Sports Management

Entrepreneurship and professional sports have always gone hand in hand, as the latter is an industry constantly looking toward innovation. 

Jobs in the sports management field require agile, strategic thinkers and people who can problem solve and adapt in fast-paced, competitive markets. It’s why degrees for sports management and business together provide you with the best opportunity for professional success. The Babson undergraduate sports management concentration equips students with the knowledge and experience to confidently pursue their dreams in sports management, fostering the next generation of innovators and leaders in the field.  

The hands-on opportunities Babson students have with real organizations provides unparalleled networking, consulting, and in-the-field experience. At Babson, your business degree takes you from the classroom right into the action.  

Top 30

Marketing Programs, U.S. News & World Report (2024)

Where the Undergraduate Sports Management Concentration Will Take You 

A business degree with a concentration in sports management translates across roles at organizations at all leagues and levels. Business students with an interest in sports management go on to careers in data analytics, operations and management, coaching, sales, player representation, guest relations, and marketing and events, among other roles within professional sports organizations. 

Our sports management courses and tactile approach to learning are designed to develop your communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills, while building out your business acumen and confidence in your abilities and creativity. Additionally, through resources in the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership, you can start to shape the career of your dreams. Students also find support and opportunities in the Babson Sports Business Society. Our business school opportunities and rankings make us one of the best schools for sports management. 

Woman sitting in the red stands at Fenway park

‘Game-Changing’ Careers at the Intersection of Sports and Data

Interested in undergraduate careers in data analytics and sports? With analytics jobs on the rise, recent Babson graduates find success using their education, including classes such as the Management Consulting Field Experience and Sports Application of Mathematics, to inform data careers in the professional sports industry.

What You Will Study in Your Sports Management Courses 

In the sports management concentration, you will take courses exploring aspects of the professional sports industry and the role sports and athletics play in greater society. You also can take analytics, marketing, literature, and law courses. Our concentrations are designed to help you specialize or explore options within our bachelors in business administration degree.

The sports business courses we offer are comparable to other sports marketing degrees or sports business degrees, as well as a bachelor of science in sports management or other bachelor of science in sport management undergraduate programs that have a sports management major or minor. 

A line of students stand in awe at the sight of the stadium

This Sports Business Course Fuels a Career in Professional Athletics

Babson’s Good Company, Good Game: Law, Ethics, and Leadership in Sports Business is a course inspired by the values and experiences of Arthur M. Blank ’63, H’98. As part of the course, students took a weeklong trip to Atlanta to visit the Blank Family of Businesses, which includes the Atlanta Falcons football team and Atlanta United soccer team.

Required Courses 

You will take at least two of the following sports management classes:

Hands-on experience you can expect from one of the best sport management programs for business students. Begin your school year early with a weeklong trip to Atlanta to visit the Arthur M. Blank Family of Businesses, including the Atlanta Falcons, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United, and PGA Tour Superstore, and learn how to navigate legal, ethical, and management decisions in sports businesses. You analyze challenges faced by these organizations and apply value-based leadership principles to determine strategic and ethical decisions for a business and its stakeholders. 

This sports management course examines the legal relationships among athletes, teams, leagues, governing bodies, sports facilities, licensees, broadcasters, and fans. This includes the history of the various leagues and organizations, the influence of politics on sports law, and public policy governing sports. 

This sports management class provides an in-depth analysis of audience behavior in sports and entertainment. As you pursue a degree in sports management, you will learn how to use data analytics to understand fan behavior, preferences, and engagement patterns, and how to develop effective marketing strategies to maximize revenue and fan loyalty.

Learn about the application of marketing concepts in the dynamic and high-profile sports industry in this class in one of the best sport management programs. Topics include sponsorship, branding, marketing research, consumer behavior, product development, licensing, advertising, sales promotion, public relations, legal and ethical issues, women’s professional sports, collegiate sports, and more.

Explore the connection between sports and global affairs currently and throughout history in this course you will only find in one of the best sport management programs. You will trace instances where sports collides with social, political, and economic issues around the globe since the inception of modern sport. You also will identify how global issues affect the development of sports and how sports have shaped global and national issues from the margins.

Mathematicians and statisticians are playing an increasing role in shaping how athletic contests are played and how they are judged, making this course an integral part of any sports business degree program. This course examines some of the underlying quantitative principles that are routinely used. A variety of software packages will be used to demonstrate the many ways that a mathematical point of view can inform athletes, coaches and trainers, administrators, and fans. 

Elective Courses

For electives, you can take two sports management classes from the above list or pick from a list that includes, but is not limited to:

  • Building Contracts for New Ventures  
  • Sports and Literature  
  • Leader Development: Enable Change in Self & Others  
  • Talent Management: What Many Leaders Miss 
  • Negotiations 
  • Retailing Management 
  • Consumer Psychology & Shopper Marketing 
  • Customer Acquisition and Persuasion 
  • Sales in Action 

Explore more sports management courses

You Will Learn From the Best 

At Babson, our faculty are experts, innovators, and forward thinkers in their chosen fields. Here are just some of the professors sharing their expertise and support with our students in the sports management program. 

Anjali Bal, Associate Professor, Marketing Division

Anjali Bal »

MORE...
Richard Cleary, Professor, Robert E. Weissman '64, H'94, P'87 '90 and Janet Weissman P'87 '90 Professor of Business Analytics

Richard Cleary »

MORE...
Leslie Garbarino, Assistant Professor of Practice, Accounting & Law Division

Leslie Garbarino »

MORE...
Mike McGuirk, Associate Professor of Practice, Marketing Division

Mike McGuirk »

MORE...

Have Questions? 

Faculty Contacts: Anjali Bal & Leslie Garbarino 
Sponsored by: Accounting & Law Division & Marketing Division 

Get in Touch

Fill out the Request Information form below to connect with us. This will ensure that you learn about the academic experience, hear stories from our current students, and receive important announcements during the admission process … just to name a few.

Loading...

READY TO TALK NOW?

Contact Us

Domestic: 781-235-1200

International: 800-488-3696

Access the More in this section