About Me (Ben Shields)

Thanks for visiting my website. Here are a few things to know about me:

1. I teach full-time at the MIT Sloan School of Management. I am in the midst of my 12th year on the faculty. I have created or co-created four new courses for Sloan's degree programs since I've been on campus.
2. I like to spend my time solving problems at the intersection of sports, media, and technology. I am particularly interested in the implications of AI on the fan experience.
3. Prior to MIT, I worked at ESPN from 2008-14, where I had the incredible opportunity to help develop the company's social media strategy and build and run the ESPN social media marketing team. I collaborated with a lot of very smart and talented people during my time at the company and am very proud of the work we did together in the early days of social.
4. Perhaps it is because I have lived in both worlds, but I believe strongly in the the value of academia in industry and vice versa.
5. I am a student of communication. In my opinion, to lead effectively is to communicate effectively. This is especially important in an era of information overload, dwindling attention spans, hybrid and remote work, and AI.
6. I spent 8 years and earned three degrees from Northwestern: a B.S. and M.A. in Communication Studies and a Ph.D. in Media, Technology, and Society. My advisor at Northwestern, Irv Rein, had a profound and life-changing impact on me. He helped me develop my skills as a critical and analytical thinker, researcher, writer, and teacher. I will be forever indebted to him.

If you are interested in learning more about my work, this website has additional information on the books and cases I've written, the classes I've developed and teach, the speaking I've done, and more. Please also subscribe to receive my semi-regular letters to my students past, present, and future.