Global Sport (GLSP1-GC)

A centennial overview of the history of sports as a global cultural phenomenon. Topics include: the nature of leisure behavior; historical, ethical, social, and economic aspects of the sports industry; the terminology of sports; and the forces that have affected the growth of sports as a business. This course provides a critical context from which to proceed in learning and applying sports models, techniques and concepts in variety of sports business practice areas.

This course delivers an in-depth foundation of the aspects of the sports fan as a special category of consumer by providing students with an understanding of the underpinnings of fans’ perspectives, attitudes, affinities, and even reactions to their favorite teams’ successes and failures. This course begins with establishing the difference between typical consumer behavior for products and services to the sports service industry. We will delve into the science of fandom by exploring the psychology, sociology and neuroscience of fandom, review relevant academic literature pertaining to theories of social group dynamics and humans’ innate drive towards community. We will also explore the psychological framework for fandom. Students will learn about fan behaviors and their economic motivations along with implications for sports economics, pricing models, ticketing packages, etc. Students will put their learning into practice through a case study where students will develop a product offering for a sports team, drawing on the insights from this course.

An examination of the economy, external factors, financial statements and processes that establish fiscal responsibility and accountability in the sports industry. Investment decisions confronting the owner and operator of the diversified sports enterprise at each step of the process of acquiring a franchise, developing forecasts, financing techniques used to construct sports facilities, and current economic policies and conditions.

This course follows-up on the foundational finance and economics principles learned in Sports Finance and Economics I. The focus of this course will be on risk assessment, analyzing financial statements, budgeting debt and equity management, financial modeling, as well as analyzing the complete financial cycle investing in both teams and sports facilities from programming, planning and financing to operations, renovation and divestiture or replacement.

This course provides students with a comprehensive knowledge of the Olympic Movement, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and other global sport mega-events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Commonwealth Games, the Rugby World Cup, and more. The course allows students to understand and critically analyze topics such as Olympic and international sport governance structures, bidding on and hosting sport mega-events, the perspectives of stakeholders such as athletes, parents, coaches, media, and sponsors, the concepts of legacy and sustainability, and the social and environmental consequences of these mega-events.

This course will address the intertwined relationship between globalization, sport, and development from a critical global perspective. This course highlights the extent to which contemporary sport cultures are the result of an interplay between local, regional, national, international and global forces. This is achieved by demonstrating how sport governing bodies, spectacles, practices, and products, are both expressive of local conditions, while simultaneously being influenced by the workings of global economic, political, and cultural forces. The specific aim of the course is to encourage students to consider how various international sport mechanisms are experienced as manifestations of the global-local nexus. We will explore the international character of professional and amateur sports including international competitions, league expansions beyond national boundaries, and the movement of athletes. Such a cross-cultural examination will nurture, not only a comparative understanding of various national sport cultures, but also a more nuanced and sensitive understanding of the derivation and experience of cultural difference within the era of globalization.

In this course, students will examine the relationship between domestic, European and international law, and sports rules, regulations and governance structures. Topics discussed will include: the differences between international and global sports law; the concept of Lex Sportiva; the legal and regulatory framework of international sports organizations; European, U.S. and other countries’ models of sport; legal issues relating to FIFA and the global governance of football; competition, antitrust and labor relations issues; the processes by which doping, eligibility, disciplinary, commercial and other disputes in sport are resolved; international issues in the regulation of doping in sport; the roles of the World Anti-Doping Agency and the Court of Arbitration for Sport; the legal and regulatory sources of athletes’ rights; players’ agents and intermediaries; intellectual and industrial property rights in sports; protection and monetization of players’ image rights; legal issues related to sponsorship, endorsements, and bidding on and hosting mega sporting events; sports broadcasting and new media rights; and emerging issues in international sports law.

This course examines the ways in which global sport franchises, corporate entities, non-profit entities, and individuals utilize sports and entertainment to drive revenue. The course focuses on sources of revenue for a wide variety of sport businesses, such as tickets, licensing and merchandise, sponsorships, and fundraising. Pricing strategies for various sectors of the sport industry will be covered in depth, along with contemporary issues regarding revenue generation such as dynamic ticket pricing, the secondary ticket market, and league or governing body regulations.

This course is an examination of analytical tools and techniques used in Sports Business. This course provides the groundwork for the fundamental principles and key methodologies that can be applied to any sports analytics problem. The course begins by outlining the significance of complementing human insight with quantitative methods in the analysis of everyday sports. We will delve into the quantitative aspects by taking a structured approach to the use of big data and develop a systematic observation strategy. Students will learn to identify critical parameters for different sports based on guidelines, understand how to analyze and interpret patterns applying various measurement techniques, conduct statistical analyses, quantify objective relationships in the data to meaningfully increase the predictive power of forecasting tools, model various what-if scenarios, and master the art of calculating odds. The course concludes with a simulation game that will allow students to put their learning into practice, drawing on the insights from this course. The structure of the course allows for the examination of analytics in four main areas: player performance measurement, in-game decision-making, player selection/team building, and general administration including marketing, pricing, contracts, stadium management, etc. Emphasis will be placed on how the application of analytics has improved each of these areas. Students will be responsible for weekly reading assignments, which will be the basis for class discussions. Homework assignments will determine the students’ understanding of the analytic techniques discussed in class. Lastly, there will be a group project due at the end of the semester. Several classes will feature guest speakers with practical experience in the field of Sports Analytics.

Effective sports professionals need to understand ongoing and changing dimensions of individual and organizational behavior. This course includes content designed to help students understand the significance of leadership and management, development of a functioning culture within an organization, and the formation of effective strategies and techniques in the workplace. Additionally, students will be exposed to current and emerging trends in the sports industry, and will be called upon to utilize strong critical thinking and analytical skills in order to understand, evaluate, and analyze leading executives and current and emerging trends in the sports industry. Attention is given to developing knowledge about managing people and information, constituencies inside and outside the organization, internal and external change, and ethical behavior.

The Capstone course serves as the culmination of the MS in Global Sport program. This course allows students to utilize all of the skills and knowledge gained thus far in the MS program, and apply these to a real-world situation/problem in which they will be required to conduct research and employ strong analytical thinking skills in order to develop a solution to a global sport business problem/issue.