for your interest, a collection of readings, The Business of Sports (second edition) by Rosner and Shropshire has many articles of prospective interest. These books are not required nor will there be assignments from them.
Important Note on Course Shopping and the Waitlist
The first two weeks of class can be a time of flux. Some (enrolled or not) are "shopping." Others (on the Waitlist) are seriously interested in taking the course. If there is a Waitlist (as there sometimes is) and you are on it and seriously interested in the course, please attend, prepare, and participate. Often seats open up after the initial period, although this cannot be guaranteed. They will be assigned to those who have attended and participated.
This is a Graduate-Level Course
As a graduate-level course, this course is not open to undergraduates of any school. Harvard (or affiliated) graduate students may not cross-register into the course. One does not have to be an Extension degree or certificate candidate to register and take the course. All prospective students must submit a completed Student Information Form by the start of classes. A copy of the form accompanies this memo.
In the past, course members have ranged from relatively recent college graduates to people working in fields relevant to the Business of Sports to those with their own personal interest (unrelated to their current occupation) in the subject. (See comment above on “experience in the field.”)
TOPICS AND SCHEDULE – TENTATIVE 2019
The following sequence of topics is illustrative, based on last year’s schedule. Some new material is anticipated. Some topics may be moved, e.g., intercollegiate sports. Actual weekly assignments will be made during the semester, except for January 28, for which the assignment is below.
January 28 Model of The Business of Sports; Big Business of Sports Issues of 2018; Building New Leagues: MLS (case in book) [see assignment below]
February 4 Super Bowl Advertising, 2019; XFL (in small packet)
February 11 Sponsorship: John Hancock cases (two); Bank of America (cases in small packet)
February 18 Holiday
February 25 Licensing/Intellectual Property
March 4 Olympics: Tarnished Rings, NBC and the Olympics; “After the Carnival” (2018 HBS Working Paper)
March 11 Women’s Professional Sports: WNBA/ABL; Women’s Soccer; Title IX
March 18 Vacation (Harvard Spring Break)
March 25 Event Sponsorship and Bid Development (legal/business); Intellectual Property (cont.); Branding of Nations via Big Sport
April 1 Team Marketing and Fan Development (Red Sox two cases); Marketing MLB; Variable and Dynamic Ticket Pricing
April 8 The Business of Intercollegiate Athletics
April 15 Building a Team Brand via Philanthropy (Tampa Bay Lightning, 2018); Event Management/Sponsorship (Volvo Tennis) (marketing); Agents/Management Firms
April 22 Globalization in Sports: NBA (Stanford case), NHL and the Olympics (handout), MLB and the WBC, NFL and London/Europe, English Premier League TV in US, Real Madrid
April 29 Athletes as Endorsers (NIKE; Magic, Kobe, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong); NASCAR, PGA, ATP “league-like mini seasons”
May 6 Broadcasting Contracts and Revenues (NFL); overseas leagues TV in US; NFL Draft and Salary Caps
May 13 In-class Exam (Mandatory: Please make sure this date is on your calendar.)
Please note that two Mondays are not class evenings: February 18 (holiday) and March 18 (vacation week).
ASSIGNMENTS
The assignment for Week 1 is below. Assignments for subsequent weeks will follow in later weekly memos during our class “season.”
Week 1 January 28, 2019
THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS; BIG BU$INE$$ OF $PORT$ ISSUES OF 2018; BUILDING NEW LEAGUES: MLS
A. Model of The Business of Sports [this one-page graphic is in the book; copies of a somewhat revised version also will be available at the initial class session]Study Questions: [Study questions are intended to help you prepare. Written responses for the instructor are not necessary.]
1. What are the elements that constitute the “world” of the Business of Sports?2. Which ones are essential before major financial advantages can be harvested? What are the key financial levers?
Note: You may find it helpful to read the Overviews from Stanford and Harvard in the book (Section One). Also, for later, a chapter entitled “Consumers: The Alpha and Omega of Marketing” that I prepared for Kahle and Close’s 2011 book, Consumer Behavior Knowledge for Effective Sports and Event Marketing, frames the Model in the context of understanding and influencing consumer behavior. (I plan to distribute copies early in the semester.)
Study Questions:
Note: We shall discuss several of them in class, based on your ideas and interests. I suspect that the following would be on many people’s lists, so be prepared with your own perspectives/ questions on:
Major League Soccer, 1996-98: Now, Later...Never? (in book, p. 48)
Note: For those unfamiliar with the old North American Soccer League, NASL’s five goals for 1985 (as articulated in 1976) were:
Study Questions (revised beyond those in book):
Note: MLS is now (Fall 2018) over 20 years old. Please make sure you address Question 3 above for January 28. Harvard University BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR SPORTS ORGANIZATIONS – Spring 2019 Professor Stephen A. Greyser
Student Information Page
Name: (Last name first):
Local Address:
Current position and organization:
Most recent previous position(s) and organization(s):
College(s) (include college, degree, year, major):
Graduate School(s) (include university, degree, year, major):
Relevant Business of Sports experiences (if any):
Nature of interest in this course:
Telephone: Day: Evening: (please provide both)
Fax: Day: Evening:
E-mail:
Are you a candidate for: ___ Certificate ___ Degree ___ Neither (Note: Candidacy for a certificate/degree is not necessary for enrolling in the course)
THANK YOU
To be submitted before start of classes Please complete and email to Professor Greyser and Ms. Velazquez (email addresses in Syllabus) Stephen A. Greyser Harvard Business School Stephen A. Greyser is Richard P. Chapman Professor (Marketing/Communications) Emeritus, of the Harvard Business School, where he specializes in corporate brand management, corporate communications, the business of sports, and nonprofit management. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he has been active in research and teaching at HBS since 1958. He was also an editor at the Harvard Business Review and later its Editorial Board Secretary and Board Chairman. He is responsible for 16 books, numerous journal articles, several special editions of journals, and over 300 published HBS case studies. Recent publications are Revealing the Corporation with John Balmer (on identity, reputation, corporate branding, etc.) and co-authored articles on “Monarchies as Corporate Brands,” Heritage Brands (a concept he co-created), “Aligning Identity and Strategy” (CMR lead article 2009), “Building and Maintaining Reputation Through Communications”, and co-authored book chapters on “Corporate Communication and the Corporate Persona” (2013) and “The Trust Imperative” for the Page book The New Era of the CCO (2018). He wrote the award-winning “Corporate Brand Reputation and Brand Crisis Management” in his co-edited “Corporate Marketing and Identity,” a special 2009 issue of Management Decision. At HBS, he developed the Corporate Communications elective, creating over 40 cases and articles on issues management, corporate sponsorship, relations among business-media-publics, etc. His current research (with Mats Urde) and most recent published articles are on the branding and identity of the Nobel Prize, including “The Identity of a Heritage Brand” (2015) and integrating the Nobel Prize’s identity and reputation (2016), and a 2018 HBS case. He created and teaches Harvard’s sports business course, is a member of the University’s Faculty Standing Committee on Athletics, has served on the Selection Committee for the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, and is on the board of The Sports Museum. He has authored numerous Business of Sports cases and articles. Among the latter are “Winners and Losers in the Olympics” (2006) and several on sponsorship, including (2012) on Sponsorship-Linked Internal Marketing (co-author) and (2016) on integrating event and sponsor resources (co-author). He also wrote an HBS case on Bank of America’s Sports Sponsorship and one (2018) on combining sports brand-building with community philanthropy (co-author). He also published HBS faculty commentaries on the Sochi Olympics. Two co-authored HBS working papers (2013) examined NBC and the 2012 London Olympics and how MLB clubs have commercialized their Japanese top stars. He has organized seminars on Fifty Years of Change in Intercollegiate Athletics, the Business of the Olympics, Sports in China, and “Fenway Park Comes to HBS,” on the business of Fenway Park for its 2012 Centennial. He co-led an NFL pre-Super Bowl 50 branding and sponsorship event at Levi’s Stadium. His comments on the meaning of the Olympics for China were seen by tens of millions in China on CCTV after the 2008 Opening Ceremonies. At Doha GOALS 2012 he moderated a private conference session of global sports leaders (including Lord Coe) on improving the Olympics. He has recently written an analysis of “Nation-Branding via Big Sports.” He received the American Marketing Association’s 2010 Sports Marketing lifetime achievement award for “distinguished career contributions to the scientific understanding of sports business.” In addition, he is co-author of a book on arts administration and editor of one on cultural policy. A 2015 HBS Working Paper examined business sponsorship of museums, a topic of his HBS case on MFA Boston. He is past executive director of the Marketing Science Institute and the charter member of its Hall of Fame, and also an elected Fellow of the American Academy of Advertising for career contributions to the field. He received the Institute for Public Relations 2009 special award for “lifetime contributions to public relations education and research,” and Lipscomb University’s 2011 MediaMasters award for a “body of [communications] work that stands as a model and inspiration for the next generation.” He twice was a public member of the National Advertising Review Board for U.S. advertising self-regulation. He has served on numerous corporate and nonprofit boards. He is a trustee of the Arthur W. Page Society, and he was the first academic trustee of the Advertising Research Foundation and of the Advertising Educational Foundation. He is a past national vice chairman of PBS and an overseer at WGBH and at the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), where he was the founding chair of its Trustees Marketing Committee. He served as Alumni Association president of Boston Latin School, America’s oldest school (1635), and conducted its 350th and 375th Founder’s Day ceremonies as magister eventuum; he received its 2005 Distinguished Graduate Award. He is an Honorary Fellow (2012) of Brunel University. He is a member of the HBS Marketing and Social Enterprise faculties. In 2017, he served as Visiting Distinguished Professor at Boston University’s College of Communication. Known as "the Cal Ripken of HBS," in almost 50 years of teaching at Harvard he has never missed a class. 11/18
Roland J. Regan, Jr.; J.D., MBA, M.Ed. Mr. Regan has been in-and-around the sport and entertainment business for over twenty years. His consultancies included the areas of brand development and marketing, intellectual property, contracts, licenses, strategy development and implementation, and training. He now leads as CEO and President the National Childhood Obesity Foundation, Inc. (N.C.O.F.®) headquartered in Marblehead, MA. Mr. Regan’s primary focus has been in the areas of general management; strategy development and implementation; brand development and marketing; Trustee and Advisory board development and relations; intellectual property development, protection and licensing; and fundraising. Earlier in his professional career for approximately fourteen years, he was a Senior Principal with a small privately held experiential sport marketing management consulting firm, named ProMonde, Inc. As a Principal for ProMonde, Mr. Regan counseled, consulted, and advised client municipalities and corporations on issues involving strategic planning, marketing research and analysis, contracts and licensing, intellectual property, and event development. Corporate clients included: Nabisco, Yoplait, Del Monte, ESPN, Volkswagon, Phillips, PhilRich Corp., and Nestles. Involvements included: the Barcelona Promocio, the Amsterdam Arena, Croke Park (Dublin), City of Warsaw Poland, N.C.O.F., Inc., the DVA, and the Turbulent Daughters (rock band). During this period, he represented several NFL and NHL players between 1992-2000. Mr. Regan is still retained by several former client sport venues in Europe for periodic consultations. Even earlier, as a Senior Associate with Harbridge House, Inc. located in Boston, MA. Mr. Regan managed over $5.9 million in consulting client accounts annually. His management consulting and training practice encompassed: negotiations training, global marketing, licensing, teaming arrangements, organizational and communication effectiveness, brand marketing, and organizational process improvement. Some of his key clients included: GE, UTC, Corning, Raytheon, Bard, Disney, Westinghouse, Ford, BMW, and P&G. Earlier still, he served as a Contracts & Licensing Consultant for Hercules Aerospace Corporation. Mr. Regan as Contracts & Licensing Consultant for the $400 million dollar Hercules division and was instrumental in reviewing, editing and approving all corporate strategic marketing plans, contracts, licenses, and major requests for proposal from prime and sub-contractors. Even earlier still, as Contracting Officer for NATO AWACS program while serving as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. Regan was the program manager, negotiator and team leader for the NATO AWACS foreign military sale of $1.8 billion dollars. His many negotiations were with the prime contractor Boeing. Mr. Regan holds several degrees; an A.B. from Boston College, a M.Ed. from Harvard University, and a MBA and Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University. His list of professional affiliations during his professional career include the Sports Lawyers Association, NFLPA, and NHLPA. He holds several certifications in advance training from the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Officer’s Training School, USAF Systems Acquisition and Contracts, and USAF Program Manager’s schools. Mr. Regan is currently or has been an adjunct faculty member at Harvard University, UVM, Boston University Emerson College, Northeastern University, Suffolk University, Endicott College, and Bentley University over the past twenty-five years. 10/01/2013
HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL POLICIES
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. Please visithttps://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/disability-services-accessibility for more information.
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity (https://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity) and how to use sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting the wrong draft, or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your learning about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid Plagiarism (https://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-plagiarism), where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two free online 15-minute tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are anonymous open-learning tools.
|
|
|
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|