The Sports Business MBA sixth edition opens in Barcelona

The 2022-24 edition of the Euroleague Basketball Institute's Sports Business MBA, delivered in collaboration with Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, began late last month with the students of the MBA visiting the Euroleague Basketball headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, for the first in-person session. This year's class features a diverse and truly enthusiastic group of students from across Europe, North America and the Middle East.

The full-week session included introductions to the study program and the six online modules presented by Vytautas Magnus University professors. It also featured presentations delivered by the Euroleague Basketball executives who spoke about a wide range of topics such as stakeholders in sports, partnerships activations, commercial strategy, sustainability, business intelligence and analytics, business operations and club services, digital and content marketing, communication governance and legal, events sports production, and basketball operations. The week also coincided with the European Week of Sport #BEACTIVE campaign where students participated in physical activities during a team-building session.

Lucie Schepens, France, digital project manager, Scallion DS:

"This week we already gain a lot of knowledge into the Euroleague Basketball ecosystem. So for me coming from outside of the industry was a lot of input to take in."

Simon Kellerman, Germany, ticketing manager, FC Bayern Munich Basketball:

"The first week was really great, we did a lot of interactions, a lot of discussions, a lot of interesting people. We exchanged also after class, and I already got a lot of input which I hope I can implement at FC Bayern Munich Basketball so I can help improve and develop the club."

Olajide Ojuawo, legal counsel-regulatory compliance, FIFA

"The chemistry so far has been great. We all have a passion for sports. That links us together from the beginning and then that love for sports, coming from different nationalities and academic backgrounds, bring that all together. It has been really fun, educational and a great experience so far."

Students will now start the first academic semester of online learning with the professors of Vytautas Magnus University, guest academicians and industry experts before meeting again in Kaunas, Lithuania, for the second in-person session, where they will defend their term papers and receive presentations from the senior management of EuroLeague club Zalgiris Kaunas.