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Competition in business is like competition in sports: you never truly know how things will play out. This weekend, Penn State’s win over Maryland kept the Nittany Lions in the fight, while Ohio State’s loss cracked open the door for us to head into the Big Ten Championship game. It’s a reminder that no matter how daunting the competition may seem, persistence and execution can create opportunities you didn’t expect. In business, the same holds true. You might feel overshadowed by competitors or face obstacles that seem insurmountable. But just like in the Big Ten, staying focused on your game plan, executing your strategy, and showing up every day is how you position yourself to win. The scoreboard might not always reflect your hard work right away, but if you keep pushing, the landscape can change in an instant. Just like Ohio State, your competitors may stumble, new opportunities can arise, and your consistency will put you in the position to capitalize when it matters most. As we cheer for Penn State’s relentless drive, let’s take that same energy into our work. Stay disciplined, keep competing, and never stop believing that your moment is just around the corner. Success isn’t about avoiding competition…it’s about facing it with everything you’ve got. Penn State University #Competition #Persistence #BigTen #WeArePennState #BusinessSuccess

Celebrating Perseverance: Columbia Lions' Inspiring Journey to Championship Glory Today, I want to shine a light on an incredible story of perseverance and fortitude that reminds us all of the power of determination—the Columbia Lions football team has finally claimed a share of the Ivy League championship after over 60 years of challenges and setbacks! Once regarded as the underdogs of college football, the Lions have faced a history marked by trials and tribulations, including a staggering 44-game losing streak in the 1980s. Yet, they never lost hope. This season, under the leadership of first-year head coach Jon Poppe, they turned their fortunes around, finishing with a 5-2 record in the Ivy League. Key Takeaways from Their Journey: - Resilience in Adversity: The Lions’ journey exemplifies how perseverance in the face of adversity can lead to unexpected triumphs. Their ability to keep pushing forward, despite the odds, is a testament to their character. - Teamwork and Collaboration: Achieving a three-way tie for the championship with Harvard and Dartmouth highlights the importance of collaboration and supporting one another—not just on the field, but in all aspects of life. - Celebrating Small Victories: The Lions may not have had the highest-scoring offense, but they showcased the power of a tight defense and strategic play. This reminds us that success doesn’t always come from being the best; sometimes, it’s about doing enough to achieve your goals. - Community and Support: The excitement and joy shared by players like Joey Giorgi and fans reflect the deep connections formed through shared struggles. It’s a reminder that our journeys are often about the people we share them with. As we celebrate this historic moment for the Columbia Lions, let it inspire us to embrace our own challenges with the same spirit of resilience and determination. Whether in sports, business, or personal endeavors, perseverance pays off. Here’s to the Columbia Lions—may their story inspire us all to keep fighting for our dreams, no matter how long the road may seem!

A recent trip to Harvard Business School to give a talk on organizational compliance and corporate crime enforcement included a walk across the Charles River overlooking the Weld Boathouse. That got me thinking about the first American intercollegiate sporting event: the Harvard-Yale Boat Race. Did you know that the race was beset by cheating, fueled by corporate interests? Here's how Nathaniel Grow and I describe it in our paper, Assessing the NCAA as a Compliance Organization (Wis. L. Rev. 2021)(https://lnkd.in/gmvw-CTG): >>The United States’ first intercollegiate athletic competition was held in 1852, when two teams of rowers—one from Harvard and the other from Yale—met at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. Although no one could have predicted it at the time, that first contest foreshadowed several trends in intercollegiate athletics that remain in place up to the present day. First, the race was heavily intertwined with commercial interests. Indeed, the regatta itself was coordinated by a railroad company to promote rail travel to Lake Winnipesaukee, with the competitors promised an all-expenses-paid, two-week vacation in exchange for participating in the race. After the victorious Harvard rowers accepted their prize of a pair of silver-tipped oars, they thanked the organizers for providing such “sumptuous entertainment at the best of hotels.” Second, the competition was rife with cheating, as both teams allegedly employed non-student, professional rowers in an attempt to secure a leg-up on the other squad. A water-soaked board even found its way into the path of the leading boat and slowed it down for a moment, an obstacle that may have been placed there by one of the many spectators wagering heavily on the competition.<< Not sure what it says that my talk was as timely in 2024 as it would have been in 1852. #corporatecrime #compliance #rowing #harvard #yale #intercollegiatesports #BEB

Is the dam about to break? Is college sports on the brink of demise? I foresee three possible outcomes now: 1. Coaches from pre-NIL days, like Coach Larranaga, will wash out because they will concede to the new "professionalized" student-athlete mindset. 2. The NCAA will have to put the Genie back in the bottle (yeah right!), go back to the drawing board, and revamp the NIL platform and structure. Or, 3. The adaptation of coaches post-NIL evolves as their player authority, influence, and respect get undermined by the player's desire for money and external program influencers. I can also see fan interest, ticket sales, and viewership decreasing in college sports due to the NIL debacle (see NBA ratings case study). Seven years ago, I wrote an article on LinkedIn telling the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee/NCAA how they could fix the cheating (paying college student-athletes) scandals that were continuously happening--this was pre-NIL times... What I outlined in that article could have easily prevented the direction of where things seem to be headed now, AND the student-athletes would have been getting paid! Please read the article I wrote and share your thoughts about how it could or could not help the current college sports NIL situation: https://lnkd.in/gxnbhk2V https://lnkd.in/ghj8BXpB

Now let’s talk Gohlke / Oakland and local activation: Sana Detroit 📲THE ACTIVATION: TBD given the video below. SANA Detroit is a retail company that captures southeastern Michigan sports history through clothing. They’ve previously activated with UMich and professional Detroit teams. 📍LOCAL / SMALL BUSINESSES: being sports integrated / adjacent, and with previous NIL engagement experience, Sana probably has a more robust NIL engagement playbook than most small businesses. When I was interviewing on the topic, the reasoning that came up was 1.) NIL is too new; general uncertainty around the rules and how to engage, 2.) lack of business capacity. I think this is getting better as the market moves towards ‘’standards’’ but still generally undercapitalized on by small businesses. 💥ASK AND YOU COULD RECEIVE: moving away from Gohlke and towards general student-athlete advice: reasons 1 & 2 above are why I, and others, encourage student athletes to DM or cold email brands you like. I’ve seen it work. If you approach them with a general idea of how you’d want to structure the engagement and a strong pitch, you’re taking part of the job off their shoulders and demonstrating how you could align with their business values & brand. Not only is it great to start to nail down your NIL & professional brand, but it’s also great practice for if / when you start job hunting. If you’re an athlete (or if you know one) who wants to do this, but doesn’t know where to start or just needs a little encouragement… reach out to me and I’d be happy to advise however I can. It’d be great to learn from you, too— I’m currently developing an NIL education series with one of the largest public school districts in Michigan to introduce, educate, and empower high school athletes so they have the fundamentals before getting to their college campuses. Would love to hear your thoughts on what type of content would best fit this audience.

have you heard about the new proposal to restructure NCAA Governance? According to On3, there is currently a proposal being developed by the Autonomous Four (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference) to grant more authority to the conferences on several issues. This includes postseason management, revenue distribution, and selection committees. With NIL and conference realignments, many figures in college sports (including our very own Coach Franklin) have called for a change in leadership to properly navigate the NCAA as it shifts away from amateurism. Although this is an incomplete proposal, this could be the start of major changes! #WeAre #SmealSportsBusiness #NCAA Penn State Smeal College of Business Source: https://lnkd.in/ebE5uYUH

🌹 #OTD January 1, 1902: The First Rose Bowl Game Kicks Off in Pasadena 🌹 The inaugural Rose Bowl game marked the beginning of college football’s rich tradition, but the sport’s future faced serious challenges in its early days. Later that decade, Theodore Roosevelt played a pivotal role in ensuring football’s survival by advocating for critical safety reforms. Football’s Dangerous Beginnings: • By the early 1900s, football was notoriously violent, with frequent injuries and fatalities on the field. Critics called for the sport to be banned. • TR, an advocate for the “strenuous life,” believed football built character and toughness. However, he agreed that reform was necessary to preserve the game. TR’s Fight for Football Reform: • In 1905, Roosevelt invited leaders from top universities (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) to the White House, urging them to make football safer. • His intervention led to the creation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (now the NCAA) in 1906. • Rule changes included the legalization of the forward pass, stricter penalties for rough play, and improved officiating, reducing the sport’s dangers. A Legacy of Safety and Spirit: Thanks to TR’s leadership, football became a safer, more strategic game while retaining its competitive spirit. The Rose Bowl, now an iconic American tradition, owes its place in history to those reforms that allowed football to flourish. 🏈 How has football shaped your life? Share your thoughts below! 💬 #NCAA #RoseBowl #FootballHistory #OnThisDay #Leadership

As a big fan of college football and basketball, I live for game days. But it turns out, the off-the-field action is just as intense. 🏈 🏀 With the recent NCAA settlement and ongoing conference realignments, college athletics is undergoing seismic changes. For institutional leaders, here are some trends to keep top of mind as we look ahead to the future of college athletics: - Athlete Compensation: The $2.8 billion settlement opens doors to revenue-sharing. Leaders need to prepare for the financial and structural impact of sharing revenue with athletes, while staying aware of evolving legal requirements around athlete employment rights. - Conference Shifts: Power conferences like the Big 12 are reshaping, leaving non-football schools (hello, Gonzaga University !) to make tough decisions about their future--do they consider new affiliations or risk being left out of lucrative partnerships? - NIL Dynamics: Institutions must rethink athlete support as NIL policies continue to evolve, while protecting institutional integrity and compliance. Is your institution ready for the changes ahead? #CollegeAthletics #HigherEdLeadership #NIL #ConferenceRealignment #Leadership

The concept this week. You don’t need luck; you need to do your best. As a football fan, I always look forward to the upset victories. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals have made it increasingly difficult for smaller colleges to compete with the traditional powerhouses in the current college football landscape. Insert Northern Illinois’ upset victory over #5 Notre Dame. Notre Dame paid NIU almost 1.5 Million dollars to play them in South Bend, under the pretense that they would win big. As the number 5 ranked college football program in the country, Notre Dame was favored to win by four touchdowns against NIU. Last week, Notre Dame beat nationally ranked Texas A&M in College Station, and everyone believed that the Fighting Irish were on their way to the College Football Playoffs. Not so fast, my friends (Lee Corso Voice). NIU’s starters were primarily juniors and seniors who had been in the program for a long time. They know exactly what’s required; they have 10k+ hours in the program. After NIU beat ND, the post-game reporter asked the NIU head coach, Thomas Hammond, what he shared with the team to inspire them to win. Hammond responded, “I told my team we didn’t need luck; we just needed our best.” Don’t bet on luck this week if you don’t have to. Trust and believe in your best. Believing and obsessing about improving your best helps you avoid being outcome-oriented, keeps you present, and helps you progress towards that ‘big opportunity’. Look at this post-game interview! I love College Football for this reason. #MusaMonday #MondayMotivation

Did #MarchMadness fever find you this year? You weren't alone. But why did we turn in this year at record rates and what can we learn? ✅ people want heros. Every story needs antagonists and heros - which isn't the same as winners and losers. Did you know DJ Burns Jr before this run? How many of you have made a note of the women's NCAA draft for the first time to see where Caitlin Clark goes after losing to USC? ✅ branding matters. It wasn't until 2022 that the women's tournament was given the rights to use the term March Madness in connection with their championship tournament, despite having a NCAA tournament since 1982. Sponsorships sold out in 2023. ✅ progress not perfection. NC State men's basketball finished with a 17-14 record. At the brink of their coach being fired and not being ranked they powered through 5 wins in 5 days to win the ACC championship. When asked how they did it, DJ Burns Jr said "we all showed up on time" and did our part. This is my new motto for success. First team to make the Final 4 with 14+ losses. ✅ celebrate your successes. Viewership for the women's Iowa/UConn game peaked at 17m viewers. That is more than every world series gae last year, every NBA finals game last year, every Masters final round viewership since 2013... (credit to Richard Deitsch for stats) This year is changing how the world views women's sports. Love it when the world has some positive disruption! #NCAA #MarchMadness #LeadershipLessons #PositiveChange #ChangeManagement