Rob DiGisi made his mark spearheading new initiatives and developing innovative marketing programs for professional sports leagues, start-ups and multi-billion dollar corporations.

He conveys his experience, passion and extensive knowledge of the sports industry to both undergraduate and MBA students at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and has been recognized with the undergraduate teaching excellence award, every year from 2019-20 through 2022-23.

Passionate, funny and authentic, Rob combines practical experience with cutting edge research to convey knowledge and provide insights. He facilitates a daily discussion on the strategic implications from the latest sports business current events, media deals, financial transactions, partnerships and other innovative ventures.

THE WHARTON SCHOOL

Rob applies his broad practical sports industry experience to today’s dynamic issues in the sports industry:

  • Team/League, Touring and Emerging League Business Models

  • Ownership, Franchise Valuation and Investment

  • Unions, Revenue Sharing and Competitive Balance

  • Traditional and Digital Media Strategies

  • Team-level Marketing and Media

  • Evolving Fan Behaviors/Interests 

  • Sports Gambling

  • Sponsorship 

  • Licensing and Merchandise

  • US Sports on the Global Stage

  • Intercollegiate Athletics

  • "Professor DiGisi is a fantastic teacher and keeps the students engaged. There are few classes that are full each day and have students constantly raising their hands to be involved in the course, but this was one of them. 10/10. Would definitely recommend. "

    Wharton MBA Student, Spring ‘23

  • "One of the things that set Professor DiGisi apart is his accessibility and genuine care for his students. He is always available to answer questions, provide guidance and offer valuable insights. He fosters a supportive and inclusive learning environment where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and ideas."

    Wharton MBA Student, Spring ‘22

  • "Professor DiGisi is a phenomenal professor who brings knowledge and experience to the classroom. His passion for sports business is contagious and his ability to engage and inspire students is remarkable. "

    Wharton MBA Student, Spring ‘22

  • "The course is extensive in its depth; it is entirely different in course material and skills than I have taken before, but it has been so rewarding feeling so knowledgeable on sports management. It has made me think about going into sports business, especially since Professor DiGisi is so engaging and brought in guest speakers that made the education more tangible. "

    Wharton Undergraduate Student, Spring ‘22

  • "Professor DiGisi is a passionate, communicative and exciting professor and you can tell that he really enjoys teaching this class. I thought that the course was designed impeccably well and really taught me a lot about the sports business industry. "

    Wharton Undergraduate Student, Spring ‘23

GUEST LECTURERS

A vital component of the course are the guest lectures delivered by leading industry executives. Students gain a deeper understanding of the concepts introduced in the classroom while also having the opportunity to establish a relationship with influential leaders.  Past guests include:

Robin Harris, Executive Director The Ivy League, May 2024

Amy Howe, CEO, FanDuel, January 2024

Tony Godsick, CEO TEAM8 and Steve Zacks, CEO Laver Cup, April 2023

Mike Whan, CEO United States Golf Association, April 2024

Sean Bratches, Former EVP ESPN and Formula 1, February 2024

Mike McCarley, CEO and Joey Brander, Head of Corporate Development, TMRW Sports, March 2023

Val Ackerman, Commissioner, The Big East Conference, April 2022

Annika Sorenstam, Pro Golf Hall of Famer, April 2022

Alec Scheiner, Isaac Halyard Red Bird Capital Partners February 2022

Lesley Visser, Hall of Fame Broadcaster April 2020

Paul Rabil, Founder and CSO, Premier Lacrosse League, October 2020

Mitch Modell, CEO Modell’s and Howard Eskine WYSP, Philadelphia, November 2019

Mike Davis, CEO, United States Golf Association, October 2019

Steve Phelps, President NASCAR, April 2019

Erika Nardini, CEO, Barstool Sports, April 2019

Harlan Stone, Sports Marketing Legend, March 2019

Diane Gotua, VP International Operations, National Basketball Association and Connor Ashton, Penn ‘22, March 2019

Scott O‘Neil, CEO Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, November 2018

David Levy, President, Turner Sports, October 2018

Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner, National Basketball Association, May 2018

Since 2018, speakers have included:

Spring 2024

  • Lydia Dubuisson, Research Consultant with SSRS/Luker on Trends

  • Lamar Cardinez, Principal, Blue Owl Capital

  • Sean Bratches, Former EVP, ESPN and Former Managing Director, Commercial Operations, Formula 1

  • Brian Monihan, Former President NBC Sports Philadelphia

  • Mike Whan, CEO, United States Golf Association

  • Lisa Piken Koper, SVP, Global Merchandising Partnerships, National Basketball Association

  • Jason Park, CFO, Draft Kings

  • Robin Harris, Executive Director, The Ivy League

  • Angus Mugford, SVP, Athlete Performance and Development, NJ Devils

Spring 2023

  • Joe Nasr and Zach Baran, Arctos Sports Partners

  • Sana Shuaib, SVP Commercial Services, Major League Soccer

  • Mike McCarley and Joey Brander, TMRW Sports

  • Dave Donovan, DKC Sports and Anthony Smith, SMAC- Entertainment

  • Malaika Underwood, CEO, One Team Partners

  • Scott Kaufman-Ross, SVP, Gaming and New Business Ventures, National Basketball Association

  • Tony Godsick, Team8 Sports & Entertainment and Steve Zacks, Laver Cup

  • Ben Mathan, Chief Strategy Officer, Learfield

Spring 2022

  • Alec Scheiner and Isaac Halyard Red Bird Capital Partners

  • Yang Adija, SVP Digital Business, Turner Sports

  • Lawrence Berger, Managing Parter, Ames Watson/Lids

  • Renie Anderson, CRO/EVP, NFL Partnerships

  • Val Ackerman, Commissioner, The Big East Conference

  • Annika Sorenstam, Pro Golf Hall of Famer

  • Charley Moore, Pro Golf Executive

  • Mike Hermalyn, SVP Business Development, Draft Kings

  • Jed Corenthal, CMO, Phenix Communications

Spring 2021

  • Sean Ward, Partner, Dyal Capital

  • Mike Reisman and Enrique Casanova, Sports Sponsorship Veterans

  • Jason Park, CFO, Draft Kings

  • Derek Eiler, EVP Fanatics College, Fanatics

  • LeslieAnne Wade, Founder, White Tee Partners

  • Chris Ripley, President, Sinclair Broadcasting Group

  • Jared Stacy, Head of Prime Video Live Sports Production, Amazon

  • Lesley Visser, Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer

Fall 2020 

  • Dave Sholler, EVP Communications, Philadelphia 76ers

  • Damon Phillips, President, NBC Sports Washington DC

  • Dan Cohen, EVP, Global Media Consulting, Octagon

  • Paul Rabil, Founder and CSO, Premier Lacrosse League

  • Julia Cheney, Corporate Consultant, CAA

  • Amanda Lamb, Global Marketing Director, Wilson Sporting Goods

  • Sara Slane, Principal, Slane Associates

  • Jenna Kurath, VP Head of SportsTech, Comcast

Spring 2020 

  • Diane Gotua, VP, NBA International Operations

  • Brian Monihan, President, NBC Sports Philadelphia

  • Bob O’Keefe, SVP/Merchandise Operations and E-commerce Strategy, Legends

  • Catherine Carlson, SVP Revenue and Strategy, Philadelphia Eagles

  • Rob McQueen, Head of Strategic Sponsorships and Partnerships, Verizon

  • Kelsey Taylor, W’14, Sports Manager, Twitter

  • Doug Vosik, SVP Marketing and Communications, Philadelphia Union

  • Ishveen Jolly, Founder and CEO, Open Sponsorship

Fall 2019

  • Seth Ladetsky, SVP, Head of Turner Sports Digital Sales & Strategy                                            

  • Daniel Kim, SVP Media Distribution & Strategy at NH

  • Mike Davis, CEO, United States Golf Association

  • Jackie Cuddebach, VP Marketing, Philadelphia Phillies

  • Ben Sutton, Founder of ISP Sports, IMG College and Venture Capitalist

  • Mitch Modell, CEO, Modell's Sporting Goods

  • Eliza Morris, SVP, Integrated Marketing, Octagon

  • Rhett Bolling, Speaker on Sales culture, talent and processes 

Spring 2019 

  • Amanda Herald, W’09 VP Media Strategy, National Football League

  • AJ Gloner, C’12, Sr. Manager, Media Analytics, National Football League

  • Kelsey Taylor, W’14, Manager Media Strategy, National Football League

  • Dan Sillman, President, Relevent Sports and International Champions Cup

  • Denis Nolan, Senior Vice President Global Consumer Products, Major League Baseball

  • Harlan Stone, Chairman, CSM North America

  • Bryan Duffy, President of Experiential Marketing, MKTG

  • Bill Schlough, W’98 SVP and Chief Information Officer, San Francisco Giants

  • Wayne Kimmel, Managing Partner, Seventy Six Capital Sports Tech

  • Erika Nardini, CEO, Barstool Sports

  • Fred Gambino, Director Strategy & Analytics, Philadelphia Flyers

Fall 2018

  • Mitchell Ziets W’84, President, Tipping Point Sports

  • Bryan Harris C’83, COO, Taylor PR Strategy

  • Sal LaRocca, President, Global Partnerships, National Basketball Association

  • Paul Bamundo, WG ’99, CMO, Ivy League Sports

  • Braden Moore, Senior Director Data & Analytics, Philadelphia 76ers

Spring 2018

  • Mitchell Ziets W’84, President, Tipping Point Sports

  • Scott Stanchak, VP Emerging Technology, National Basketball Association

  • Steve Griffith, President, Vizion Group Public Relations

  • Jon Last WG’91, President, Sports & Leisure Research Group

  • Bobby Sharma, Founder and CEO, Blue Devil Holdings.  Former Deputy G.C. for NBA

  • Dana Rosenberg, WG’04, Former VP Sports Partnerships for Starwood Hotels

  • Steve Scebelo, VP Licensing National Football League Players Association and President, REP Worldwide.

Sports President/CEO Speakers Series - The Wharton Sports Business Initiative 

  • Amy Howe, CEO Fan Duel

  • Brian Cooper, President & Chief Operating Officer of American Flag Football League

  • Joe Asher, CEO, William Hill U.S.

  • Michael Capiraso, CEO, President and Board Member, New York Road Runners Club

  • David Levy, President, Turner Broadcasting

  • Jon Litner, President, The YES Network

  • Steve Phelps, President, NASCAR

  • Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, National Basketball Association

Wharton Sports Business Summit

  • Andrew Sinnenberg, COO, Premier Lacrosse League

  • Kristen Dozier-Williams, Club Strategy & Operations, League One Volleyball

  • Nick Elam, Consultant, The Basketball Tournament

  • Britton Hardin, Director of Fighter Operations, Overtime Boxing

  • Scott O’Neil, CEO, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment

  • Chuck Baker, Co-Chair, Sports Industry Group at O'Melveny

  • Nick Kelly, Partnerships Beer Culture & Community, Anheuser Busch In-Bev

  • Mike Zacharias, VP of Sales Northeast Region, Anheuser-Busch InBev