Wharton alumna scores big at ESPN

The Wharton Sports Business Club has leveraged a growing core group of students with sports business experience and aspirations and has gained huge momentum over the past year at a time where the sports industry continues to offer an increasing number of viable career option for MBAs. The growing profile of the club is perhaps best reflected in its new partnership with the NBA, marking the first collaboration between a U.S. major league and a business school.

The club’s initiatives for this year include a number of independent study projects in the industry (two groups are currently working with the Philadelphia Eagles), a series of industry panels, a professor brown bag lunch series, two treks, several networking events, additional individual guest speakers and the launch of a sports business blog on the club’s website.

Recently, the club kicked off its set of industry panels, which was generously produced and sponsored by Wharton’s Sports Business Initiative. The event drew an impressive line-up of executives from ESPN, 76ers, Under Armour, MZ Sports Investment Banking and Spencer Stuart. The interactive discussion and “networking and drinks” reception that followed were extremely well received by a full house of club members and alumni.

The commonly themed, but unique stories of the panelists ranged from how they broke into the industry, to how “no-day-is-the-same” day at the office. They all admitted it was difficult to get their foot into the door to the sports industry, but that the key was a combination of networking, a specialty or solid experience in another discipline, a lot of resilience, a little luck, and then some more networking.

The reception afterwards allowed for a further in-depth interview with Wharton alum (WG ’01) Leah LaPlaca. Mrs. LaPlaca is currently the VP of Programming & Acquisitions for ESPN where she handles the day-to-day management of NFL programming, in addition to that of golf, figure skating, skiing and sailing.

Interview with Leah LaPlaca, ESPN, VP Programming & Acquisitions, WG '01

How did you get started at ESPN?
Through networking. A Wharton classmate used to work at CBS Sports and introduced me to a colleague who was currently with ESPN. We hit it off and I badgered him (nicely, of course!) until he finally hired me…18 months after I graduated from Wharton.

What's a typical day on the job like?
That’s one of the things I like about my job and ESPN…There’s no such thing as a typical day. It’s 24/7 - always changing. I could plan my day out and come into the office in the morning and get an email or phone call that changes everything. I love the dynamic nature of a 24/7 global multimedia company.

What was it about your Wharton Experience that most prepared you for your current position at ESPN?
The overall business acumen I learned with marketing, finance, strategic management, and leadership courses. I’m not running models, but it was more getting the mindset and framework to apply to problems. And Negotiations!

What class did you not take at the time but now you wish you took while at Wharton?
I was a strategic management major, but I wish I took a few more courses in marketing. The courses didn’t have to be sports-related, but I did try to apply a sports angle whenever possible, like choosing projects involving sports or media.

Are there any obscure sports that you would like to see more of on ESPN?
There isn’t one that I can say, but we have a big opportunity to give niche sports exposure by leveraging ESPN 360.com, like we are doing with rugby and some other more international sports.

While working for ESPN, what has been the coolest event you have attended?

The first Monday Night Football on ESPN! Redskins-Vikings at FedEx Field.

What advice do you give MBA’s that want to enter into the sports field?
First, networking. Let people know you are interested. Second, develop transferable skills and bring that nugget of experience to sports and show how it can relate. And again, let people know. You never know which one of your colleagues might have a connection to sports that can give you a foot in the door.

Would you have any specific advice for women thinking about entering the sports industry?
It’s a tough business and challenging, and there’ll definitely be sacrifices, but the “all boys club” has changed. ESPN has a really good representation of minorities and women, and they’ve been flexible for families. I have a 11 month old (Gracie) and ESPN recently decided to build a daycare facility in our Connecticut campus, which will be tremendous. The bottom line in terms of advice for women entering the industry is to work hard, be passionate, and know your stuff…if you do that, it won’t matter to your bosses if you are a male or a female.

Other than the Duke Blue Devil or the Penn Quaker, if you were to appear in an ESPN commercial with a sports mascot, which one would you choose and why?
Western Kentucky’s Big Red comes to mind since we feature him in lots of our “THIS IS SPORTS CENTER” promos, but I’d probably have to go with Phillie Phanatic, hands down, since I’m a Philly girl. …though those mascot costumes can smell real funny!


Upcoming panels currently in the pipeline will bring to Wharton executives from the worlds of sports media, sports financing and sports entrepreneurs. For more information or to join the Sports Business Club and keep informed of future events, please email co-president Tim Lacey at laceyed@wharton.upenn.edu



Article contributors:
David N. Adams, Dana Komar, Tim Lacey, Ben Meyer, Peter Spartin

Wharton Sports Business Club

Professor Kenneth Shropshire discusses the business of sports

An interview with Professor Kenneth Shropshire (October 25, 2007)

Professor Ken Shropshire is a Wharton professor in the Legal Studies Department and the faculty director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. His publishing has focused on sports, including Being Sugar Ray: The Life of Sugar Ray Robinson, America’s Greatest Boxer and the First Celebrity Athlete (2007) and The Business of Sports Agents (2002).

Professor Shropshire held a brown bag lunch session with members of the Sports Business Club and also answered follow-up questions for this article.

What path led you to Wharton?

I played football as an undergraduate at Stanford, and went directly into law school at Columbia (JD, ’80). After graduating from Columbia, I became involved in sports law, doing some work for the 1984 Olympics around sponsorships.

In 1986 I joined the faculty at Wharton. At the time there was no sports specific class, but I taught at class at the law school on sports and entertainment law.

What is your current area of research?

I work on a combination of things. The main focus is on the business of sports. I also teach negotiations so stay on top of the latest research in that area. Finally, I stay on top of the latest legal issues related to race, specifically as they apply to sports but to broader diversity related issues as well.

When I first started doing research around race and sports in the 1980s, there were not any black quarterbacks in the NFL. The racial divide at that time reached from players in the “thinking positions” (quarterbacks, centers, point guards) and extended to managers and coaches.

Today, race is still a complex issue in sports. The number of minority players and coaches at the pro level has improved, but if you look at the number of minorities coaching Division-I football, it is still very low.

What is the best application of your research to the real world?

I don't know about best, but just yesterday I was speaking with a GM of a team on the best strategy to use against a "tough to deal with" sports agent. Over the years, I have been involved in many facets of the changing racial face of coaching and management level personnel gaining positions in Major League Baseball and the NFL, by virtue of my work with the Fritz Pollard Alliance and the one time Baseball Network.

What is the most interesting thing happening in your field?

To me it is the recognition by a growing group of athletes of the impact they can have to change social ills at the micro level and the dreams they have about changing even bigger problems. A number of athletes are starting investment funds (Ronny Lott) or charitable foundations (David Robinson). Think about what they could do if they were working together.

What do you hope students get out of your class?

In negotiations it is that they gain the confidence to go out and get the best deals possible against anyone

What uniqueness/similarities do you see between sports and business negotations?

Sports negotiations are much more public; there is always a sports journalist who is interested in the details, whether it’s a negotiation for a player or for a new stadium. Business negotiators face much less scrutiny.

What do you think is the best thing about Wharton?

From a faculty aspect, it is the entrepreneurial opportunities you have to focus on the areas that are most important to you.

What are your hobbies / how do you spend your free time?

Most of my free time is captured by my children. I like golf, tennis and fishing, but never have enough time to really get out there.

What's on your ipod?

Soul, reggae and jazz, with Gil Scott-Heron popping up with extraordinary frequency, capturing all of those genres. Gil is back out and performing, as of September.


Article contributor: Pia Chock