One of the primary goals of the WSBI is to promote discourse that increases the overall quality of the business of sports. One vehicle that has been in place since the inception of the Initiative are the Sports Business Roundtables. In general these have been small, private, issue focused discussions among industry leaders and insiders. Included in these discussions are relevant academics from Wharton and elsewhere who have sports specific or subject matter expertise. Summaries of the topics covered thus far follow as well as some possible future Roundtable topics.

 

 

Black Scholars and Sports: A Sports Business Roundtable

 

The Wharton Sports Business Initiative hosted a small group of scholars focused on the future of scholarship impacting Blacks in the business of sports.  The wide ranging conversation began with the foundations established by the early writings of the famed sociologist, Dr. Harry Edwards.  In addition to sharing their current and past scholarship the group focused on the scholarship that it would like to see done in the future.   Multiple topics were deemed to be important, including a continued vigilance on the statistics serving as indicators of the inclusion of Blacks in sports.  Also included on the list were the following:

 

 

Building Winning and Profitable Organizations in Professional Sports: A Sports Business Roundtable

 

The Wharton Sports Business Initiative and Spencer Stuart hosted the first Impact Conference on Building Winning and Profitable Organizations in Professional Sports in 2006. This invitation-only meeting convened a private group of owners, chief executive officers, and general managers and others representing some of the most successful sports franchises in North America. This first of its kind event provided a forum in which a small group of industry leaders could take advantage of the collective experience in the room to gain insight about leadership, management, and global business. This environment provided executives with a rare opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with their peers from the major professional sports leagues: the NFL; NBA; NHL, Major League Baseball and others. We made this possible by creating an atmosphere that was different from other conferences: Given that attendance is strictly limited, a lively informal discussion resulted. Discussion leaders were asked to stimulate debate rather than lecture from a podium, and we asked our attendees to lead a discussion when their insights and experiences would be of value to the other members. Apart from a private, moderated conversation between these leading sports owners and executives, the roundtable also included input from renowned thought leaders on leadership and management from the Wharton School. The key issues that we considered in determining “best practices” included:

 

 

Inclusion in the Business of Sports: Legacy Roundtable I & II

 

The Wharton Sports Business Initiative and Sports Perspectives International hosted these Impact Conferences on the inclusion of people of color and women in the business of sports. This environment provided participants with a rare opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with their peers. We made this possible by creating an atmosphere that was different from other conferences: Since attendance was strictly limited, a lively informal discussion resulted. The moderator and participants were asked to stimulate debate rather than lecture from a podium.

 

The key issues that were considered included:

 

Turning Pro Young: A Sports Business Roundtable

 

Significant attention has been paid to the early entry of athletes into professional sports.  In the established pro sports leagues, a trend that began in earnest with college underclassmen declaring ‘hardship’ became magnified with the increased inclusion of high school graduates.  Varying approaches have been taken in nascent leagues and the individual sports that exist outside of the world of collective bargaining agreements, with opportunities now often extended to high school underclassmen.  From the gymnasts in “Little Girls in Pretty Boxes” to the basketball players in "Hoop Dreams," this pervasive and particularly public controversy has not yielded. 

 

This inaugural Impact Conference brought the leaders of the various constituencies together for the first time to thoroughly analyze the business of early entry in a private, exclusive conversation.  Prominent athletes and their coaches, attorneys, parents, agents and union representatives participated, along with league and tour officials, front office staff and talent scouts.  College coaches added their perspectives, and apparel company representatives discussed their role in the controversy.  The focus went beyond basketball and football and included the necessary conversation regarding the difference, if any, between those two sports and baseball, tennis, golf and others.

 

By incorporating all of the economic, legal, managerial, marketing, psychological and sociological issues to provide a 360 degree answer to these questions, this private forum helped to guide the sports business leaders who have to make the decisions on youth turning pro young.

 

The Impact Conference of industry insiders consisted of five panels separately covering the legal, economic, and psychosocial issues, as well as panels that discussed how these issues impact both professional and amateur sports.  The Impact Conference served as a precursor to the Summary Paper that was issued by Wharton Sports Business Initiative.

 

[Link to document]

 

 

Future WSBI Roundtables

 

We welcome your suggestions on future topics as well as participants. Those topics we are currently contemplating beyond our ongoing panels on best practices for the sports business include: