Strategic Leadership in Sports Midterm

What are the topical areas within sports management?

1. Financial/revenue management

2. Venue and event management

3. Athletic management

4. Brand management

5. HR management

What are the 5 basic functions of management?

1. Planning

2. Organizing

3. Coordinating

4. Commanding

5. Controlling

How does the sports industry differ from other industries?

The sports industry differs in that the fans are much more passionate and avid towards their favorite team. Also, sports envoke greater emotion and engagement.

How do sports teams capture the heart of consumers?

• Facility design

• Strategy behind in-game sponsorship activations

• Community relations

What were some of Joe Lacob’s key decisions that led to the Warriors’ growth?

1. Pay attention to details and focusing on doing the little things excellently

2. Drafting well (Curry, Klay, Draymond)

3. Key trades (Bogut)

4. Coaching decisions - going from Jackson to Kerr led to a new style of play and a better coaching personality

What were some of Lacob’s team building necessities?

Character, culture, fit

What is the importance of “food is trust” at sporting events?

Producing high-quality food at volume is difficult, but it’s central to fan experience. Connecting to fans through food can be the difference maker in making fans come back.

Why in the State of California, particularly the Bay Area and LA, are new sports venue paid almost entirely with private money?

The State of California often has fiscal crises, which make it hard to publicly fund the construction of new venues.

Why are new stadiums reducing the total seat count despite being larger than their predecessors?

• Increase in luxury suites and premium seating

• Increase in the size of the concourse, where fans can wander and interact with the game in other ways

Why do leagues partner with gambling companies?

• Gambling greatly increases fan engagement

• Generates hella revenue for the league itself

Why isn’t gambling legal in California?

Legalizing gambling across the entire state would dip into the revenues created by Native American reservations through their casinos

What are some of the benefits of private ownership of a sports venue?

• You receive the revenues from any event hosted outside of a regular sports game

• You have control over the events that occur there and their revenues

Kroenke and the Angels: Why would he want to build a new stadium and how would he fund it?

Kroenke would want to build a new stadium to create an improved venue that could make significantly more money from luxury seating and CGI. He could secure public funding by leveraging the opportunity to relocate to a new city.

Why are tennis players so marketable?

• Extended screen time during matches with high visibility of brands

• The entire focus is on 1 player, there aren’t any other players on the team so the focus is concentrated on the athlete

• Affluent consumer base

• Tennis is a global sport

What attributes make a player more attractive to sponsors than others?

Social media presence, personality and charisma, skill and success

What product categories are most likely to be at the US Open?

Luxury and high-end brands like Tiffany and Co, AMEX, Grey Goose, and others that appeal to the affluent consumer base

How do analytics help Levy address the food/beverage needs at the US open?

• Provides insight into what is selling, when it’s selling, and when to stock

• Ensures different levels of hospitality

• Pricing products

• Stadium renovations

Why are colleges implementing patch deals on their uniforms?

Allows them to make additional revenue and recoup some of the money spent on athletes as result of the house settlement

What were the ownership objectives when the Milwaukee Bucks were purchased?

1. Physical plant - construction of a business facility, practice facility, and new arena

2. Local engagement - recruited diverse group of local investors, community outreach, initiated living wage for all hourly workers

3. Organizationa structure - basketball and business operations

4. Re-branding - new logo and identity, made games must-attend events, digital innovation to improve fan experience, new merchandising

What is the Deer District and its purpose?

30-acre mixed use area around the Bucks stadium. A transformation into a vibrant area where people live, work, and play. Comprised of a medical office buulding, stadium, entertainment block, offices, and residential areas.

What are some of the event management logistics when hosting a Super Bowl?

• transportation

• Security

• Lodging

• Entertainment/amenities

What are some benefits of hosting the Super Bowl?

Hosting the Super Bowl generates money for the city and greater marketing and exposure for the city.

What are 3 examples of how San Francisco was innovative in operating SB 50?

1. Enhanced fan experience zone - 50 Tour of SB trophies across the entire bay area

2. Super Bowl City

3. 50 Fund

What were the largest strategic challenges for the Bay Area to host SB 50?

1. Educating all key stakeholders on how to operate a SB (most stakeholers (city officials, etc. didn’t have any prior experience)

2. Unifying the region through the Bay Area’s SB theme - Hosted event programming and activities for fans across the entire region

What 3 operational elements must a host committee absolutely get “right”?

1. Local civic relations and public communications - critical for host committee leadership to set up regular meetings with city authorities

2. Fan celebrations and community events - free fan village and related events, fostered a sense of belonging and brought the community closer

3. Game-day readiness - transportation planning, stadium events, post-game egress plans, post-event reporting

What were the 4 keys to game-day readiness?

1. Transportation planning

2. Stadium events

3. Post game egress plans

4. Post-event reporting

What were some of the execs key characteristics of leadership and culture?

• Expertise and empathy

• Lead from behind

• Direct, real-time feedback

• Lift as you rise

• Accountability and integrity

• Communication and coordination

• Admit mistakes

• Have fun

What are the requirements FIFA expects the host cities and nations to deliver on?

Safety and security, transportation, human righrs & sustainability, FIFA fan festival, volunteering, economic enhancement

What is overlay design?

Planning of temporary physical and operational environment that transforms a location into an event venue

• Increase in broadcast, media, and security presence

• Expands an existing venue’s capacity to host an event in the short-run

What does Dr. P mean when he says a story as old as time (some things never change)?

Franchise owners seek to tax the locals to publicly fund stadium developments, but the people are opposed to that as they’re only deepening the owners’ pockets

What are the 3 pillars for successful expansion in a sports league?

A strong ownership group, a solid venue plan, and local support

What are some reasons athletes struggle financially, and which is the main reason?

Overspending and lifestyle inflation, lack of financial education and planning, supporting family and friends, short career window, high tax burden (jock tax), agent and business management, social media, injuries

What did Cosette have to say about women’s sports marketing?

The old playbook: men’s sports always led and women’s were secondary add-ons

New playbook: Focus on women’s sports with emphasis on female-centric brands and sponsorships

Women’s sports are seen as a better investment now that ever because of an increase in ratings, attendance, partnerships, and media deals.

What did Andrew Kipper have to say about being an agent and recruitment?

Recruitment may be the most important part of an agent’s job to fill the talent pipeline. An agent must find, manage, and sell talent.

How has NIL impacted an agent’s recruitment in both postitive and negative ways?

Positive: Much easier if you get in earlier, you have a huge advantage. You can also attract talent simply with money.

Negative: There’s more competition since there are now lower barriers to entry for new agents to represent talent

What is the purpose of an agent?

Preserve an athlete’s wealth, find opportunities, and enhance their reputation

What are some attributes of a good agent?

Trust, communication, relationships, networking, negotiation

Why do agents negotiate for players instead of themselves?

They are better informed and they take the emotions out of the negotiation

What are 3 reasons why Darren pivoted from being a sports agent into a practicing lawyer?

1. Expensive: agents often cover players’ equipment, traning, sometimes without a commission

2. Low margins (ex. agents are capped at 3% of an NFL player’s contract)

3. Ruthless competition

How are the Hornets’ owners rebuilding the buzz in Charlotte?

• Renovated the arena and built a better practice facility

• Targeted younger fans and people moving to Charlotte

• Revitalized season tickets and reconnected with legacy fans

How is the potential MLB lockout affecting sponsorships and deals?

Companies are hesitant to make deals with the league, teams, and players because they may be paying full price for a shortened season of a lack thereof.

Why does the NFL want prediction markets to stop “objectionable bets”?

These are players props that can be easily influenced by the players themselves and could jeopardize the integrity of the game.

What is management?

Management is the administration of an organization, whether it’s setting the strategy, coordinating the employees, etc.

What did Bill Squadron have to say about leadership?

Set clear goals and objectives, and “Businesses that involve significant work in the data and technology sectors require a greater degree of communication and coordination”

What did Chris Zimmerman have to say about leadership?

Leadership starts with character - trust, honesty, integrity

A leader builds culture

How did Chris Zimmerman secure so much public funding to renovate enterprise center?

Upgrading the venue will attract other events (concerts, NCAAB, etc.) to the city and greater marketing for the city itself

What did Rick Schlesinger say about leadership?

• Take accountability for your product and decisions

• Do not sacrifice integrity when making hiring decisions

• Provide employees with enough resources to succeed

What did Robyn Glaser have to say about leadership?

Leaders must demonstrate both EQ and IQ

Why are several groups in a potential bidding war over the possible NBA expansion team in Vegas?

• Lucrative media deals

• Opportunity for mixed-use development in the surrounding area of Allegient stadium