On Red Wednesday, Alumni Leaders Talk to Students About Opportunities in Sports

The highly anticipated kickoff to the NFL season comes Thursday, with Chiefs fans focused on that night’s game against the rival Baltimore Ravens.

But two employees of the teams' front offices, both alumni, called a temporary truce of sorts on Wednesday at the Business of the NFL event to talk to students, faculty and staff on the Rockhurst University campus about the business of football, discussing everything from the way that analytics are changing the game and fan experience to ways to break into the sports business, to — of course — the impact of Taylor Swift on the Kingdom.

Michael Ragsdale, ’07, ’09 MBA, vice president of finance, strategy and analytics for the Kansas City Chiefs, was a soccer player at Rockhurst, an experience that he said he believes gave him a competitive edge. Ragsdale said his career with the team started with as an accountant focused on helping with a renovation happening at that time. Asking to take on additional duties eventually led to new positions in financial planning and leading analytics for the organization.

“I think it’s really helpful being a student-athlete in terms of just your work ethic,” he said. “If you’re participating in sports here, there's a lot to do, in terms of practice and then going to have a full school load, on a daily basis.”

Jeff Goering, ’91, chief financial officer for the Baltimore Ravens and also a former student-athlete at Rockhurst, said those in the audience, particularly the student-athletes, should be prepared to change and adapt.

“Eventually, the career comes to an end,” he said, “and you’ve got to reinvent yourself, really, and then you’re ready for the next step in life.”

The discussion touched on the growing the NFL fanbase internationally, the future of streaming versus traditional TV,  the use of data and artificial intelligence beyond performance insights for players, and even the impact of Taylor Swift on the Chiefs from a business perspective.

“Fifty-five percent of all of those new fans are actually female,” Ragsdale said. “Which is impressive. It obviously doesn't match up with kind of what it has been historically, which I think is great.”

Turning their attention toward the on-field activitites, the two discussed what they thought made their respective coaches, Andy Reid and John Harbaugh, so successful. Goering said he believes Harbaugh’s ability to lead comes down to his willingness to not cast blame, his conviction in his faith and his belief that the team succeeds and fails together.

“His big theme was the team, the team, the team,” he said. “He’s definitely a guy who leads by making sure that everybody is working together.”

For Reid, Ragsdale said the coach is skilled at delivering a rallying message that extends beyond the players and can motivate the entire organization for success.

“I think that shows his leadership and his ability to bring everybody together for kind of one common goal,” he said. “It doesn't hurt to have Patrick Mahomes.”