Speaker Profile

Ben is a Senior Lecturer in Managerial Communication at the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he teaches courses in communication and technology, including Sports Analytics Management for MIT Sloan Executive Education. His research focuses on the intersection of social media technologies, data analytics, and audience behavior in the sports, media, and entertainment industries. His most recent book isSocial Media Management: Persuasion in Networked Culture(Oxford University Press, 2017). He's also written The Sports Strategist: Developing Leaders for a High-Performance Industry (Oxford University Press, 2015) and The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace (McGraw-Hill, 2006). He's also featured on "3 Points," a basketball analytics segment on Comcast SportsNet New England. Shields served previously as the Director of Social Media and Marketing at ESPN. He holds a PhD in media, technology, and society from Northwestern University.