China Is Looking For New MBA Talent
China is home to one of the largest business markets in the world. More importantly, it is one of the most rapidly expanding markets. Although it has slowed slightly, the country’s economic growth rate is 6.9 percent, which is three times greater than the United States (2.3 percent). Within this market, Shanghai is a major business hub that offers many opportunities for talented MBA students. This week’s listing are all jobs available in Shanghai with major corporations, all of which offer an opportunity to those who wish to expand themselves beyond North America.
Continue reading…Starting a Career in Sports with an MBA
None of what I’ve written so far will come as a surprise to sports management students. They have been tracking the rise of these leagues and witnessing audiences expand along with their international reputations. The more pressing question is about how to get in on the action. In this article, we will shed some light on the various ways that MBA students can find a sports career supporting the game that they love.
Continue reading…Alumni Spotlight: Sports Agent Drew Rosenhaus
If you are interested in the business of sports, it is highly likely you are familiar with the name of Drew Rosenhaus. Beloved and reviled in equal measure, no one has a neutral opinion of the man. Regardless of people’s feelings toward him, Rosenhaus has achieved the remarkable feat of becoming one of the defining figures in the NFL without ever having set foot on the field.
Rosenhaus is a football super agent who is relentless in fighting for his clients’ interests. He currently represents over 110 NFL players and has negotiated $1.1 billion in contracts. Rosenhaus’s industry presence was mythical enough for Cameron Crowe to base Tom Cruise’s character in Jerry Maguire on him.
The Start: University of Miami
Rosenhaus spent his entire youth watching the Miami Dolphins, his local professional football team. He went to games and practices whenever he could, and because his dad knew players through his work as a real estate agent and boat manufacturer, Rosenhaus had the opportunity to talk to players frequently. All of those experiences convinced Rosenhaus that he had to do something with football.
By the time he enrolled at the University of Miami Business School, Rosenhaus knew that he wanted to be a sports agent. However, he did not think that it was a real path until he befriended a classmate of his at Miami—Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin. Rosenhaus tutored Irvin and other students on the Miami football team. The players liked Rosenhaus’s ability to relate to them, and he liked being a part of the football world.
His First Client
After his experiences with Irvin and other football players, Rosenhaus pursued his desire to be an agent by enrolling in Duke Law School after completing his business degree at the University of Miami. In 1989, during his second year, Rosenhaus landed his first client, Robert Massey.
At age 22, Rosenhaus became the youngest sports agent working at that time. After going official, Rosenhaus decided to start his own firm, Rosenhaus Sports Representation. Rather than hire staff immediately, Rosenhaus convinced his brother, Jason, to get a degree in accounting so that they could work together; the plan succeeded. After Jason graduated from the University of Miami in 1991, the Rosenhaus brothers set out to create the largest agency in the NFL.
The Rise of Drew Rosenhaus
Rosenhaus’s status as a football agent rose quickly after signing Massey. As he noted in a question-and-answer session with ESPN, Rosenhaus says that he worked his way up to 12 clients within his first couple of years as an agent. The number of clients only increased after that. Rosenhaus believes his success is derived from the relationships he has with his clients.
As he noted in a 2011 60 Minutes interview with Scott Pelley, Rosenhaus works hard to maintain a personal relationship with each of his many clients. He said, “My clients are like my family, like my brothers—literally.” Like a brother, Rosenhaus always takes his clients’ calls: “If I get a call in the middle of the night, I have to take it. If I’m with a girl I have to take it. If I’m in the shower, I have to take it.” Like a brother, Rosenhaus always works to get his client the best deal possible, always watching out for their best interests in a sport that is notorious for its disregard of players.
This deep commitment to his clients and their welfare has made him into an extremely popular agent with players, if not necessarily with teams or other agents, who disapprove of his aggressive style. His clients range from exciting collegiate draft prospects to Pro Bowl veterans. Notable current clients include Antonio Brown, Trent Brown, and Kwon Alexander.
The Future
The story of Drew Rosenhaus and Rosenhaus Sports Representation does not stop at the NFL. While Rosenhaus stays active in the NFL, the firm is branching out into other sports. In the past two years, Rosenhaus’s firm has begun to sign baseball and basketball athletes. Although development in these areas is currently limited, Rosenhaus expects there to be growth in both these areas in the coming years.
5 Questions with the SMU Cox Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions
In our latest installment of the MetroMBA “5 Questions” series, we speak with John Roeder, Assistant Dean of Graduate Admissions at SMU’s Cox School of Business. He talks with us about inside details of the MBA program, pre-admissions tips, and the school’s beautiful campus.
Can you tell me something about the SMU MBA that I cannot learn unless I actually take part in the program?
“SMU Cox fosters a highly collaborative learning environment and connections to a network of 42,000-plus alumni around the world. From day one, SMU Cox MBA students join this community—a highly connected, active, and engaged group of students, alumni, and corporate partners that extend across the Dallas business community and beyond.”
What are you most excited about when it comes to the future of SMU Cox?
“The future of SMU Cox is bright and exciting. The Cox School is refreshing the curriculum, and infusing new elective courses into the MBA program to reflect the evolving needs of businesses today. Plus, we’re located in the heart of Dallas, a city on the rise! In fact, Forbes ranked Dallas the #1 best big city for jobs two years in a row.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Real Humans of the SMU Cox School of Business
What parts of the MBA program should more students know about before starting their graduate school career?
“Each year, applicants impress us with the high level of research they do on their own. Here are a few things we encourage students consider when searching for the right program fit.
- Research the curriculum: Is it flexible, customizable? SMU Cox offers four different paths to the MBA. Whether you pursue the degree as a full-time student or a part-time student, you have the flexibility to customize the coursework and choose electives to meet your needs.
- Explore experiential learning opportunities: There are incredible opportunities to gain technical knowledge and hands-on experience both inside and outside the classroom. At SMU Cox, all our MBAs have an opportunity to gain international business perspective through our Global Programs.
- Identify companies or industries where you have an interest in working: Research your target business school’s alumni presence and recruiting relationships with those companies. At SMU Cox, we have over 100 corporate partners and hiring companies actively engaged with our students.”
What do you think is the most important part of the pre-admissions process?
“A few things can really help a candidate stand out during the application process. At SMU Cox, we look for students who have demonstrated a drive for impact, both personally, and professionally. So, when building your application, take the time to sharpen your resume, and highlight quantifiable achievements. Leverage the essays to showcase your personality and motivations for pursuing the MBA. And finally, let us get to know you! Whether you join us at an information session, a coffee-chat, or simply set-up time to meet one-on-one with a member of our Admissions team, we’d like to get to know you personally.”
What is your favorite part of the SMU campus?
“One of the best aspects of our beautiful, tree-lined campus is its proximity to downtown Dallas. Our campus is located just miles from corporate headquarters, a flourishing art and museum district, a world-class sports arena that houses our local NBA and NHL teams, acres of outdoor parks and trails, and sits walking distance from both locally-owned and nationally acclaimed restaurants.”
The Professional Grounds Management Society has previously awarded SMU the prestigious Grand Award for its picturesque campus / Photo via smu.edu
Click here for more information on admissions at the SMU Cox School of Business.
Kyrie Irving Hits The Books at Harvard Business School
On Monday, Boston Celtics All-Star Kyrie Irving attended the first day of a class called “Crossover Into Business” at Harvard Business School.
Irving—a five-time All-Star, former World Champion, and part-time actor—is one of several professional athletes enrolled in a semester-long program taught by HBS professor Anita Elberse, specially designed to help professional athletes develop their business acumen by working with HBS MBA student mentors. Some of the stars of HBS’s autograph-worthy cohort include Detroit Pistons center Zaza Pachulia, former All-Star Chris Bosh, and Brooklyn Nets breakout point guard Spencer Dinwiddie.
Earlier this summer, as he was recovering from an injury, Irving was expressing interest in attending a professional business course, similar to many of his aforementioned fellow NBA players.
“When I am playing basketball or perfecting my craft, which comes with a lot of sacrifice, then the time that I’ve got outside of it, I’ll use to develop a lot of interests and passions that I have, to make up for that,” he told Boston.com. “I feel like if I had the same amount of time that I was afforded [for basketball] to learn about business and investments, I think I’d probably be in a pretty different place.”
In a field where intense drive and dedication are integral for success, it may come as no surprise that many professional athletes make the seamless transition to accomplished entrepreneurs after they hang up their uniforms.
Venturing into the business world may even be a necessity for some athletes, as professional careers are often lucrative and short. Pro football players, for instance, can earn tens of millions of dollars in their career but the average career only lasts six years.
So, what do you do with tens of millions of dollars and extra time on your hands? You invest.
Many universities have developed programs that cater to current and former athletes to learn how best to manage their earnings.
The University of Miami Business School offers an 18-month Executive MBA program for Artists and Athletes, specifically scheduled around the NFL season. Founded in February 2015, the inaugural class had 43 students—most of which were current or former NFL athletes. Many of these athletes come familiar with many aspects of business, from branding and marketing to media and public relations. These programs provide the framework to help athletes transfer these skills into the business world, leveraging their personal brand and networks to elevate their careers.
Business skills become a necessity as many former athletes face financial challenges. According to a paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research in April 2015, 16 percent of NFL players file for bankruptcy within 12 years. Current Carolina Panthers wide receiver Torrey Smith famously said, “When football is done, some guys are lost. Most people have never seen this type of money. They don’t come from families that have money or understand money … you can get into a hole real fast.”
Niche MBA programs are popping up across the country to address this growing need. In addition to the University of Miami EMBA, there are also similar programs at George Washington University and Indiana University.
In 2017, Smith graduated from University of Miami’s Executive MBA program, which he attended with his wife, Chanel. The couple used the skills and knowledge gained from this program to inform the work of their charitable foundation, the Torrey Smith Family Fund.
The Smith Family Fund serves young people in the Baltimore area. NFL players all around have flocked to this program compared to other niche programs in the country, as it has been carefully tailored to fit their schedule, interests, and needs. The University of Miami is aware that not all students can learn successfully online, while other students haven’t set foot in a classroom in over a decade.
Along with a rigorous curriculum, Miami hires professional trainers to work with current players at 6:30 a.m. before class, and tutors to work with the players at night from 7:30-10:30 p.m.
You can learn more about the University of Miami Business School program here.
76ers’ JJ Redick Had To Reschedule GMAT to Accommodate Playoff Schedule
When the Philadelphia 76ers season hit its lowest point, guard JJ Redick, a Duke University alum, was apparently planning on earning his MBA.
