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The Sports Strategist

Developing Leaders for a High-Performance Industry

Irving Rein, PhD, Ben Shields, and Adam Grossman

Publication Date - September 2017

ISBN: 9780190267445

288 pages
Paperback
6-1/8 x 9-1/4 inches

In Stock

The Sports Strategist is an essential resource for anyone looking to thrive in the sports industry.

Description

Today's high-performance sports business is more complex than ever before and presents new challenges to the industry at all levels. Sports organizations are fighting hard for the money and engagement of fans, media, and sponsors while facing unprecedented competition both domestically and internationally. The cost of doing business continues to rise, while traditional revenue streams are under increased pressure.

In The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High-Performance Industry, authors Irving Rein, Ben Shields, and Adam Grossman demonstrate that relying too much on winning is a losing long-term strategy for dealing with these challenges. Instead, they argue that sports organizations must focus on identifying and maximizing key factors that, unlike winning, can be controlled and shaped. By building a more well-rounded business, sports strategists will position themselves and their organizations for sustainable success in the industry.

Blending extensive industry experience and real-world case studies with their academic expertise, the authors arm students with the combination of the necessary tools to help them make better strategic decisions. Students will learn how to design identities, reinvigorate venue experiences, manage narratives, and maximize new technology in today's connected world. In addition, readers will explore how to implement business analytics, build public support, and apply ethics in decision-making. These techniques are vital to creating a successful sports organization that is ready to reap the benefits of winning when it does happen, without having to suffer when it does not.

The demand for innovative leaders who can address these issues and make tough decisions on which challenges to prioritize has never been greater. The Sports Strategist is an essential resource for anyone looking to thrive in the sports industry.

New to this Edition

  • Examples updated to account for recent events in sports business world

Features

  • Includes problems, classroom appropriate case studies, and analytics
  • Provides a specific analytical framework that helps students evaluate the impact of their decisions
  • Covers essential techniques such as how to design identities, reinvigorate venue experiences, manage narratives, and maximize new technology in today's connected world.
  • Authors blend their extensive industry experience and real-world case studies with academic expertise and research in the disciplines of Finance, Marketing Communications and Media and Technology Studies
  • Authors have all worked directly with leading sports organizations on key projects
  • Author blog and website at sportsstrategist.com provides up-to-the-minute analysis of recent events using the tools and technuiques from the text

About the Author(s)

Irving Rein is Professor of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of many books, including The Elusive Fan, High Visibility, and Marketing Places. He has consulted for Major League Baseball, the United States Olympic Committee, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and numerous corporations. Ben Shields is Lecturer in Managerial Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He previously served as Director of Social Media and Marketing at ESPN. He is coauthor of The Elusive Fan and has written many articles and book chapters on sports media and marketing. Adam Grossman is Founder and President of Block Six Analytics. He has worked with a number of sports organizations-including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Capitals.

Table of Contents

    Preface
    Acknowledgements
    Inflection Points

    SECTION ONE - COMMUNICATION INFLECTION POINT
    Designing an Identity
    Constructing Enduring Narratives
    Mastering New Technologies

    SECTION TWO - FINANCIAL INFLECTION POINT
    Maximizing Revenue With Analytics
    Developing Public Support

    SECTION THREE - COMPETITION INFLECTION POINT
    Crafting a Crisis Blueprint
    Reinvigorating Sportscapes
    Infusing Ethics Into Decision-Making

    Epilogue
    Endnotes