Business of Sports Program
As sports teams, leagues, conferences, and other organizations grow increasingly sophisticated, they demand leaders with professional business training. These leaders must have experience applying the principles of finance, marketing, and analytics to an industry that generates $70 billion in North American revenue alone.
The Business of Sports program, generously underwritten by the Lacob Family, recognizes the needs and evolving nature of sports business and sports management and provides:
- Specialized Curriculum: Students gain a deep understanding of the unique ways the sports industry applies business principles and a firm grasp on career opportunities in the business of sports.
- Experiential Learning: Collaborations with sports organizations provide students with tangible experiences solving real-world business problems, such as sports marketing, fan engagement, operations, and analytics.
- Speakers and Events: Access to leading industry professionals who come to campus provides students with opportunities to build a professional network for a competitive edge in the sports management job market.
The Business of Sports program also supports the extracurricular activities of sports business student clubs. In 2017, the Olin student team earned second-place honors at the SABR Case Competition for Baseball Analytics Research.
Kent Lacob (center), General Manager of the Santa Cruz Warriors and a 2015 Olin graduate, and Kirk Lacob (right), Assistant General Manager of the 2015 and 2017 NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, speak with Dr. Patrick Rishe (Director, Olin Sports Business Program) during the 2016 Olin Sports Business Summit. In October 2014, Joseph Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors and father of the Lacob brothers pictured above, generously provided seed funding for the Business of Sports program at Olin Business School.
