Sports Business Classroom

What Sports Business Classroom does

Sports Business Classroom is a privately held sports business education company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. It delivers immersive training programs and on-demand educational content focused on the business of basketball, with its flagship offering being the Business of Basketball Immersive Experience, a week-long in-person program held annually during NBA Summer League (July 12-18) at the Thomas & Mack Center and Virgin Hotel. A secondary All-Star Intensive runs during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, with a third program planned for Phoenix in 2027. Each cohort comprises approximately 140 students who select among three specialization tracks (Athlete Representation/League Salary Cap, Scouting/Video/Analytics, and Media & Broadcast) and participate in hands-on projects including a mock trade deadline simulation judged by league executives.

The company's instructional core is anchored by co-founders Warren LeGarie (NBA Summer League co-founder and Executive Director) and Albert Hall (NBA Summer League co-founder and HallPass Media president), with Bobby Marks, ESPN's NBA Front Office Insider and former Brooklyn Nets Assistant General Manager, serving as Lead Instructor. The curriculum is supplemented by industry figures including Larry Coon (NBA Salary Cap FAQ author). SBC distributes a portfolio of supporting products: video-on-demand courses (CBA Mastery with Bobby Marks, 2023 CBA Updates), live and recorded webinars, the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience podcast (127+ episodes), and freemium CBA reference materials including the CBA 101 Cheat Sheet and CBA Impact Transactions guide. The company also maintains regularly updated trackers (NBA Apron Tracker, Luxury Tax Tracker, Available Cash in Trade), NBA Summer League coverage hub, and alumni-authored scouting reports.

SBC operates a direct-to-consumer, tuition-based revenue model with limited-cohort, event-driven enrollment. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; programs have application/acceptance processes and are reported to sell out. The company has no public revenue disclosure, no disclosed outside funding, and is classified as a 51-100 employee private for-profit entity. Alumni outcomes are a primary credibility asset, with graduates placed at 30+ NBA teams including the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs, and the program notably supplied all five contestants on NBA TV's GM School Season 2 (won by 2018 alumna Calida Taylor). Geographic footprint is USA-based with global student reach, and distribution is solely through direct website registration with no third-party channel partners.

Name

Sports Business Classroom

Legal name

Sports Business Classroom

Website

https://sportsbusinessclassroom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Business Education & Training

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Media, Entertainment & Sports (EDABALAS)

Keywords

• Sports business education
• NBA training programs
• Basketball industry courses
• Salary cap training
• Sports career programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Immersive Program Tuition: Fee-based educational programs including the Business of Basketball Immersive Experience (Las Vegas, July 12-18 annually) and All-Star Intensive (Los Angeles during NBA All-Star Weekend). Programs feature limited capacity with application process and sell out. Pricing not publicly disclosed.
2. Video On-Demand Courses: Pre-recorded educational content including CBA Mastery with Bobby Marks available for purchase. Standalone courses and updated CBA guides.
3. CBA Resources & Guides: Free and premium CBA reference materials including the CBA 101 Cheat Sheet (free download) and CBA Impact Transactions guide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sports Business Classroom delivers immersive, in-person educational programs that teach the business of basketball, with the flagship Business of Basketball Immersive Experience held during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas and the All-Star Intensive during NBA All-Star Weekend. Instruction covers the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary cap and luxury tax mechanics, scouting, video, analytics, media/broadcast, and basketball operations, with hands-on projects such as a mock trade deadline judged by league executives. Supporting paid and free digital content — video-on-demand courses, webinars, downloadable CBA guides, a podcast, and team payroll trackers — extends the curriculum beyond the live programs.

Product overview

Sports Business Classroom offers a portfolio of educational products centered around the Business of Basketball Immersive Experience, a flagship in-person program held during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Supporting the core program are video-on-demand courses (CBA Mastery with Bobby Marks, 2023 CBA Updates), free downloadable guides (CBA 101 Cheat Sheet, CBA Impact Transactions), and live webinars. The company also produces the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience podcast and maintains free content channels including the NBA Summer League Central hub, apron and luxury tax trackers, draft watch scouting reports, and the alumni-authored blog. A student-created resource, No Trade Clause, provides comprehensive NBA transaction and salary cap data. The architecture is platform-plus-modules: the in-person Immersive Experience is the primary revenue product, supplemented by digital content products that serve both program participants and the broader basketball industry audience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business of Basketball Immersive Experience (Las Vegas) Week-long in-person immersive program held during NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, offering specialization tracks in Athlete Representation, League Salary Cap, Scouting/Video/Analytics, and Media & Broadcast, with hands-on projects including a mock trade deadline judged by NBA executives. Designed for individuals aspiring to careers in NBA front offices, basketball operations, scouting, analytics, media, and player representation.
• All-Star Intensive (Los Angeles) Premium concentrated in-person program held during NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles (with a planned 2027 Phoenix expansion), offering condensed Sports Business Classroom curriculum and networking opportunities during the All-Star event. Designed for aspiring basketball industry professionals seeking an immersive learning experience tied to the NBA All-Star calendar.
• Video-on-Demand: CBA Mastery with Bobby Marks On-demand video course providing comprehensive NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement mastery instruction from ESPN NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks. Designed for individuals seeking structured CBA training outside the immersive in-person programs.
• Video-on-Demand: 2023 CBA Updates with Bobby Marks On-demand video course covering the latest 2023 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement updates and their implications, delivered by Bobby Marks. Designed for professionals needing current CBA knowledge.
• Webinars Live and on-demand webinar sessions featuring NBA front office professionals discussing topics such as offseason roster planning, NBA Draft preparation, and program curriculum overview. Designed for aspiring basketball industry professionals seeking exposure to working NBA executives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alumni placed at 30+ NBA teams including Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, LA Clippers, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, and more
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NBA Summer League / VSL PropertiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSports Business Classroom co-founders Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall are principals in VSL Properties, LLC and the Executive Director and Co-founder of the NBA Summer League respectively. The immersive program is conducted in partnership with the Summer League ecosystem at Thomas & Mack Center.
• NBA TV / SAP (GM School)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBA TV's GM School Powered by SAP sources talent from Sports Business Classroom. All five contestants in Season 2 were SBC alumni, with 2018 alumna Calida Taylor winning the competition. GM School is an analytics competition for NBA fans to showcase front office skills.
• Chris Paul Family FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Chris Paul Family Foundation provided a scholarship for Faith LeMelle to attend Sports Business Classroom, demonstrating scholarship and diversity support programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sports Management Worldwide (SMWW): Online sports management and sports business education provider offering courses and certificates in sports administration, agent, and front-office topics. Closest direct peer given the shared niche of paid sports-business training and credentialing for aspiring sports industry professionals.
• Game Plan: Career development platform built for athletes and sports professionals, combining education, networking, and job placement. Highly comparable on the 'sports-career training + community + outcomes' axis, even if its customer base skews to current and former athletes.

Broad incumbents

• NYU Tisch Institute for Sports Management: Established graduate program producing sports business talent for leagues, teams, and agencies. Competes for the same candidate pool and provides a more credentialed pathway, representing an institutional incumbent alternative to SBC's immersive short-format model.
• Syracuse University Sport Management: Top-ranked undergraduate and graduate sport management program that funnels graduates into NBA, NFL, and MLB front offices. A longstanding institutional competitor for aspiring sports business candidates.
• Temple University School of Sport, Tourism & Hospitality Management: Major sport management program with deep alumni placement across pro sports leagues. Represents the academic degree-track alternative to SBC's short-course model for the same target candidate.

Emerging players

• Front Office Sports: Media and community platform covering the business of sports with events and content targeted at sports business professionals. Comparable as a content-and-community funnel into the same audience SBC serves, though not a paid training provider.

Others

• Wasserman: Global sports marketing, talent representation, and consulting agency. Adjacent rather than directly competitive — Wasserman hires from the same talent pool that SBC trains and is a frequent employer of SBC alumni.
• Excel Sports Management: Boutique sports agency representing athletes and broadcasters. Adjacent ecosystem participant that absorbs SBC graduates into agent and broadcast careers and occasionally participates in curriculum delivery.
• General Assembly: Operator of short-format, premium-priced bootcamps and certificate programs across business, data, and tech. Comparable on the immersive, application-based, premium-tuition education business model, though in non-sports verticals.

Regional players

• NBA Academy: NBA-operated global network of elite basketball development academies combining on-court training with educational programming. While focused on player rather than front-office development, it represents the NBA ecosystem's own competing education platform with similar league affiliation advantages.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SportsBizClass
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVEUI4hRTSi7n6AdAjMlnkQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportsbusinessclassroom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sports-business-classroom
• Instagraminstagram.com/SportsBusinessClassroom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sports Business Classroom