Student-Athletes as Entrepreneurs: A Natural Fit

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

Look up the word compete and you may find a number of different definitions, but all with similar meanings.

No matter how you define it, competition (and in turn, winning) is the primary fuel for high-level athletes. Winning is one way to measure success, but winning is also the end product of the process of learning and growing.

Even though Lehigh student-athletes are not able to compete in their respective sports this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, several are competing in the new Homefield Advantage program – a partnership between Lehigh Athletics and the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation (Lehigh's premier organization dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurial thinking and action).

"The pandemic has been challenging for all of us, especially our student-athletes who are mourning the loss of their opportunities to compete in a sport they love," said Director of Athletics Leadership Development Julie Ammary. "Helping our athletes identify ways to compete intellectually, and in group dynamics, may provide them more insight into how to access that spirit once they get back to their physical game."

The partnership between athletics and the Baker Institute was a natural fit from both sides.

"I did some CliftonStrengths work with the Baker Institute's Hatchery Program back in May and as a group, we started talking about a potential partnership," said Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services Katie Guynn. "One of the things we love about the Baker Institute is that they're always looking for possibility and opportunity. They heard the announcement about our sports not competing this fall and wanted to know if it presented an opportunity for us to collaborate. They pitched the idea for this collaboration, knowing that student-athletes are naturally competitive."

As Ammary said, "Competiveness lends itself well to entrepreneurship and we jumped on board."

Lehigh Athletics jumped on board to a unique learning experience.

The virtual program, which has already begun, features 18 student-athletes working in teams to create ways for more people to experience the advantages of having secure living conditions. The student-athletes' challenge is to develop entrepreneurial solutions to shelter and housing-related issues… specifically develop solutions for affordable, sustainable, accessible housing through innovation (in areas such as materials, policy, housing as an industry and more).

The end goal of the program, as written by the Baker Institute and agreed upon by Lehigh Athletics, is to:

Expose and celebrate the natural parallels between athletes and entrepreneurs to both the students and external audience.
Provide athletes the opportunity to explore their entrepreneurial mindset and skills through meaningful real-world problems.
Create a strong connection between Lehigh Athletics and the Baker Institute.
Provide another channel for alumni athletes to make meaningful connections with student-athletes.
Learn from the athletics leadership professionals how to teach startup teams to adopt the dynamics and culture of a successful sports team.

Since 2017, the Baker Institute had been thinking about the parallels between athletes and entrepreneurs, which includes competitiveness, coachability, discipline, action-oriented approach, strategic thinking, mastery of topic/game and gametime risk/reward assessment.

"I was temporarily based in San Francisco from January to June 2017 rolling out the newly established Lehigh@NasdaqCenter," said Lisa Getzler, Executive Director for the Baker Institute. "During that time, we piloted and learned a lot from an entrepreneurship training program we developed for the 49ers organization, together with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center – our new partner in San Francisco. After returning to Bethlehem, I began looking for an opportunity to partner with Lehigh Athletics to bring such a program to Lehigh.

"As soon as it became clear that the fall, 2020 season wasn't going to allow for competition, we got to work designing the Homefield Advantage program that, because of the concept of having a greater chance for success on your home field or court, would resonate with athletes," she continued.

"We pitched it to Julie Ammary and her team… and here we are."

The current program includes nearly 20 student-athletes of all different ages and majors (the complete list of those participating can be found at the end of this story). Even though entrepreneurship can be thought of as something only for business students, the Baker Institute invites students from every college to explore ways to create lasting change through value-driven solutions by taking an entrepreneurial approach.

The nuts and bolts of building a company are indeed rooted in the science of business creation, but an entrepreneurial mindset is a way to approach problems in the world that need solving and is important for all areas of life, including athletics. The students involved in Homefield Advantage, like in most Baker Institute programs, represent all of Lehigh's undergraduate colleges.
Lehigh Campus

"Baker programs embrace the notion of a 'one room schoolhouse' and Homefield Advantage is another vestige of that," said Getzler. "The learning that occurs in such an environment is much richer when it is shared between a variety of majors, ages and in this case, sports teams.

"Moreover, diversity in all forms is critical to innovation," she continued. "Different experiences in the world lead to vastly different ideas on how a problem might be solved, which results in more innovative, creative solutions."

Even though most student-athletes didn't enter the program with entrepreneurial backgrounds, they already had a foundation in place, even if they didn't know it.

Just by playing a sport, they have already trained their mind to think critically.

"When student-athletes make the connection between the strategic thinking and instincts they bring to their sport, with the primary tenets of an entrepreneurial mindset, magic happens," said Getzler. "It comes down to recognizing challenges as opportunities to create value, or 'win', and figuring out the best ways to do that. The Athletics Leadership Development team helps the student athletes connect that mindset with their Five Pillars."

More to come on the pillars.

"Might student athletes have almost an advantage because of [their background]? The answer is a resounding yes," said Getzler. "In fact, the Baker team is hoping to learn how to teach startups to adopt the dynamics and culture of a successful sports team."

The disappointment of student-athletes not being able to compete this fall has been real, and understandable. So when an opportunity to compete came to the surface, a number of student-athletes applied. Applications were due Sept. 16, acceptances announced on the 18th with orientation approximately one week later.

The program, which is not for academic credit, isn't the same as competing on the field, court or pool.

But the Five Pillars remain very much in effect.

"There are ample opportunities to practice self-awareness and to lead with personal integrity by leaning into their individual strengths in large and small group settings, and by evaluating their reliability as a 'good teammate' to their peers," said Ammary. "The program engages their competitive nature intellectually by calling upon their creativity and innovation to solve a problem.

"The toughness required to identify one's comfort zone and then choose to engage beyond it is all part of the process," she continued. "And, perhaps most significantly, the learning about team-first mentality through group dynamics and selfless leadership are at the very heart of the program."

About halfway through the eight-week program, Getzler is liking what she's seeing.

"So far, we've specifically seen their competitive spirit, coachability and self-motivation. They actively search for feedback and act on that feedback in order to move forward in a productive way."
Goodman Campus Recruiting Story

The end of the program will feature, you guessed it… a competition between the three teams.

"The pitch competition will be held during Spirit Week in November," said Getzler. "Over the course of the program we have lined up a roster of Lehigh alumni who were both athletes and innovators/entrepreneurs while at Lehigh. Some join us as coaches, some as expert guests and some as competition judges."

Even though the goal of the program is to learn and grow through the eight weeks (like the process of training and practicing with their sports teams), the experience could also lead to tangible outcomes (much like a win on the playing field).

"Homefield Advantage may very well create viable, entrepreneurial solutions to the problems they are focused on, such as access to the home ownership continuum, sustainable housing practices and the implicit racism experienced by those who live in formerly red-lined communities," said Getzler.

Moving forward, both Lehigh Athletics and the Baker Institute hope to continue Homefield Advantage.

"We are grateful to learn from and with the Baker Institute as we collaborate to provide student-athletes a fantastic developmental opportunity," said Ammary.

"This is an opportunity to build something meaningful and sustainable during a time when, as a university, we are facing monumental challenges," said Getzler. "Entrepreneurs always look for problems or challenges as opportunities to create value.

"We practice what we preach."

Lehigh student-athletes are the benefactors, bettering themselves for not only when they return to action in their sport, but also for a lifetime of leadership… which is the mission of Lehigh Athletics after all.

Lehigh Student-Athletes in Homefield Advantage

Mackenzie Anton '21 – Women's Soccer
Mackenzie Anton Headshot