HUSL Launches Inaugural Event - “Business off the Court” with The Boston Celtics
Harvard College classmates, Ayah Al-Zubi ‘23 and Tai Tatum ‘24, founded the Harvard Undergraduate Sports Lab (HUSL). For the inaugural club event, they brought 150+ members to the Boston Celtics’ Auerbach Center for a panel discussion and tour of the facility.
Tatum kicked off the discussion by introducing HUSL’s three goals— exposing members to opportunities in sports business, creating a sports scholars program focused on research and innovation in sports technology, and leveraging sports as a platform for social change.
Wycliffe “Wyc” Grousbeck and Stephen Pagliuca, co-owners of the Boston Celtics, gave an overview of the organization and career advice for those seeking a career in sports. They also emphasized the importance of giving back and positively impacting the lives of others. Celtics Front Office Executives Brad Stevens and Mike Zarren, President and Vice President of Basketball Operations respectively, gave an overview of Celtics basketball operations.
Tatum then led a fireside chat with Glenn Hutchins, AB ‘77, MBA ‘83, JD ‘84. Hutchins, who sits on the Boston Celtics ownership committee, emphasized the importance of investing in businesses that you have a passion for. Hutchins also endowed the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University, increasing public awareness and understanding of this vital field of study both at Harvard and beyond.
Al-Zubi then introduced the executive panel discussion: Allison S. Feaster ’98, Vice President of Player Development at the Boston Celtics; Grant Williams, Boston Celtics power forward and Vice President of the National Basketball Players Association; Mark A. Tatum, NBA Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Commissioner; Richard Gotham, President of the Boston Celtics; and moderator Anita Elberse, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.
The panelists covered a range of exciting and insightful topics including the biggest opportunities and challenges for the NBA season, the importance of players finding their passion off the court, and how the league is enriched through off-court dialogue and intellectual capital and contributions. The panel also talked about the success of the Boston Celtics United for Social Justice Initiative, and their multi-focus commitment to addressing racial injustice and social inequities in the Greater Boston area. The event ended with a tour of the state of the art facility.
“The evening was not only an opportunity for students to learn about the business of sports with renowned leaders, but also a powerful reminder that sports have the ability to bring people together and make positive change,” said Al-Zubi.
“HUSL is rapidly growing and generating interest across the campus,” said Tatum. “The upcoming programming is exciting and will include both an on and off campus speaker series with sports legends, a campus wide ping pong tournament for charity, the launch of the HUSL Sports Scholars Fellowship for sports technology innovation, and our first ever sports business conference and career fair.”
The founders are committed to creating a long lasting impact at Harvard and beyond in the field of sports.
Learn more about the Harvard University Sports Lab Here or email harvardsportslab@gmail.com. Photography by Dylan Goodman.
