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A Sports Business Master’s In Silicon Valley? Santa
Clara Leavey Says Game On
BY: KRISTY BLEIZEFFER ON APRIL 20, 2025 | 153 VIEWS
Leavey School of Business Dean Ed Grier and Assistant Dean Scott
Amen with San Francisco 49ers Jordan Mason and Jonathan Garvin.
For techies and entrepreneurs, there’s plenty of business programs, and
business schools, to choose from in the heart of Silicon Valley. Santa Clara
University’s Leavey School of Business
(https://poetsandquants.com/school-profile/santa-clara-university-leavey-
school-business/) is also betting on the business of sports.
This summer, Leavey welcomes its first cohort to its new Master of Science
in Sports Business (https://www.scu.edu/business/ms/ms-sports-
business/). While other regional universities offer degrees related to sports –
usually through kinesiology or liberal arts schools – none in Northern
California offers one from an AACSB-accredited business school. Kumar
Sarangee, Leavey associate professor of marketing and academic director of
the new program, recognized that gap as a missed opportunity.
“I feel that’s a distinct advantage,” Sarangee tells Poets&Quants. “Most of the
people I talked to said they’re more comfortable with business people
teaching sports business.”
The new master’s was developed with input from regional heavy hitters like
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the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and San Francisco Giants, as
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companies like Nike, GMAT MASTER
Facebook, (HTTPS://NEWS.POETSANDQUANTS.COM/GMAT-MASTER)
and Google. The program blends
traditional business fundamentals with deep dives into the fast-evolving
world of sports management.
TECH + SPORT = OPPORTUNITY
Sarangee, whose background is in product management, has helped build
many business programs in his 15 years at Leavey, including a minor and
concentration in entrepreneurship, and a certificate in product management.
This program is especially exciting, he says.
“There’s something about sports
that is so unifying. You can watch
it with everyone.”
While tech still dominates the
valley’s identity, Northern California
is also home to seven major
league franchises and a growing
network of companies building
everything from wearable sports
tech to entertainment platforms.
That unique landscape helped
shape the MS in Sports Business
curriculum.
Kumar Sarangee
“Tech is going to be at the forefront of all the decisions which are to be
made,” he says. “Data and technology is going to be at the forefront of
decision-making.”
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Sports analytics, for example, is one of the fastest-growing career paths in
the field, and one of the biggest influences on how teams now make
decisions. It now informs everything from player performance and fan
engagement to sponsorship strategy.
“Machine learning, artificial intelligence, analytics are so important. We’ve
built a very contemporary program,” Sarangee says.
A RIGOROUS, RELEVANT CURRICULUM
The one-year, five-quarter program follows a hybrid cohort model: students
meet in person on Tuesdays and online on Thursdays. The first two quarters
cover business fundamentals – finance, statistics, leadership, analytics, and
marketing – taught by Leavey faculty. These 18 credits can be applied
toward an MBA if students choose to continue their education later.
The final three quarters focus entirely on the sports industry, taught by
people from the industry. The program’s six specialized sports business
courses include sports marketing, sales and revenue, operations, analytics,
leadership and management, and sports law and personal management.
These are paired with two “emerging issues” workshops per quarter, each led
by professionals across the industry.
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“We’re going to have someone come in to talk about sports and
sustainability, crisis management, sports entrepreneurship and media, and
so on,” Sarangee said. “You’re not only getting contemporary knowledge,
you’re also building your network. Someone comes from the Sharks or the
Earthquakes to come and teach you. Tomorrow, if you have a career
question, you can easily reach out.”
The idea for the program started with a conversation between the business
school dean and the university’s former athletic director. That chat led
Sarangee down a long path of market research, employer interviews, and
curriculum development.
Leavey’s MS in Sports Business Faculty Director, Kumar
Sarangee, presents to sports professionals from Leavey’s
partner network consisting of local major league teams,
sports tech professionals, and collegiate athletic
administrators during the program’s launch event.
SMALL COHORT SIZE
The program caps with a hands-on capstone project where students tackle a
real-world challenge for a sports organization or business. Sarangee says
one example could involve analyzing data for a fitness company like Bay
Clubs to improve operational strategy.
He expects to admit about 25 to 30 students in the first cohort. That smaller
size is part of what he calls a “high-touch” model: one built on hands-on
mentorship, career support, and deep industry integration.
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“Santa Clara University thrives on smaller class sizes,” he said. “We want to
take people, we want to train people, we want to give them a nice experience,
so they’re well trained for the industry.”
Career services will play an active role throughout the program, offering
mock interviews, resume reviews, and curated job pipelines. Sarangee also
plans to build an alumni network that will eventually mentor and support new
students as they enter the field.
“This is a program of, by, and for the students,” he said. “It’s very rigorous,
very relevant. My single biggest narrow focus is professional advancement
for my cohort.”
The program also reflects Sarangee’s longstanding admiration for student
athletes, many of whom he’s taught over the years.
“I have the highest respect for college athletes. You know why? I can’t do
what they’re doing,” he said. “The amount of sacrifices, the amount of work
they put in—getting up in the morning, practicing, coming to classes, doing
homework, going and playing—I cannot do.”
He hopes the MS in Sports Business will offer a structured path for student
athletes and other sports professionals to transition into meaningful
business careers.
“We open the world for them,” he said. “And we give them all the exposure.”
Applications are now open. Learn more here. (https://ms.scu.edu/ga-top-ms-
sports-business-program/)
DON’T MISS: FORGET THE RANKINGS: NEW GMAC SURVEY SHOWS WHAT
DRIVES MBA DECISIONS TODAY
(https://poetsandquants.com/2025/04/16/forget-the-rankings-new-gmac-
survey-shows-what-drives-mba-decisions-today/?pq-category=business-
school-news&pq-category-2=data&pq-category-3=mba-jobs&pq-category-
4=mba-rankings&pq-category-5=students) and AACSB REPORT
HIGHLIGHTS FINANCIAL STRAINS, GLOBAL SHIFTS & RISING EMPLOYER
DEMANDS IN BUSINESS EDUCATION
(https://poetsandquants.com/2025/04/11/aacsb-report-highlights-
financial-strains-global-shifts-rising-employer-demands-in-business-
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TAGGED: LEAVEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS (HTTPS://POETSANDQUANTS.COM/TAG/LEAVEY-
SCHOOL-OF-BUSINESS/), SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY
(HTTPS://POETSANDQUANTS.COM/TAG/SANTA-CLARA-UNIVERSITY/), SPORTS BUSINESS
(HTTPS://POETSANDQUANTS.COM/TAG/SPORTS-BUSINESS/)
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