For most international founders, college sport is the least familiar part of the American sports market. In much of the world, young athletes develop in professional club academies. In the U.S., many of them develop at universities, in front of crowds that can rival professional leagues.
That makes athletic departments serious buyers of technology, with their own budgets, facilities and fan bases. It also makes them different from the clubs most international companies know.
Three things to understand first
The landscape is changing fast. Rules on how athletes can earn from their name, image and likeness have changed how departments recruit, communicate and raise money.
Every department is its own customer. Conferences set the frame, but buying decisions sit with each university.
The calendar decides. Seasons, recruiting cycles and budget years shape when a pitch can land.
Learn more
Our executive programs cover the structure of American sport in depth, and our podcast, College Sports by Foreign Dummies, explains it one episode at a time.
