Class: Socio-Economics of Sports (BVR-X)
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Teacher: Kader Adjout
The BVR-X class Socio-Economics of Sports was visited by Nat Brown ’15 this week, bringing a greater depth to an ongoing conversation in the class around the role and influence of money in sports. Nat–an alum of Beaver and son of Upper School Director Lisa Brown–shared how his life-long passion for sports led him to create and code a model that could generate profitable bets on various sports.
Brown started his visit to the class by getting students invested in a virtual 100 yard rush football simulation. After assigning each student a player, the class watched as their players stormed across the screen and secured a final placement. The results were entirely random, but the activity showcased to students how easy it is to get swept up in the excitement of holding stakes in a game’s particular outcome.
The presentation about sports betting covered various aspects of the industry such as the changing legality of sports betting in the U.S., current business models employed by companies such as BetMGM and DraftKings, and the overwhelming advantages Vegas experts wield in sports betting. Brown outlined how sports betting appeals to consumers and the multitude of economic dangers that can result from betting irresponsibility.
Brown’s visit comes as students–who are co-designing the curriculum for the course–are engaging in conversations around what topics they wish to explore. From contracts to branding to betting to sportswashing, each student is approaching the class with a different set of interests. Brown’s visit not only highlighted the real-world implications of these interests, it also inspired a few more questions.
What does being a skilled gambler look like?
Do people bet on things like Taylor Swift showing up to a game?
What sort of legislating should we bring in around sports betting to protect consumers?
Students will have an opportunity to dive deeper into these questions in an upcoming research project about money in sports.
More about this course: Sports are everywhere! We love and support our teams. But what role do sports play in society and how do they influence it? Sports teams generate billions of dollars every year, and sports events gather huge crowds in celebration akin to religious rituals. This BVR-X course will look into the workings of different sports; their teams; their business models; their impact on society and how sports have reacted to societal changes and political movements. Part of this class will include meeting with sports experts, athletes, and investors to get an authentic understanding of their perspectives. To connect the theory to its reality, this course will also involve organizing and participating in different sports tournaments, and attending and/or watching some sports games throughout the term to learn more about sports rules and practices.