Biography

Mike Lewis’s work focuses on the intersection of sports analytics and sports marketing. He studies issues ranging from player performance analytics to brand equity in sports. This approach makes Professor Lewis a unique expert on fandom as his work addresses the complete process from success on the field to success at the box office. Representative research topics include Competitive Balance, Generation Z Fandom, Performance Analytics, Salary Market Inefficiencies, Athlete Star Power, Esports, and Influencer Marketing. He also spends an excessive amount of time thinking about team names and mascots. His sports analytics content can be heard at the Fanalytics with Mike Lewis podcast.

The foundation for Professor Lewis’ work is a deep background in statistics and optimization. These tools provide a data-driven approach to measurement and decision-making. He has published work related to loyalty programs, customer lifetime value, and dynamic pricing in addition to sports topics. Professor Lewis is also the Faculty Director for the Emory Marketing Analytics Center.

Professor Lewis’ background includes a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and engineering degrees from the University of Illinois. He has published in outlets such as the Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Management Science, the Journal of Marketing, and the New York Times.

He can be reached at mike.lewis@emory.edu or www.fanalyticswithmikelewis.com.

Education

  • PhD
    Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
    2001
  • MBA
    Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago
    1993
  • MS
    College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana
    1990
  • BS
    College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana
    1989

In the News

  • Cowboys, Patriots, Eagles have NFL's best fans, study finds

    June 26, 2018
    Yahoo!
    Which team has the best fans in the NFL? Why, yours, of course, because they’ve got you. But if we go on more than gut feelings, there are some statistical and economic models that can tell us exactly which fanbases claim the title of Best in the NFL. Emory University has released its latest ranking of NFL fans, and the results are certain to enrage you … unless you’re a Dallas fan. Let’s dig in.

  • Does negative political advertising actually work?

    June 4, 2018
    phys.org
    The study "A Border Strategy Analysis of Ad Source and Message Tone in Senatorial Campaigns," which will be published in the June edition of INFORMS journal Marketing Science, is co-authored by Yanwen Wang of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver; Michael Lewis of Emory University in Atlanta; and David A. Schweidel of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

  • When it comes to Twitter, @Packers among best

    July 17, 2016
    Green Bay Press Gazette
    The analysis was developed by Michael Lewis and Manish Tripathi of the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta. Their research focuses on how sports organizations create brand equity and customer loyalty. They also developed analytics for such items as Fan Equity Rankings (the @Packers are seventh) and Social Media Based Personality...

  • Bears Fan Base More Loyal Than Packers: Study

    July 14, 2016
    Chicago Patch
    Dr. Michael Lewis of the Atlanta university’s Goizueta School of Business used a formula combining each team’s sales and social media following to find the “Dynamic Fan Equity,” a number based on the team’s fans willingness to spend, miles traveled to see the team play and following on social media...

  • Study ranks Eagles supporters as fifth-best fan base in the NFL

    July 12, 2016
    Philly.com
    Conducted by Dr. Michael Lewis of Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, the study analyzed four years of social media data and 15 years of attendance data for NFL teams’ fan bases. Lewis then ranked teams based on their “Dynamic Fan Equity,” which is calculated using their “Fan Equity” (fans’ willingness to spend) and “Social Media Equity” (fans’ willingness to share) scores...

  • Washington has everything to lose

    September 2, 2014
    ESPN
    Now there's new evidence that shows Snyder is actively hurting his team by clinging to its offensive moniker. Michael Lewis and Manish Tripathi, marketing professors at Emory University, calculate what they call fan equity, which is how much money fans are willing to invest in their teams once you control for how well a club does on the field and for how big and rich its market is. The professors have found that Washington's pull is declining. "We see the Redskins coming in the bottom half of the league," says Lewis. "But what's really key is the change." Specifically, the team has fallen from first in the NFL to 20th over the past decade...

  • ‘Redskins’ Is Bad Business

    June 24, 2014
    The New York Times
    The moral arguments against the Washington Redskins’ team name, which is considered offensive to American Indians, are by now well known, especially in the wake of last week’s decision by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to strip the team of trademark protections...