The Beautiful Business, Part 3: Win or Go Down
Continuing the 10-part series on the business of global football by examining relegation
How Far Can the U.S. Men’s National Team Go? What the Data Says About Hosting a World Cup
In 96 years of World Cup soccer, the United States has never made anyone outside its own borders use those words. "Win the World Cup" is not a phrase that has historically lived in the same paragraph as "USMNT." It does now.
The Beautiful Business, Part 2: Why Every Footballer Plays for Two Teams
The next in 10-part series on the business of global football examines the club-vs.-country scenario.
The Beautiful Business, Part 1: How Global Football Is Governed
Debut of a 10-part World Cup guide to the business of global football from Samford University's Sports Industry Program.
World Cup Another Tipping Point for U.S. Soccer: Q&A with Darin White
Darin White, founder of Samford University’s Sports Industry Program, is a former collegiate player and coach who offers perspective on the Americans' attempts to finally become a soccer power:
The Pep Problem
What 12 Years of Premier League Data Says About Possession Soccer Ahead of the 2026 World Cup
The 2026 USMNT Is the Best American Soccer Team in History. It Still Isn't Good Enough.
In Manhattan, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino unveiled the 26-man roster that will represent the United States at a home World Cup for the first time in 32 years. The question every American fan should be asking now that this roster is set is also the question this article exists to answer: is this team good enough?
Sports Business Students Present to International Professional Sports Clubs
Students from Samford University’s Brock School of Business traveled across Europe in May, presenting major sports business consulting projects to three professional clubs in three countries.
2026 World Cup Study: What Will It Actually Take to Make Soccer Mainstream in America?
For decades, the sports industry has grappled with a persistent question: Despite hundreds of millions of dollars and multiple World Cups on American soil, why hasn't soccer achieved mainstream status in the United States and what will it actually take to make that happen?
Samford Sports Industry Program Expands Reach with Scottish Soccer Partnership
Sterling Nabours, a junior sports marketing and data analytics student in Samford University’s Sports Industry Program is gaining international experience with St Johnstone FC, a professional football club in Scotland’s Championship division.
America's Soccer Revolution: 5 Viewing Trends Poised to Make World Cup 2026 a True Watershed Moment
It's 6:45 AM on a Saturday in Chicago, and 22-year-old Alex Taylor is already awake, phone in hand, planning his soccer viewing marathon through the Live Soccer TV app. The app displays over 100 international leagues with detailed kickoff times and streaming information for each match. With multiple screens ready—laptop, TV, and tablet—Alex prepares to watch several games simultaneously throughout his 14-hour soccer day.
Darin W. White
Margaret Gage Bush Distinguished Professor and the Founder of Sports Industry Program
Department of Entrepreneurship Management and Marketing
389 B Cooney Hall
Stephen Hill
Associate Professor of Data Analytics
Department of Economics Finance and Quantitative Analysis
389I Cooney Hall
