HBS + NFL

My alma mater is going to be working with the NFL to start an educational program for NFL players who are interested in making the transition to the business world.

While many people might think that Harvard and the NFL wouldn’t mix well, the B-school actually is home to a lot of former athletes. For example, Olympic Silver medalist Paul Wylie was in my class. Our class also had a fair number of former Division 1 college athletes. One of my fondest memories is when I and a number of normal pickup ball players actually managed to win a game against a team of former D1 players. It was definitely a fluke.

It turns out that many of the characteristics that help people excel at sports–dedication, focus, coachability, teamwork–translate to the business world. Athletes just need the right toolkit and education to direct those talents.

On a wider note, I think that many people would benefit from a brief business school education. So many people (especially politicians) seem to have no concept of basic business concepts like supply and demand. Does anyone know of any e-learning initiatives that can provide a basic business education in the course of, say, 8 hours?