Think Terrell Owens was a pioneer in trying to make himself larger than life and command lots of the money in the process? How about Shaq? Think again!

Come join us in welcoming one of the the country's premier negotiation and sports law experts, Wharton Professor Ken Shropshire, as he shares his latest insights surrounding the business of sports. He will cover a wide range of topics from the economics of the sports industry today to his new book, Being Sugar Ray: The Life of Sugar Ray Robinson, America's Greatest Boxer and First Celebrity Athlete. Shropshire will talk about the rise of the celebrity athlete and the implications for sports and society as a whole. His focus is on Sugar Ray Robinson--the greatest and most influential American boxer of all time. Fighters (and the occasional alt-rock band) have been adopting his name, and trying to imitate his inimitable fighting style for decades.

Sugar Ray Robinson transcended race and sport to become a celebrity athlete in a way that no one--white or black--had accomplished before him. From his business empire to his prized flamingo pink Cadillac, described as the Hope Diamond of Harlem, Professor Shropshire will talk about how Sugar Ray was the trailblazer whom every athlete since has been trying--consciously or otherwise--to emulate.

Register online

Date: Thursday, October 19th, 11:45am - 1:00pm
Location: (Note the CHANGE OF LOCATION!) Goldman Sachs, 555 California, 42nd Floor, San Francisco, CA
Event Fee: $15 per registered person. Ticket price includes lunch and soft drink.
Registration deadline: Wednesday, October 18th, 5:00pm or as long as seats are still available; seating will be limited for this event--register early to reserve your seat(s). The WCNC's standard cancellation policy applies for this event.

Prof. Ken Shropshire
Ken Shropshire, the David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, is the author of several award-winning books such as The Business of Sports, The Business of Sports Agents, The Sports Franchise Game, In Black and White, Sports and the Law, and Basketball Jones. His expert views have been presented in Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, National Public Radio, and Nightline.

A Stanford and Columbia Law graduate, Shropshire previously worked in private law practice and as an executive with the LA Olympic Organizing Committee. He is also the Director of the Wharton Sports Business Initiative. In conjunction with the School's executive education division they hosted 36 NFL athletes, including Drew Brees, Ahman Green, Takeo Spikes and Troy Vincent, in a business program focusing on issues to aid them in transitioning out of the game and into the business world.