A comprehensive exploration of theoretical and empirical financial literature and the application to corporate financial policies and strategies. Topics covered include capital and ownership structures, contracting, mergers and acquisitions, financial distress situations and risk management.
This course is designed to enable students to expand their knowledge of some of the laws, rules, and regulations that apply to the sport industry and that impact the work setting of sport organizations. Students will learn about and analyze substantive legal concepts in the following core areas of law: constitutional, employment, antitrust, labor, intellectual property, and contract and business law. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an understanding of the legal issues involved in the operation and management of organizations in the sport industry, and to equip students with the skills and strategies needed to work effectively with business executives and lawyers to resolve these issues. The course will focus on the managerial and practical application of laws, rules and regulations to situations current students will likely face (and decisions current students will likely need to make) when they become sport business managers. In-class discussions on current legal issues and emerging legal trends in sport will constitute a major portion of this class.
Using the Project Management Institute’s Body of Knowledge [PMBOK] as a reference point, this course will guide the student through the project management life cycle, as well as the management disciplines needed to make projects successful. Roles and responsibilities, best practices, guest speakers, various software packages and case studies will be leveraged to enhance the learning experience. The course will culminate in a project connected to a community organization.
Students will learn how professional, amateur and college sports teams manage their businesses, fans, athletes and brands, including planning, hosting and implementing effective marketing programs. Theories will be supplemented with industry-recognized speakers, case studies and historical research. One class project and presentation of that project is required.
Emphasis of study covers the topics of bankruptcy, debtor-creditor relationships, and property law as well as commercial transactions governed by the Uniform Commercial Code (sales of goods, commercial paper, banking, and secured transactions).
This course is designed to convey a clear, realistic and contemporary perspective of marketing. This course includes critical analysis of cases and covers important frameworks and tools that can assist managers in making better marketing decisions. Assignments will include researching and writing a marketing plan as well as utilizing analytic tools – including variable costs, fixed costs, relevant and sunk costs, margins (gross, trade, net profit), contribution analysis (break-even, sensitivity, contribution and profit impact, contribution and market size, contribution and performance, and cannibalization), liquidity, operating leverage, cash flow, customer lifetime value, sales force budget, and value and price elasticity of demand – as well as how to manage all marketing efforts in reaching the firm’s strategic goals.
Students will learn fundamental approaches to financial management in specific application to sports organization. Topics include budgeting, analyzing financial performance, valuation of investments in facilities and athlete contracts and sources of capital. The course explores perspectives of both professional sports organizations and athletic departments affiliated with athletic institutions.
Students will learn how professional and amateur sports teams manage their businesses, fans, athletes and brands, including planning, hosting and implementing marketing programs for specific events and sports programs. Theories will be supplemented with industry-recognized speakers, case studies and hands-on work for local clients. Class/client projects, as well as presentations are required.
This course is designed to provide an introduction to the use of statistics in sports management. Students will develop a fundamental understanding of probability theory and predictive modeling through linear regression and other techniques. The course will have a strong focus on data collection and analysis to provide insight on the performance of both athletes in the field and the sports professional or amateur sports organization.