About

The Wharton Sports Business Academy (WSBA) is a three-week online summer program for rising high school juniors and seniors, sponsored by the Wharton Sports Analytics and Business Initiative (WSABI) at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Where the Wharton Moneyball Academy approaches sports through a quantitative, statistical lens, WSBA approaches it through the business disciplines — management, law, negotiation, marketing, labor relations, media, and social impact — making the two programs natural complements for students interested in different dimensions of the sports industry.

The curriculum examines how academic disciplines taught at Wharton apply directly to professional, intercollegiate, and Olympic sports enterprises. Live sessions run Monday through Friday, roughly 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern, combining current events discussions, faculty lectures, guest speaker sessions, small group work, and large group discussions. Guest speakers have included sports agents, broadcast network executives, league and team executives, and brand marketers. Students conclude the program by developing a business plan for a new sports-focused venture in small collaborative teams. The program is taught by Wharton-affiliated faculty and supported by Penn undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants who hold office hours throughout the three weeks.

Admission is selective, based on academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, and genuine interest in the sports industry. The application requires a transcript, two essays, and two letters of recommendation. Need-based scholarships are available. International students are explicitly welcome. Online program tuition is $4,799.

For a high schooler who wants to understand how professional sports organizations actually operate — how leagues are structured, how broadcast rights work, how labor negotiations unfold, how brands build athlete partnerships — WSBA is one of the most substantive programs available, taught by faculty who are actively shaping the academic field of sports business.