NFL,
Kellogg team up for championship executive program
It's not
their standard strengthening regime, but it is intense training
designed to increase power and strategy. At
the Kellogg School, National Football League players hit the
books instead of the field as they tackled what is a new challenge
for them: business education.
The
NFL and NFL Players Association formed a partnership with
Kellogg for part of the NFL's Business Management and Entrepreneurial
Program. The March 5-8 session offered the athletes a customized
executive education program, focusing on developing and selling
a brand and evaluating entrepreneurial opportunities.
"The
Kellogg executive education program for the NFL has an entrepreneurship
theme, but with an emphasis on marketing," said Professor
Steven
Rogers, the academic director of the program and director
of the Kellogg Levy
Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice. "We want
the players to learn how to market themselves and manage their
personal brands."
The
players brought their perspectives to class discussions on
topics taught by Kellogg faculty, from negotiations to brand
management.
"They
are yearning for knowledge, they're engaged," Rogers
said. "The average age of the group is 27, yet these
individuals are worldlier than the average 27-year-old because
of the wealth they have acquired. They are often approached
with entrepreneurial investment opportunities. This program
teaches them a foundation to evaluate those."
Three
guest speakers provided extra muscle to the program: Gale
Sayers, professional football hall of famer; Gary
Fencik, former Pro-Bowler;
and John W. Rogers Jr., chairman and CEO of Ariel Capital Management LLC, shared their expertise
with the application of brand management and franchise opportunities.
Sayers
spent his career with the Chicago Bears and was the youngest
player ever inducted into the Professional Football Hall of
Fame. Today, he runs a world-class technology company and
a premier minority-owned business.
Fencik's
visit to Kellogg was a homecoming for the Class of 1985 alum,
who now is head of business development for Adams Street Partners
in Chicago.
—
Romi Herron |
