ECON 14
Owning and Operating a Minor League Sports Franchise and the Use of Sports Analytics Winter 2022

This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

Although the nationally prominent sport teams and their top tier leagues garner most of the attention in the over $70 billion North American sports industry, minor league franchises often help define a community with their cultural and economic reach that goes far beyond their own modest financial profile and employment ranks. Minor league franchises in small to medium sized markets across the country are small businesses that are uniquely positioned at the intersection of family entertainment, local economics and community engagement. The course will encompass elements of economics, math and statistics, data analytics, marketing, law and communications. It also is likely to address leadership, organizational design, ethics, strategic planning, diversity and culture. With regard to the pedagogical approach, the course will involve (i) reading non-fiction and text books, case studies and sports business journals, (ii) listening to podcasts, (iii) engaging with guest speakers, (iv) participating in class discussions and debate with the instructor regarding his own real-world experience as a minor league sports team owner, (v) some engagement of the Socratic method as case studies are discussed and debated, and (vi) writing of a short paper and the presentation of a relevant project. Six hours of in-class discussion per week and at least 20 hours per week of reading, analysis and projects is expected. Specifically, this course will explore the following areas: I. The Fundamentals of the Business of Professional Minor League Sports Franchises. II. The Application of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence in Sports. III. Understanding the Customer (the Fan). IV. The Social and Economic Impact of a Minor League Sports Franchise.
The Class: Format: lecture
Limit: 20
Grading: pass/fail only
Requirements/Evaluation: short paper and final project or presentation
Prerequisites: some level of math, statistics and/or economics
Enrollment Preferences: upper classes
Unit Notes: Todd W. Halloran (P'21 & '24) is a Senior Advisory Partner at Freeman Spogli & Co., a growth-oriented middle market private equity firm focused largely on consumer related businesses. He is also the principal owner and Executive Chairman of a minor league hockey franchise, The South Carolina Stingrays (North Charleston, SC), and a minority owner of the AA minor league baseball team, New Hampshire FisherCats. Todd earned a BA in Economics from Colby College and an MBA from Harvard University.
Materials/Lab Fee: TBD

Class Grid

Course Catalog Archive Search

TERM/YEAR
TEACHING MODE
SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)