Tulane Launches Inaugural Summer Sports Institute

Tulane hosted the hugely successful launch of the inaugural Tulane Summer Sports Institute, a two-week immersive course titled “Running a Pro Sports Team,” that brought undergraduate students from across the country to campus for an inside look at the business and law of professional sports.

The Institute reflects the growing interdisciplinary collaboration in sports-focused education across campus between the Tulane Center for Sport, Tulane Law School and its nationally-recognized Sports Law Program, along with Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and Newcomb-Tulane College. The effort combined legal, business, liberal arts, and operational perspectives from leaders across the sports industry. 

Gabe Feldman, Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law, director of Tulane’s Sports Law Program and co-director of the Tulane Center for Sport and Eric Blevins (L’ 11), Sports Law Program Manager with the Tulane Center for Sport, led the Institute as co-faculty and with support from the Center for Sport’s Director of Education, Tess Belt. The Institute is also supported by the Schwartz Family Center for Experiential Business Learning and the Tulane Sports Management Certificate program, both in Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business.

“The Summer Sports Institute is designed to capitalize on Tulane’s interdisciplinary strengths and connect our world-class faculty, high-profile alumni, and students in an innovative approach that reveals how the sports industry actually works in practice,” Blevins said.

Joining Feldman and Blevins as co-faculty were seven high-profile sports executives—many Tulane alumni— who returned to campus to teach. Those included Jeff Dorso (L’01), senior vice president and general counsel for the Sacramento Kings, and Chelsey Antony (L’19), senior business counsel for the NFL Players Association, and Sam Bruchhaus (SSE’21), Senior Data Scientist with Sumer Sports. Former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins top executive-turned-ESPN front office insider, Mike Tannenbaum (L’95), was a guest speaker, expanding on his long experience in sports leadership. 

Additional faculty included Matt Sharpe, vice president and associate general counsel for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans; Betsy Philpott, chief legal officer for the Washington Nationals; Brandon James, senior vice president of strategic growth and deputy general counsel for the San Antonio Spurs; and Dan Werly, senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Tennessee Titans.

This group taught in turns, presenting separate modules within their expertise, including sessions in sports law, analytics, stadium development & financing, sports business & brands, and leadership and team operations, giving students direct exposure to professionals working at the highest levels of the sports industry.

The program further highlights Tulane’s deep network of alumni and friends in the sports industry and the university’s expanding interdisciplinary approach to sports education.

“It was nostalgic to be back in the very classroom that I once sat in as a law student - to now teaching sports IP principles to the next generation of leaders in the industry,” wrote Antony in a LinkedIn post after the event. “Being able to pull from real-world examples from my time working with the Sixers to sharing stories of how NFL Player marketing deals come to life - these were special, full-circle educational moments that were exemplified when shared aloud.”

During the week, more than two dozen undergraduate students heard from top executives who provided not only their experiences in the industry, but also advice on navigating a career in sports. 

The course was hosted in Weinmann Hall at Tulane Law School, and also offered plenty of opportunities for students to learn and connect outside the classroom. During the two-week course, students visited the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans’ training facilities for a full-class day, connected over breakfast and lunches, and participated in social outings and class dinners which created a more immersive element to the Institute.