Ed McGuire
Vice President of Football Operations for the San Diego Chargers
In what is becoming an annual treat for the students in San Diego State University’s Sports Business Management MBA program, Ed McGuire, Vice President of Football Operations for the San Diego Chargers, agreed to return to the Sports MBA classroom on Tuesday, August 7, 2006, for an open discussion with the second cohort of students.
Mr. McGuire began his presentation by congratulating the students on making what he believes to be the right decision for their careers. As detailed in the recap of his 2005 visit, Mr. McGuire traveled the same road that the students have put themselves on and will have to navigate in order to reach their career dreams.
His journey began in 1984 when he graduated from St. John’s University with the dream of leveraging his athletics administration degree to break into football operations for the NFL. After several years marketing the United States Football League and conducting player-personnel analysis for the NFL, the low starting pay and long hours, coupled with the obligations of supporting a family, weighed on Mr. McGuire to the point where he decided to pursue the more “financially rewarding” career of selling mutual funds and life insurance. While he enjoyed these greater financial rewards, Mr. McGuire explained how the lack of emotional reward eventually drove him back to the NFL with a better appreciation for what it means to have the opportunity to work in the field of your passion. His honest discussion of the realities of the sports industry helped the students put into perspective the decision that they’ve made to pursue their passion for sport. He reminded the students that the journey may start out rough, but it’s the destination that counts!
Building on what the students learned about the history of Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA’s) in professional sport from Professor Scott Rosner, and the collective bargaining process from Professor Gangaram Singh, Mr. McGuire then discussed with the students the evolution of the NFL’s most recent six-year extension of their CBA. He detailed the pros and cons of the agreement for both the league and the players, and why it was important for the NFL to concede as much as they did to the Players Association in this CBA. He provided handouts to the students that highlighted the key points of the new agreement, and walked the students through a scenario of how these changes impact strategic decisions made by the San Diego Chargers.
Mr. McGuire finished his visit to the class with a discussion about the nuances of running a professional football franchise, and the issues that have to be considered when conducting salary negotiations and making contract offers. He highlighted the increased use of roster bonuses instead of signing bonuses as one example of how certain teams have better managed their salary cap, and then opened the floor to the students for questions.
The opportunity to gain Ed McGuire’s insight into NFL operations, and the path that lead him to his current position, is one that the Sports MBA students truly valued. The students and staff of SDSU’s Sports Business Management MBA program wish to thank Ed McGuire for sharing his knowledge and experience as a sports business professional, and we look forward to continuing this relationship into the future.
|
