Sport Management Learning Activities

(Select one of the following activities for this assignment) Chapter 1 Robin Gunston (2005) identified five key drivers of change in contemporary sport: the lack of a clear difference between work and leisure, the need for instant entertainment, the increasing control of commercial enterprises over sport, the politicization of sport governing bodies, and the decline of core social values. He predicted that the influence of these drivers could result in the development of four possible types of sport: religiosport, machosport, technosport, and valuesport. Read Gunstons article and write a paper in which you (1) explain each of the drivers of change, (2) describe each of the possible outcomes, and (3) discuss which outcomes you believe are most probable, giving reasons for your choices. Chapter 4 In recent years, some have come to question the effectiveness of appointing an SWA (Senior Woman Administrator), arguing that the title has not encouraged the involvement of women in the decision-making process as intended. If you were considering this issue as a member of the NCAAs Committee on Womens Athletics, would you take the position that the SWA should be eliminated or retained? Present five key points to support your position. Dr. Richard Lapchick, head of the Center for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, has suggested that the NCAA consider adopting something similar to the NFLs Rooney rule as a way to address diversity issues in hiring. The Rooney rule requires NFL teams to interview members of racial and ethnic minorities when head coaching positions become vacant. The rule further provides that franchises will be fined if they do not interview qualified candidates from racial and ethnic minorities. Write an opinion paper on whether you believe this would be an effective approach to hiring. Provide reasons for your position. Chapter 5 Using your library resources, find an article that discusses local broadcasting agreements in Major League Baseball. According to the article, which teams make the most money from local broadcasting agreements? Which teams make the least? Do you notice differences in how these teams perform based simply on the amount of revenue that they generate from local television contracts? Explain your observations. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes is responsible for the opinion of the court that granted an antitrust exemption to baseball (Federal Base Ball Club of Baltimore, Inc. v.

National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, 259 U.S. 200, 1922). Find the case in your local law library or on the Web through LexisNexis and read the opinion. Write an essay answering the following question: Should MLB continue to receive the antitrust exemption? Why or why not? Disputes between labor and management in professional sport have sometimes resulted in work stoppages, either in the form of a strike (initiated by the players) or a lockout (initiated by the owners). In both cases, the players negotiate for better benefits, including a better pay scale, while the owners claim that they are losing money because the players salaries are too high. Clearly, the sides must ultimately work together if professional sport is going to succeed. Why, then, have labor and management in nearly all the professional sports had such a long history of problems? Write an essay highlighting the reasons and identify who you think is right. ABCs Monday Night Football debuted in 1970.

Investigate the NFL TV rights deals. Who negotiates the TV rights deals? How have TV rights affected the NFL? What significant legislature has affected the televising of sport events on TV? Why have TV rights played such a significant role in the sport industry?

Chapter 7 Access an Internet search engine such as Yahoo or Google, type in the words sport tourism, and note how many hits you find. Look at some of the Web sites, especially those linked to the national tourism organizations of various countries. You will find that countries as diverse as Canada and Pakistan have sport tourism initiatives. You will also find that universities around the world offer specialist sport tourism degrees. Write a report comparing the government sport tourism strategies of at least two countries. Your report should contain the following: (1) What type or types of sport tourism are each of the countries trying to attract? (2) How similar or different are the sport tourism strategies that you are analyzing? (3) Do you think that these strategies will be successful? Explain why or why not. Chapter 8 Select one international sport league (e.g., the English Premier League, Serie A, or the Bundesliga in soccer; the European Basketball Association; professional baseball leagues in Japan; and so on) or event (Tour de France, Americas Cup, Davis Cup, Federation Cup, Ryder Cup, FIFA World Cups, FIS Alpine and Cross Country World Cup series). Trace the history of the league or event and identify specific incidents that have had a significant effect on its development.

Chapter 18 Read Donna de Varonas 2006 testimony before the Senate committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation found at www.womenssportsfoundation.org/cgibin/iowa/events/article.html?record=216. Then, construct a table with two columns. In one column, list the positive changes in sport that Title IX made possible. In the other column, list problems that still exist. Explain the significance of your findings. Identify several actions that could be taken to bring about greater gender equity in sport.