A Sports Business Master’s In Silicon Valley? Santa Clara Leavey Says Game On

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 is also betting on the business of sports.

This summer, Leavey welcomes its first cohort to its new Master of Science in 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 the San Francisco 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and San Francisco Giants, as well as companies like Nike, Facebook, 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.

“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.”

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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