Molly H
- Research Program Mentor
MBA at University of Notre Dame
Expertise
Marketing, economics, business analytics, sports analytics, consulting, pricing, sports market analysis
Bio
Molly is an economics major with an MBA dedicated to using theory and critical thinking to derive creative solutions to real-world problems. She found a home in economics because of the mix of theory and quantitative analysis, and she has been able to apply economic principles in her career in business. Molly has always valued the "why" behind the numbers - something that drove her academically and continues to drive her professionally. Molly's primary interest lies in the sports industry, particularly in the business behind sports but also in sports performance. She was an athlete growing up and played Division I Soccer in college, but she really is a fan of all sports and follows them all closely. In her free time, Molly enjoys watching sports, cooking, and spending time with her friends.Project ideas
Marketing to Free Agents
One project idea that I have had since writing my senior thesis involves combining the business and performance side of sports. When a player hits free agency in any sport, teams and General Managers across the league throw money at the player in hopes that he or she will sign with their team. However, choosing a new team is a life-altering decision that incorporates more than just salary as we have seen all too often. The goal of this research would be to derive a sales and marketing strategy with which General Managers can approach free agents. Through determining which factors - including salary, city quality, cost of living, team quality, etc. - move the needle most for players, this strategy could effectively help teams market themselves to free agents and increase the likelihood of not only signing their desired players, but potentially signing them for a discounted price.
Roster Optimization Under a Salary Cap
For teams competing in leagues in which they face a salary cap, the proper allocation of the cap is crucial to both short-term and long-term team success. Historically, teams have tried to assign value to performance, with statistics like points, playing time, and age playing large roles in contract value. This project would focus on the ideal distribution of value and performance throughout the lineup of championship-winning teams. By applying macroeconomic wealth distribution principles, this project would identify the ideal distribution of a number of factors, including salary cap, goals, points, and playing time.