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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2019 (Revised February 2020)

  World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.

  Anita Elberse and Melissa Rodman

  World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE) develops and presents scripted hero-versus-villain storylines featuring its wrestlers at hundreds of live events—on several weekly television shows, on its own over-the-top streaming service, and on social media—to millions of fans around the globe. In January 2018, buoyed by the $800-million-dollar company’s strong prospects for further growth, WWE’s chief brand officer Stephanie McMahon and her husband, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, a WWE wrestler who also serves as the company’s executive vice president of talent, live events, and creative, are discussing whether to add Ronda Rousey, who has made a name for herself as a judoka at the Olympics and as a mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), to WWE’s roster. Should WWE try to sign Rousey, and, if so, what kind of offer makes the most sense? And is WWE well positioned for further success in the world of entertainment?

  Keywords: superstars; Talent; talent development; labor economics; general management; Entertainment; Sports; Media; Talent and Talent Management; Contracts; Marketing; Strategy;

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, and Melissa Rodman. "World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc." Harvard Business School Case 519-058, January 2019. (Revised February 2020.)  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | January 2020

  Ninja: Which Platform Wins Esports’ Biggest Star?

  Anita Elberse and Michal T. Leszczynski

  It is July 2019, and the business of esports and gaming is booming. Tyler Blevins—better known as Ninja—has risen to stardom playing the immensely popular shooter game Fortnite. He has become the most followed streamer in the world and, helped by his management company Loaded (a division of esports technology and services company Popdog), has become the first esports player to cross over into the mainstream. So far, Ninja has worked with Twitch, owned by Amazon, as his exclusive partner for live streams. However, with that contract coming up for renewal in the next month, other platforms were hoping to lure Ninja away. Mixer, a much smaller service owned by Microsoft, was leading the charge. Leaving Twitch would come at a significant risk: the few star gamers who had attempted to switch platforms in the past had failed to convince most of their followers to come along, and had quickly seen their hold on the market disappear. But Mixer was a promising alternative. How should Ninja approach the choice between platforms? Was it time to leave Twitch and jump to a different platform? And how could Ninja best position himself for long-term success?

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita, and Michal T. Leszczynski. "Ninja: Which Platform Wins Esports’ Biggest Star?" Harvard Business School Case 520-036, January 2020.  View Details

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• Teaching Plan | HBS Case Collection | January 2020

  Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game (Video Playlist)

  Anita Elberse

  Citation:

  Elberse, Anita. "Nike: Changing the Sneakers Game (Video Playlist)." Harvard Business School Teaching Plan 520-062, January 2020.  View Details

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