St. Louis City SC and the Balance of Purpose and Performance
Sponsored by:
A Case on the Taylor Family and an MLS Strategy for a City
We are excited to invite you to join us at WashU’s Olin Business School for the 2024 Case Competition, Values and Data: St. Louis City SC, and the Balance of Purpose and Performance hosted by the Koch Center for Family Enterprise in St. Louis, Missouri.
The competition brings together family enterprises, sports, business, and entrepreneurial-minded students for a two-day event. The Taylor family is dedicated to putting St. Louis back on the international map as both the soccer capital of the United States and a sought-after home. Building a stadium and professional sports franchise that contributes to the economic development of a city is no easy feat. So much success has been achieved in this first season, but how can it be sustained?
The competition is open to both graduate and undergraduate students in any program of study. Each team is composed of four presenters. Teams must register as either graduate or undergraduate only, the teams cannot include both. Students participating on a team must be enrolled in their respective programs through the Spring 2024 semester.
Awards Per Team
Graduate Teams
1st Prize: $7,500
2nd Prize: $5,000
3rd Prize: $2,500
Undergraduate Teams
1st Prize: $5,000
2nd Prize: $2,500
3rd Prize: $1,500
Cash prizes will be paid to the winning teams’ schools for distribution by the students’ home institute.
Key Dates
Registration Opens: September 18, 2023
Teams must submit a completed registration and a $200 nonrefundable registration fee (per team) to participate in the competition.
Registration Closes: Extended to October 23, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. CST
Case Distribution: October 18, 2023
Registered teams will receive access to an interactive experience online.
Qualifying Round: November 17, 2023
Each team will be required to submit a short write-up (limit to 3 pages single space + appendices) by 11:59 p.m. CST on the due date, outlining how you think the Taylor family should allocate resources in the next 5 years to best balance 1) performance on the pitch, 2) financial return on investment, and 3) development of the broader region, both culturally and economically. In making your case, be sure to draw upon both quantitative information and the core values of the ownership group and impacted stakeholders. A panel of judges will select the advancing teams. Five graduate teams and five undergraduate teams will advance to the final round of the competition.
Preliminaries: December 18, 2023
The five selected graduate and five selected undergraduate teams will receive notification and advance to the finals. The finals are in person; teams not willing to travel to Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri will be disqualified. A team’s commitment to travel must be established within two weeks of the final five in both graduate and undergraduate.
Finals: February 9, 2024
Selected teams will travel to St. Louis to present in person to a panel of judges, including the Taylor Family. Each team will receive two complimentary double-occupancy rooms at the Meridian in Clayton for a two-night stay (February 8-9, 2024) and some meals.
