On the ball: the NFL comes to Wharton
Phillip Murphy, WG'06
Issue date: 4/18/05 Section: News
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The WSBI successfully partnered with the National Football League (NFL) and the NFL Players Association to provide a business training program designed to prepare current players for their post-NFL careers. The program, led by Professor Kenneth Shropshire, Director of the WSBI and chair of Wharton's Legal Studies Department, and Senior Fellow Dr. Jason Wingard, took place on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania from April 6-8. Wharton welcomed 36 NFL players who took a break from honing their skills on the gridiron to spend time developing their business skills for life outside the NFL. Among those in attendance were San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees, Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Brian Dawkins, and Buffalo Bills defensive back Troy Vincent.
"This is a very exciting and innovative initiative for the WSBI and an important component of our overall mission," said Shropshire. "This is the first time a major business school has been involved in working with a professional sports league to assist its players outside of the game."
The WSBI was created to form a partnership among top level business leaders, faculty and students to generate and disseminate knowledge about the sports industry through educational programs, strategic corporate partnerships, student consulting assignments, global forums, and research. From internships to executive education, this initiative will serve as the center for all sports business related activities associated with the Wharton School.
Wharton Executive Education and the WSBI collaborated to develop a combination classroom and field-based workshop for the NFL players. The curriculum focused on a broad range of business topics, including financial analyses, entrepreneurship, real estate development, stock market investing, negotiation skills, risk management, and community reinvestment.
"We took a detailed approach to designing a program that met the needs of this diverse audience," said Wingard. "We conducted interviews and surveys to determine the most relevant training modules, identified and recruited the most appropriate professors for each module, and worked with the professors to ensure that their teaching styles connected with the players."
One session that was particularly popular with the players was "Negotiating Business and Employment Relationships," taught by Shropshire. In this class, players were matched against each other in a role-playing exercise designed to test their negotiation skills. Each pair engaged in a private, 30-minute employment contract negotiation, with one player assuming the role of recruiter and the other the role of candidate. The mock negotiation covered such areas as compensation, vacation time, job location and insurance coverage, and each pair reported the terms of its agreement back to the group. The class concluded with a group discussion that allowed the players to evaluate their negotiation skills relative to their peers.
"This entire experience, particularly the negotiation session, has helped me identify my strengths and weaknesses in business," said Green Bay Packers running back Ahman Green. "They provided tools that will help me become a better negotiator. I wish I could be a student here for a full semester."
Shropshire and Wingard will maintain frequent contact with the program's participants over the next year, hoping to sustain the momentum generated from the recently completed session. The players will have an opportunity to continue their involvement in the program in a number of different ways, including additional workshops on the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton West campuses, networking receptions around the country with leading business executives, field visitations by Wharton faculty to assist in areas such as investment strategies and business plan development, and access to a Wharton online portal that provides research, articles and business plan and presentation templates.
Chris Henry, Director of Career Transition for the NFL, was in attendance and talked about the importance of this joint effort with the Wharton School. "The length of a career in the NFL is around four years, so there is a long life after football," said Henry. "A lot of the league's younger players don't take a long-term approach to planning. This program represents a tangible way in which we can help support the players for the long-term."
"The people at Wharton have been phenomenal," added Henry. "They have clearly taken a sincere interest in partnering with the NFL and educating our players. We couldn't be happier to be working with an institution like Wharton." A similar program is currently taking place at Harvard Business School.
Quotations from participating players
Drew Brees - San Diego Chargers, Quarterback "This entire program, from stock market investing to business ethics, has been awesome. I think it's important to step away from football and explore other interests, whatever they may be. For me, I have a strong interest in business, and this has truly exceeded my expectations."
Doug Brien - New York Jets, Kicker: "The quality of the professors was tremendous. They provided practical advice and insights from real world experiences that you can't find in a textbook. I'm involved in real estate and I learned a lot about investments to pursue and, more importantly, investments to avoid."
Brian Dawkins - Philadelphia Eagles, Defensive Back: "This program was excellent and offered much more than I expected. The professors were impressive and explained the material in a way that all of us could understand. I really enjoyed the class on real estate because that is an area I hope to get involved in one day."
Christian Fauria - New England Patriots, Tight End:"This has been great...I haven't fallen asleep once. Seriously, I've been so impressed with the organization of the program and the professors. Jeremy Siegel's insights on the stock market were amazing. This experience has helped me realize what I want to focus on after the NFL."
N.D. Kalu - Philadelphia Eagles, Defensive Lineman:"I was concerned that this was going to be another watered-down NFL program that didn't teach us much, but I have been very impressed. I really enjoyed Jeremy Siegel's lecture on investing. One of my top priorities is to read his new book (The Future for Investors)."
Danny Kanell - Denver Broncos, Quarterback:"I had a lot of respect for the Wharton name before I arrived, but this totally exceeded my expectations. The program was well balanced and captured the attention of all the players. I feel like I will leave here with some viable strategies to enter the real estate market."
Hardy Nickerson - Retired, Linebacker:"As a retired player out of football, this learning experience has been priceless. I wish my teammates from the past could have benefited from a program like this. I started my own real estate business, so I liked the real estate class, but I also enjoyed the financial statement analysis class quite a bit."
Jon Runyan - Philadelphia Eagles, Offensive Lineman:"This program has been very informative and has touched upon seemingly every fundamental aspect of business. I own a minority interest in an arena football team (San Diego Riptide), and I feel I've picked up some new skills that will help me grow that business."
Rod Smart - Carolina Panthers, Running Back:"I can't explain how helpful this experience has been for me. I learned skills from the Negotiations class that will help me in football and beyond."
Takeo Spikes - Buffalo Bills, Linebacker:"I realize now why Wharton is one of the most prestigious schools in the world. I feel I have a responsibility not only to take advantage of this opportunity but also to pass the knowledge I have received on to my teammates and other players in the league."