TheSportsCampus

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. But what if Jack decides to combine work and play or simply turn his play into his work. Then Jack becomes a part of the sports industry. Either Jack makes the sport dance to his tune as a player or he makes the entire retinue run around him as a manager. Sports management as a course is a manual Jack must master to choreograph the routine.

The word "Sport" comes from the old French "desport" which means "leisure" and the word "management" is a form of the verb "manage" which comes from the Italian word "maneggiare" meaning to handle. "Maneggiare" is in turn derived from the Latin noun "manus" meaning hand. Therefore, in simple terms, Sports management is the effective

and efficient handling of leisure activities as well as that of the individuals involved in the performance of the activities.

Sports management is a lucrative career option for sports lovers. While it provides a satisfying career path to those who lack the physical fitness, proficiency or at times the luck factor to succeed in a particular game, sports management itself is a great career for those sports buffs who have an administrative bent of mind and good managerial skills.

The management of sports is an evolving process of discovery and exploration. Keeping in mind that sporting activities are majorly affected by human factors, it prepares individuals for work profiles relating to management, marketing, public relations, communications, facility and event management, sales, program development, and human resource management in public, non-profit, and commercial sport organizations.

The development of sports management into a distinct academic discipline is credited to Walter O'Malley, then president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. This act stemmed from the lack of formal education programs for individuals who wished to work in professional baseball. In 1966, Dr. Mason, a professor at Ohio University, stimulated the establishment of the first master's degree program in sport management in the University. By 1978, 20 sports management courses could be identified in Ohio for graduates, and three courses for undergraduates. Today, more than 233 colleges and universities in the United States of America offer undergraduate and graduate programs in sport management or athletic administration. In addition, there are 40 international sports management programs in countries including the United Kingdom, South Africa and India.

Sports management involves the study of planning, supervising and organizing various sporting activities. These sports activities can be cricket, football, hockey, or golf tournaments or even other games held on a domestic or international level. Specifically, it deals with the application of management principles to the field of sports.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) and the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) are the two associations which oversee the various aspects of sports management as an academic discipline all over the world. All universities offering courses in sports management affiliate themselves and their courses to the protocols and standards set by these associations.

A degree in sports management trains an individual to deal with sport management theory, sport marketing, fundraising, promotions, public relations, ethics in sport management, legal aspects of sport, facility planning and management, computer applications to sport, research methods, sport management problems and issues, and risk management. Generally revolving around an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach, the course structure intricately intertwines the fields of physical education, sport, business, computers, and communications. It includes detailed study of communications, interpersonal relations, business, accounting, finance, economics, statistics, and the historical, sociological, psychological, kinesiological, and philosophical perspectives of sport. This discipline grounds its students in sports marketing, media, public relations, finance, human resource management and organizational management as they gain access to the field of sports.

With a professional degree in the discipline, graduates enhance their opportunities of working with top recruiters such as Tiger Sports Management in India and Globosports, World Tel Sports, International Management Group abroad. Moreover, with increase in the competition in the field of sports, a graduate degree or certificate helps individuals secure better job opportunities by providing them networking opportunities, advanced study and school connections. Of the various job profiles individuals are offered after a professional degree some include front office system in professional sports, college sports managers, recreational sport managers, sports marketing, event management, facility management, sports economics, sport finance, and sports information.

While sports management courses are available worldwide, the top universities offering master's degree programmes in the discipline are University of Michigan, New York University, Ohio State University, University of Florida, University of Miami, Texas A&M University, College Station University of Georgia, Indiana University, and Bloomington University of Illinois in the USA and Loughborough University and Sterling University in UK. In India, Alagappa University in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education and Sports Science in New Delhi, and Naval Tata Centre of Excellence in Sports Management of the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management in Kolkata offer a PGDSM (Post Graduate Diploma in Sports Management) course in sports management. Also, a number of institutes in Delhi offer a distance diploma course in sports management. These courses are affiliated to Periyar Maniammai University in Chennai. Apart from these Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire, England offers an MSc in Sports Engineering.

With increasing globalisation in the 21st century and the internationalisation of most sports, there is an ever increasing demand for leaders of various international competitions and organizations, professional sports teams, major international sponsors, and key individuals involved in the business and management of these events.

The sport industry has grown dramatically in the past decade and promises to continue to expand. With sports revenues approaching the $500 billion mark worldwide, there continues to be an ever increasing need for professionals trained in the managerial, administrative, and business aspects of sport. As sports management students increasingly acquire major positions in the field of global sports, leaders, managers, sales professionals, marketing directors, facilities administrators, competition managers, academics, coaches, IT specialists, lawyers, player agents and general support staff, all are directly or indirectly being linked to sports.

With the advent of sports management as a rewarding career option, this discipline can be seen to attract hoards of sports lovers as success continues to be recognized as a synergy between all the team members that contribute to the performance of the champions.

For more information on sports management classes, check out AccreditedOnlineColleges.org

This is Part 1 of a weekly series of Articles on Sports Management as a Career

Photograph Copyright: IOC