From the NCAA to the World Cup, Clemson’s inaugural Sports Business and Analytics cohort turns data into impact

According to the program, 19 students have confirmed placements and two more hold offers pending final decisions.

As the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business celebrates the first graduating cohort of the Master of Science in Sports Business and Analytics (MSSBA), the students’ work is already moving into team offices, championship planning, venue operations and a new charitable venture.

According to the program, 19 students have confirmed placements and two more hold offers pending final decisions. Students are headed to work for the Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, Notre Dame Athletics, University of South Carolina, Clemson Athletics, Safari Solutions’ FIFA World Cup 2026 work and G&G Outfitters’ Fanatics and Nike account.

These outcomes reflect the program’s applied focus: Give students consequential questions from the sports industry, equip them to investigate those questions through business and analytics and expect them to deliver work that leaders can act on.

Capstones designed for decisions

One example came from the NCAA capstone team of Sam Andrae, Jackson Dunn, Skye Miller, Zac O’Connor and Logan Swank.

The group studied NCAA championship properties outside the March Madness window to identify opportunities for sponsorship and ticket-revenue growth. It selected three properties for further study: the Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska; the FCS championship in Nashville, Tennessee and the NCAA women’s volleyball championship in San Antonio.

The students reviewed available information about television audiences, attendance, economic impact and existing sponsorships. They then identified prospective partners and developed activation concepts, rollout schedules and measures of success for each championship.

“Totally blown away with the NCAA group presentation,” wrote Brian Higgins, chief of staff of the NCAA. “Some immediate, useful takeaways that I plan to implement ASAP with our championships team.”

Another six-student team worked with SportsBiz on an expansion of sponsorship analytics for Prudential Center. Akil Sullivan and Grant Loniero studied live spectators and premium seating; Eve Jackson and Amy Nichols focused on expanding sponsorship value; and Tee Spence and Preston Turner analyzed performance trends and visualization.

The team concluded that many of the center’s assets were underactivated and undermeasured rather than underpriced. The students developed recommendations for valuing premium inventory, activating exterior and digital assets and improving the quality of sponsorship exposure.

Their proposals included making Prudential Center’s rideshare zone easier to find, adding trackable ride offers, repairing missing or outdated pathways in the venue’s app, adding more useful calls to action on its website and strengthening the visibility of sponsorship assets in the arena and during broadcasts.

Following the presentation, SportsBiz’s Ryan Kooser, the director of strategic partnerships at SportzBiz, told the students that executive Dave Hamlett was “genuinely blown away by the quality of the insights” and planned to take several recommendations back to his team. Kooser said the students might see some of their ideas used during the following season.

Carter Shipley brought a global-events perspective to his individual capstone. Drawing on an internship with Safari Solutions, Shipley studied technology and operational readiness across FIFA World Cup 2026 host venues.

Shipley developed a Venue Readiness Index that combines infrastructure completion, staffing coverage, unresolved issues and schedule pressure into a score for comparing and prioritizing sites.

He recommended preparing approval materials before crews reached decision points, grouping recurring items for approval, delegating routine decisions to on-site leaders and tracking pending approvals through a live dashboard. He also recommended assigning crews according to changing levels of risk and standardizing the way sites record readiness information.

Other individual capstones examined the data landscape of college football recruiting; offensive inefficiencies across Power 4 football; staffing efficiencies within Notre Dame Athletics’ video department; social media gaps for Clemson Campus Recreation; recruiting-visit scheduling for Clemson Track and Field; and performance measures used by NFL ticket-sales offices.

Ideas extending beyond graduation

A student team comprised of Will Bavin, Addyson Holgorsen, Wilson Lesslie, Presley Minnick and Justin Sadeghi worked with Sporting FC in Costa Rica. Their work demonstrated how commercial strategy and community impact could emerge from the same assignment.

The team created an integrated framework for fan engagement, community data and commercial valuation. Its recommendations included an in-house ticketing infrastructure, marketing and advertising materials, sports performance data tools and a community nonprofit concept called “First Pair.”

Director of MSSBA David Peyton said the student is now filing the required documents to establish the foundation at both the state and federal levels. The organization would provide cleats and soccer equipment to children and youth in Latin America and Africa. She has begun receiving support from soccer executives in Costa Rica, Panama and Sweden, as well as seed money and assistance from the local community, he said.

Another team of students produced an original baseball study for a Major League Baseball organization. The analysis examined how winning percentage correlates with pitch rotation speed. Peyton said the students refined the research over the summer before sharing it with the team.

Establishing a standard for the next cohort

For the inaugural class, graduation marks both an achievement and a handoff. Its members leave Clemson with professional placements and experience working on industry questions.

The next cohort is already continuing that work. Peyton said one student has completed an analysis of the impact of European basketball players in the NCAA. The study is attracting interest in NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference circles.

Clemson’s first Master of Science in Sports Business and Analytics cohort did more than reach a program milestone. Its work established a standard for the students who follow: Start with an industry question, apply careful analysis and develop recommendations that sports organizations can put to use.