Published on January 15, 2025 by Catherine Smith  

Will Miller, a senior finance major from Greensboro, North Carolina, is a member of the Brock Scholars program. He also serves as president for the sports business and analytics group in Brock School of Business and has been involved in sports analytics for various Samford athletic teams.  

What is the focus of your senior thesis?

My senior thesis is investigating explanations to the financial failure of athletes. My thesis is focused on trying to find predictive variables that lead to bankruptcy occurring during or after a professional athlete’s career. Professional athletes are some of the highest paid entertainers in the world, so I want to see if there are any reasons that lead to these people losing their wealth. 

What inspired your research?

My research was inspired by reading an article in high school on the topic stating 13% of NFL athletes within five years go bankrupt and was wanting to do research myself to see if this was true or not. Also, with the current prevalence of NIL deals for both high school and college athletes I wanted to see if there were any systematic reasons that lead to bankruptcy, because if so, current athletes need to be aware of it.

How has the Brock Scholars program benefited you during your time as a Samford student?

Brock Scholars has given me the tools to dive deeper into topics and ideas that has always interested me and has provided me with peers who encourage and push me to excellence. The program has allowed for me to deepen my knowledge and do so within a great community.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.