Kenneth L. Shropshire

Professor Shropshire is the David W. Hauck Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Africana Studies. He previously served as Senior Advisor to Dean Erika James at the Wharton School focused on developing the Wharton Coalition for Equity & Opportunity. 

He returned to the Wharton School after serving from 2017-2022 as the CEO of the Global Sport Institute (GSI) and as the adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport at Arizona State University. He is a sports industry advisor, author, speaker, podcaster and lawyer. He is a principal in Maroon Sports Advisory Ltd., an independent sports advisory firm. 

Prior to launching the Global Sport Institute, he was completing a thirty-plus-year career as an endowed full professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative, Professor of Africana Studies, and Academic Director of Wharton’s sports-focused executive education programs. 

He attended Stanford on a football scholarship and graduated in 1977 with a degree in economics. After completing his third year at Stanford Law School, graduated from Columbia Law School in 1980. He has been a long-time member of the California Bar. Before beginning his career in the academy, he practiced law in Los Angeles and was later an executive with the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee.

Professor Shropshire has worked with numerous sports entities, from professional leagues to professional athletes. He currently shares his sports business expertise through his 12 books, podcasts, and other media. The breadth of his work has covered topics as wide ranging as stadium and arena construction, sponsorship valuation, inclusion issues, sports agents, boxing and sport for development. He also serves as an advisor and on public boards, including as Lead Director at Moelis & Company and a director at the Goal Acquisitions SPAC. His advisory clients have included the NFL, MLB, Overtime Elite, Altius Sports Partners, Arctos Sports Partners, the Fritz Pollard Alliance, USA Amateur Boxing Federation, USA Volleyball, US Soccer Federation and the USOPC. 

In 2023 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Stellenbosch University in South Africa, recognizing his lifetime achievements in studying and impacting sports.

Detailed background, including all books published, podcasts and past advisory roles can be found at www.kennethshropshire.com.