The Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four is an annual high point for students of the Euroleague Basketball Institute Master in Sports Management & Marketing and the 2017 event in Istanbul provided these students the perfect opportunity to witness theory and practice implemented at one of the continent’s premier sporting events. The busy schedule for the students in Istanbul allowed them to watch the EuroLeague games up close, see what goes into organizing a world-class event and learn from industry leaders in specially-organized lectures.

Much of their time together was spent at Sinan Erdem Dome, where a range of lecturers discussed topics including branding, advertising, sponsorship, digital analytics, media and much more. Among the speakers were Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade Marketing Director Filip Sunturlic; baresquare Managing Director Georgios Grigoriadis; Director of Organisational Development Sport at Special Olympics, Miroslaw Krogulec; Sport24.gr Editor in Chief, Stefanos Triantafyllos; Nike Accounting Director Cem Karamuersel; ACB President Francisco Roca; Managementberatung und Training owner Thomas Braumann; Desigual Vice President Jordi Balsells; Director of Team & Federation Relations at ESL Gaming, Jan Pommer; and IMG Media Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Adam Kelly.

The students also went to the Opening Press Conference at Ciragan Palace, visited the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague FanZone at Marmara Forum and attended the International Symposium on Basketball Science at Hilton Bomonti Hotel & Convention Center, where they could choose from lectures on topics related to business or health.

Students from as far away as the United States came for the third in-person meeting of the year-long program in conjunction with Ca'Foscari University of Venice, which in July will be the site where the students present their final projects and complete the course with a graduation ceremony. Among them was Mateja Skornik of Slovenia, who thoroughly enjoyed her time at the Final Four.

“We went to bed every day smarter. We empowered our knowledge. It was a different experience. We were basically there, at the event, behind the scenes, so we gained some know-how and insights to the Final Four behind the scenes,” Skornik said. Beyond the academic side, she also stressed the social benefits of the class coming together at the Final Four. “For me the most important part was the friends I made and the contacts I established networking.”

Final Four experience benefits EBI Masters students

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Euroleague Basketball and Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) today announced the launch of the Sports Business MBA by EB Institute during a press conference held on the VMU campus in Kaunas, Lithuania. The new partnership comes 10 years after the initial creation of the Euroleague Basketball Master in Sports Marketing and Communication.

The announcement was made by Euroleague Basketball President and CEO Jordi Bertomeu, together with VMU Rector Professor Juozas Augutis. Euroleague Basketball and VMU have created the MBA to enhance educational opportunities for existing and would-be professionals in sports business to learn directly from industry and academic experts.

The new programme builds on EB Institute's 10-year-old EBI Master in Sports Management and Marketing, which has seen 220 students from 38 countries follow the course co-organised with the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy. The MBA will focus on modern approaches to sports business, consisting of six modules over three academic semesters, including internship and group work opportunities, ending with a final master thesis.

The MBA continues the educational tradition that Euroleague Basketball began with its founding in 2000. The training and improvement of professionals working in clubs and domestic leagues, a priority since day one, has been accomplished by organising a multitude of clinics, workshops, summits, seminars, working groups and conferences. These together with academic offerings have always been dedicated to the same goal: training new professionals whilst elevating the prospects of those already working in the sports industry. Alumni in the first decade of the EBI Master have become professionals in a broad range of sporting companies, organisations and endeavours, including clubs, domestic leagues, Euroleague Basketball, FIBA, national federations, adidas, Nike, Microsoft, SAP, Vodafone, media outlets and marketing agencies.

"This new partnership is a major step forward in a project launched 10 years ago, whose next level will continue with Vytautas Magnus University. This one of many ways in which Euroleague Basketball gives back and reinvests in the basketball community," Mr. Bertomeu said. "I wish to thank Professor Augutis and all his colleagues at Vytautas Magnus University for their willingness to partner with Euroleague Basketball; Zalgiris Kaunas for their support and contribution to this project; as well as the city of Kaunas, where basketball is always of capital importance."

The Vytautas Magnus University Faculty of Economics and Management professors who will oversee the study programme of the Sports Business MBA have received international recognition for their excellence. Students will obtain both systemic understanding and working knowledge of all major areas of contemporary sports business and management: marketing, finance, media and communication, law, strategy and economics.

"VMU has always been a globally focused university and we are very glad that this has been recognised and appreciated by Euroleague Basketball, Europe’s top-level basketball competition organiser. For the last two years, the VMU Faculty of Economics and Management has been ranked among the 700 best business schools in the world. VMU is one of the leading Baltic universities in the field of internationality," Professor Augutis said.

VMU study programmes prepare specialists who are equipped with interdisciplinary knowledge and abilities, analytical and critical thinking, and capability to work in the international market, rather than narrowly specialised graduates who would only meet the short-term demands of today. Being a liberal arts university it provides an interdisciplinary education as well as competences that are important in the dynamic labour market.

The first edition of the MBA will last for 14 months, commencing in September 2017 and graduating in October 2018. Students completing the course will achieve 90 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System). The blended learning format will include four-week long in-person sessions on VMU's campus in Kaunas; Euroleague Basketball headquarters in Barcelona, Spain; full, behind-the-scenes immersion at one of the largest sports events in the world, the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in Belgrade, Serbia; before students return to the VMU campus to defend their final master thesis including Viva. The in-person sessions are combined with an e-learning platform that offers students maximum flexibility and sustained interaction with their professors.

Throughout their MBA training, students will hear from both academic and industry experts, with the latter of these representing companies and organisations at the forefront of the sports industry. Examples from the EBI Master in the past have included executives from adidas, Spalding, ESPN, IMG, NBA, New Era, Nike, Special Olympics, Turkish Airlines, Twitter and AEG, to name a few. The MBA will also feature guest academic teachers from elite European institutions to be announced soon. Pre-enrolment is scheduled to commence on April 12, 2017, when more information will be made available on www.euroleague.net

Sports Business MBA by EB Institute launched

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