Sport Leadership Vignettes

After discerning key marketing insights from Dr. Tyler and Dr. Cobbs' Know Rivalry research lab, and with consideration of MLS’s unique ability to deliver brand awareness at a league and club levels through the ownership model, students will identify several local markets that present strong fan interest in rivalries and could pay off greatly for a smart new sponsor. With the Heineken Rivalry Week program currently in use as a benchmark, students will apply the case theory to prospect a new food-at-home sponsorship category. The case provides an engaging and differentiated narrative to team students ways in which they can apply MLS rivalry research in a responsible way, to sustain the best parts of fans’ passions while leveraging a new partner to promote the narratives of MLS rivalries.

Every year, the proverbial “Hot Stove League” in baseball’s off-season prompts myriad headlines about outsized player contracts. But do these nominal values tell the whole story? In this case, students will be tasked with representing a fictional baseball player, Rolando Mateo, as he works his way through his first free agent negotiation. By drawing on fundamental concepts of the time value of money and balancing qualitative considerations with quantitative analyses, students will work to rank Mateo’s offers—and provide their client with a final recommendation for his path forward.

For nearly a century, owners of U.S. professional sports teams have lobbied respective governmental bodies for public subsidies to build stadiums and arenas across the country, using franchise relocation as leverage. Myriad justifications have been used as a defense for the public subsidization of this private enterprise, ranging from the economic impact of capital intensive projects to the psychic regional benefit of being a host city to a professional sports franchise. But do these justifications hold up under increased scrutiny? In this case, students are placed in the position of the Mayor of Oakland as she is faced with a dilemma regarding publicly subsidizing a new Raiders stadium. Students will examine the issue through the lens of multiple key stakeholders, and will ultimately have to decide whether the city should utilize public funds to keep the Davis family happy and the Raiders in Oakland, or withhold funding for public good and risk the franchise relocating elsewhere.

This case outlines Minor League Baseball's (MiLB) strategic resource allocation towards diversity and inclusion, and practical steps MiLB has taken to activate its core mission and values in the sports market - most notably through its 2019 Pride campaign and Copa de la Diversion platform. Written in collaboration with MiLB's staff, the case includes data and results from the 2019 Pride program, background research on the league's organizational structure and mission, and a robust theory section highlighting subject-specific academic literature to help educate students on current trends. Written from a management lens, the theory outlined herein includes substantial analysis on the societal shifts towards the LGBTQ community, economic benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion in marketing initiatives, and the LGBTQ sport consumer. Lastly, students are tasked with applying MiLB's model to a new U.S. market through analysis of relevant data on state equality measures, and dynamics regarding the market, population and community in question. The case fosters a greater understanding of diversity and inclusion policy and practice in sport organizations.