Gerard Pique made his debut this week as an invited professor at Harvard University in Boston, where he analyzed the Kings League phenomenon in a case study as part of a sports business assignment for his MBA at that university. Piquet was invited by the course director Entertainment, media and sports businessAnita Elbers, who in collaboration with Spanish researcher David Moreno, planned a case study for her students on the launch of the Kings League and how it could revolutionize football fandom.
Specifically, the former Catalan footballer took the same course in a short, four-day format at Harvard University in 2017, also taught by Professor Elbers. Other personalities, such as actress Katie Holmes and athlete Pau Gasol, have also studied these studies. Classes focused on how the Kings League has become one of today’s sports entertainment products through its original social media narrative, transcendent competition format, strong community connection, and exposure to multiple media outlets.
The competition founded by the former Barcelona footballer continued its competitions on January 1, 2023, and expanded with men’s and women’s leagues in Spain and Mexico, in addition to men’s leagues in Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, the Middle East and North Africa, and soon in the United States. The soccer 7 competition on artificial ice has reached its first full exercise with sales of 20 million euros, according to sports business financing portal Palco23.
“It is an honor to have the Kings League analyzed by an institution as respected as Harvard Business School,” Pique said. “The study confirms the impact of our work.” Many students wore FC Barcelona shirts in the photo that all students missed with Pique at the end of class.