Just stacking an MBA on top of a bachelors degree in business management, as has been stated, is not necessarily all that additive. That may be particularly true where there’s a lack of work experience.

However, it’s going to set him apart from a lot of his fellow athletes, whose experience as a leader and teammate in a highly competitive sport, already carries value. As a business leader who I respect once told me, “Whether they like to admit it or not, people like to hire smart jocks.”

It’s also a great chance to expand his network in a very meaningful way. He’ll have a lot of MBA classmates who will end up going places from BYU.

Also, say Harper finds himself working for a company that decides they really like him, and in a few years, they want to promote him way up the chain. Already having his MBA (Particularly from a good school) increases his upward mobility.