Draft:Mike Sprouse

Michael C. Sprouse, Sr. (born September 29, 1974) is an American athlete, business executive, coach and author. He is the founder of The Sprouse Group LLC. .

Early life and Education
Sprouse attended Fairfield College Preparatory School, graduating summa cum laude. During high school, Sprouse was a three-time CIAC Class LL state champion in tennis, a three-time All-America selection and did not lose a regular season tennis match for the team in four years. He was the #1 ranked singles player in the USTA New England region in the under-18 age group in 1992. He was the #1 ranked doubles player in the United States by the United States Tennis Association (with partner Milton Arnold) in the under-18 age group in 1992. In 2019, Sprouse was inducted into the Fairfield Prep Hall of Fame.

Sprouse then attended the University of Notre Dame where he majored in Accounting at the Mendoza College of Business, graduating in 1996. There, Sprouse was captain of the tennis team in 1995-1996, awarded the team's Most Valuable Player in 1995 and 1996, and was the team's #1 singles and doubles (with partner Jason Pun) player. Sprouse led the team to its first-ever Big East tennis championship in 1996. He was the national winner of the NCAA Division I ITA/Tennis Magazine Arthur Ashe Award, named after Arthur Ashe, for leadership and sportsmanship in 1995.

Career
In 1996 and 1997, Sprouse was a professional tennis player on the ATP Tour where he was a world-ranked singles player. He subsequently competed in seven marathons, including the New York City Marathon, Boston Marathon, and Marine Corps Marathon.

His thought leadership was referenced in the Wall Street Journal,

In the years that followed, Sprouse was the Chief Administrative and Marketing Officer for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, and held other marketing executive roles in the Advertising Technology industry. In 2022, Sprouse was named the Vice President of Digital Subscription Acquisition and Marketing at Hearst Newspapers. In 2023, he founded and opened The Sprouse Group LLC