Harvey Schiller (left) and son Derek recently taught classes at Goizueta.

Teaching the business of sports

In sports, spectators pay to see compelling competition, the thrill of the great play, and the most talented players. Few stop to think that the players’ practice and performance are a small percentage of the time, effort, and investment that make professional sports possible—and profitable. Goizueta’s students have been learning the business of sports from two of the best—and a father-son team at that.

After serving as chairman and CEO of YankeeNets, George Steinbrenner’s corporate umbrella for baseball’s New York Yankees and basketball’s New Jersey Nets, Harvey Schiller returned to Atlanta and recently taught a Goizueta MBA class on media strategy for sports entertainment. Schiller knows sports like few others, also having served as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, executive director/secretary general of the U.S. Olympic Committee, president of Turner Sports, and president and governor of the Atlanta Thrashers. He also has been an Air Force combat pilot and a professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

“Teaching is the single profession that requires continual intellectual stimulation,” says Schiller. “The simplest question requires you to consider your experience and how best to communicate it.” Schiller feels that the Goizueta graduate experience is unique “because it takes on the additional role of mentoring. With few exceptions, most of my Emory relationships continue with professional guidance and business relationships.”

Schiller’s son, Derek, also has worked for the Yankees and is currently vice president of sales and marketing for the Thrashers. The younger Schiller recently taught a BBA senior seminar course in sports marketing. And, the winner of last year’s Goizueta Marketing Strategy Competition was the team with which Derek worked and that the Thrashers sponsored.

Derek Schiller’s students were surprised to learn that the competitive side of the sports business can be more intense than the competition on the field. He told his students about a post-game conversation with the Yankee’s general manager. “He asked me how the game went, and I said, ‘Fantastic, unbelievable.’ ‘Didn’t we lose?’ he asked. And I said, ‘Oh, you’re asking about the score! Sure, we lost, but it was a sellout, we raised new per capita levels, and we had great sponsorships!’”

The Schillers inspire each other as well. “My dad is always striving to learn more,” says Derek. Of his son, Dr. Schiller says, “Derek knows me as well as or better than anyone else, and I get more advice from him than he gets from me.” While Derek protests, Dr. Schiller smiles and adds, “I was a pilot for thirty years, and he never lets me drive!”—Russ Moore