Course taught by real-life Jerry Maguire and Daniels alumnus Tad Yo
“You had me at hello.”
This oft-repeated line from Jerry Maguire, about a sports agent of the same name, lands just as well in Adjunct Professor Tad Yo’s Sports Finance classroom at the Daniels College of Business.
Offered in the 2026 spring quarter for only the second time, Yo handily engages his students, who quickly realize that they’re learning from someone who has lived the life of a sports agent.
Not just any agent. Yo spent two decades working alongside Scott Boras, widely regarded as the most powerful agent in baseball.
“I was fortunate to reconnect with Scott,” Yo said. “I went to work with him, and now, 20 years later, I’ve worked with dozens of athletes, closing about $700 million in contracts.”
Real-world experience—Yo’s and that of his guest speakers—forms the backbone of the class.
From cable to sports management
His journey began at the University of Denver, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1994 and an MBA in 1996. But a chance reunion with Boras years later—during a sabbatical from his cable-industry career—pulled him into the sports world. It became a long-term partnership representing elite athletes and bringing top Asian players into Major League Baseball.
Today, Yo runs his own firm, Ascend Sports and Entertainment, and continues to consult for Boras while representing athletes across baseball, golf and basketball.
That’s the perspective he brings to the classroom—and students feel it immediately.
A class with a different feel
Finance major Will Tishgart didn’t just sign up for the class; he rearranged his schedule to get in.
“As soon as I saw it, I dropped another class,” he said. “It filled up in five minutes.”
What surprised him most wasn’t the syllabus. It was the energy.
“From the beginning, it didn’t feel like a normal class,” Tishgart said. “We would arrive 20 or 30 minutes early to chat with Tad and his guest speakers.”
Those speakers have included Kiki VanDeWeghe, the former NBA All-Star and executive; Matt Murphy, president of NBC Sports Bay Area; Guiselle Torres, general counsel of Denver Summit FC, who also held senior-level positions with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and Major League Soccer, and others.
The course covers name, image and likeness (NIL), state and NCAA rules that allow student-athletes to earn money while maintaining their eligibility, sports franchise valuation and collective bargaining, among other topics. But Yo also pushes his students to build professional confidence—developing elevator pitches, networking and practicing real-world communication. Tishgart said those skills changed how he carries himself.
“Tad’s class helped me feel more comfortable presenting and speaking with senior businesspeople,” he added. “His career trajectory resonated with me, too. I’m also starting my career in cable, and it made me reconsider where a career can lead when you connect with people and stay open to opportunities.”
Yo’s teaching assistant, Matt Myers (BSBA 2020), who also serves as a sales consultant in DU’s Athletic Department, sees firsthand how Yo’s experience shapes the class.
“Tad shows there’s more to getting into sports than the typical route of ticket sales,” Myers said. “Breaking in is hard, and he’s bringing in very accomplished people. It’s tough to get that exposure on your own.”
Myers has watched students build confidence, make connections and discover career paths they didn’t know existed. He credits Yo’s network and generosity for that.
“The greatest joy of my life”
For all the contracts, the athletes and the global sports experience, Yo says teaching tops everything, citing his classes with Ron Rizzuto, Ph.D., the Ron Rizzuto Endowed Chair and retired professor of finance at Daniels, as his inspiration.
“These classes have been the greatest joy of my life,” he said. “The kids have been absolutely amazing, and I’m just trying to give back some of the wisdom and inspiration Ron gave me.”
Plans are in place for the Sports Finance class to be offered again in the fall quarter of 2026. Interest in the class has also prompted Daniels’ and DU’s leadership to approve a new undergraduate minor in sports operations, which will also begin in fall 2026.