Kenneth L. Shropshire

Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr. The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports (Wharton Digital Press, 2017)

Abstract: The student-athlete’s life: practice, gym, weight room, film review, repeat. Simply put, sports come first. Academics is a distant second. As the revenues generated by big-time college sports continue to skyrocket, virtually all of the debate involves whether (and how much) student-athletes should be paid for play. Kenneth L. Shropshire and Collin D. Williams, Jr., argue that “student” has to come first in student-athlete: the focus should be on prioritizing a meaningful education. In The Miseducation of the Student Athlete: How to Fix College Sports, Shropshire and Williams draw on new research to reveal that it has become increasingly difficult for college athletes to balance school and sports, much less a social life, leading to serious economic, professional, and emotional consequences for young people. Given that fewer than 2% of all college men’s basketball and football players will play at the professional level, the other 98% of student-athletes must be prepared to find and perform well in jobs outside of their respective field of play. In this bold call to action, Shropshire and Williams explain how we got here and what can be done about it. They lay out The Student-Athlete Manifesto, a roadmap to increase the likelihood that student-athletes can succeed both on and off the field. They also offer a Meaningful Degree Model, which ensures education pays for everyone, along with stories of success that show it is possible to be both a student and an athlete. A critical read for student-athletes, sports leadership, policy makers, and anyone who loves college sports, The Miseducation of the Student Athlete has the potential to disrupt college sport and create lasting change.

Kenneth L. Shropshire and T. Davis, The Business of Sports Agents 3rd ed (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016)

Abstract: Successful sports agents are comfortable with high finance and intense competition for the right to represent talented players, and the most respected agents are those who can deal with the pressures of high-stakes negotiations in an honest fashion. But whereas rules and penalties govern the playing field, there are far fewer restrictions on agents. In The Business of Sports Agents, Kenneth L. Shropshire, Timothy Davis, and N. Jeremi Duru, experts in the fields of sports business and law, examine the history of the sports agent business and the rules and laws developed to regulate the profession. They also consider recommendations for reform, including uniform laws that would apply to all agents, redefining amateurism in college sports, and stiffening requirements for licensing agents. This revised and expanded third edition brings the volume up to date on recent changes in the industry, including: —the emergence and dominance of companies such as Creative Artists Agency and Wasserman Media Group —high-profile cases of agent misconduct, principally Josh Luchs, whose agent certification was revoked by the NFLPA —legal challenges against the NCAA that may fundamentally change the definition of amateurism —changes to agent regulations resulting from new collective bargaining agreements in all of the major professional sports —evaluation of the effectiveness of the Uniform Athlete Agents Act (2000) to regulate agent conduct —issues faced by the increasing number of agents representing athletes who work abroad as well as athletes from abroad who work in the United States. Whether aspiring sports agent, lawyer, athlete seeking an agent, or simply interested in understanding the world of sports representation, the reader will find in The Business of Sports Agents the most comprehensive overview of the industry as well as a straightforward analysis of its problems and proposed solutions.

Kenneth L. Shropshire, Sport Matters: Leadership, Power, and the Quest for Respect in Sports (Wharton Digital Press, 2015)

S. Rosner and Kenneth L. Shropshire, The Business of Sports 2nd ed (2010)

Abstract: A collection of sports business readings. Edited with Scott Rosner.

Kenneth L. Shropshire, Negotiate Like the Pros: A Master Sports Negotiators Lessons for Making Deals, Building Relationships and Getting what you Want (2009)

Kenneth L. Shropshire, Being Sugar Ray: The Life of Sugar Ray Robinson, America’s Greatest Boxer and the First Celebrity Athlete (2007)

Abstract: A biographical study of the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. That life serves as a prism to view modern-day athletes and the business of sport.

Kenneth L. Shropshire and T. Boyd, Basketball Jones: America Above the Rim (2000)