Esports Business Classes

This course provides an introductory overview of the fundamental mechanics of the business of esports. It will provide students with the tools necessary to critically evaluate and analyze existing and potential opportunities within the industry as well as provide the framework for students to identify and articulate a disruptive or evolutionary business opportunity within esports.

Students in this course will learn how to frame and tackle issues of integrity in the cultural and competitive context of esports for the purpose of helping organizers stage fairer and more publicly credible competitions.

In this course, students will learn how to most effectively market to esports consumers by identifying the esports consumer and learning what motivates their purchasing behavior. Marketing principles will be combined with analysis of consumer behavior, social influences and demographics in order to provide students with an insight into what appeals to this fandom.

In this course, students will learn about the business and cultural imperative of encouraging diversity and inclusion in the gaming and esports industries so that they may attract new talent within organizations as well as new audiences. Students will learn best practices for implementing structural organizational change to promote diversity and inclusiveness not only within an organization but across the industry.

This course provides students with a holistic look into the legal and operational architecture which tie together a complex web of internal and external stakeholders – including employees, athletes, sponsors, subsidiaries, partnerships, business associates, organizers/leagues – necessary to run an esports organization in a dynamic environment.

Esports has traditionally relied on livestreaming platforms like Twitch to broadcast its content and reach key demographics. This course will demonstrate how the opportunity provided by the underlying technological infrastructure of commercial livestreaming platforms add value for both sponsors and consumers and how such platforms plan to stay ahead of alternative mediums.

This course will expose students to the complexities of making money in the livestreaming economy by contrasting the business of esports with the business of personality-driven digital content. This course also outlines how talent earns and manages revenues in the livestreaming economy. Students learn how to advise talent and structure effective sponsorship deals in future professional roles.

Students in this course will gain relevant insights into the esports entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to provide actionable analysis of esports business opportunities by leveraging available, often imperfect, data for decision-making purposes. Topics for analysis may include, but are not limited to, projected demographic changes, market opportunity and stakeholder motivations.

This course provides students with an opportunity to integrate the core skills and business concepts developed during the program. Students will develop a detailed master work plan for an esports event incorporating elements such as a financial plan, a marketing plan and organizational plan. Students will integrate the knowledge gained in previous domains such as business strategy, stakeholder relations and facilities management to provide a blueprint for hosting a clean, competitive and financially sound esports event.

Esports athletes face a rigorous and demanding schedule that puts them at risk for physical, psychological, and metabolic disorders. Students in this course will learn how effective organizations empower key departments and decision-makers to promote a culture of health from within. Furthermore, organizational best practices to mitigate and address the most common health risks will be discussed throughout the course.

An examination of how sports facilities such as coliseums, municipal and college stadiums, and multipurpose civic centers are managed. Course topics include facility ownership and management, business and financial management, event booking, marketing and sales, ticketing and access management, ancillary revenue sources, back-of-house operations, event management, and safety and security.

Business analytics refer to the use of data, statistical, and quantitative analysis to derive decisions and actions, and is applied in many business functions including but not limited to operations, marketing, finance, and strategic management. This course is designed to provide insights into sport business analytics. Students are introduced to the skills, technologies, analyses, and practices essential to understand and evaluate business performance in sport industry, convert data into actionable information, and assist managerial decision making.