Business Case Studies & Business Publications

You Can Play, but Will You Win?

Fairchild, Gregory...

Case

You Can Play, but Will You Win?

Fairchild, Gregory B.; Fairchild, Cole

F-1894 | Published July 6, 2020 | 9 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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This case follows Jason, a high school student who is looking forward to going to college. He is an excellent student and a basketball star, which allowed him to receive two full-ride scholarships: the first to play Division 1 basketball at Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and the second to attend the University of Virginia (UVA). This leaves Jason with a huge decision to make. Should he attend Penn State and try to fulfill his dream of playing in the NBA, or should he attend UVA and fulfill his passion for engineering? To gain more information to guide his decision, Jason solicits advice from two of his mentors: his basketball coach, Coach Roberts, and his math teacher, Ms. Humphries.

This case is designed to be taught in a financial-literacy course for non-MBA audiences. Instructors should use the material, and the corresponding discussion, to highlight to the class the following key topics: - Insights gleaned from using probabilities and expected value calculations to enhance decision-making - Compounding’s effect on long-term earning power - Reflections on personal risk tolerance when considering career paths