Health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences
Phone: 870.972.3066
Email: kstahura@mail.astate.edu
Office: HPESS Building #236
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Department of
Health, Physical Education, and Sport Sciences |
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| Dr. Kurt Stahura Phone: 870.972.3066 Email: kstahura@mail.astate.edu Office: HPESS Building #236 |
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| Course: Sports Management | ||
Intercollegiate Athletic Setting
Positions associated with intercollegiate athletics may be found primary in, but not limited to one of three settings: On university and college campuses, national governing bodies such as the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA, and within conference offices such as the Big Ten, Big Twelve and the Southeastern Conference. Jobs range from Conference Commissioner, to Athletic Director, to Associate Athletic Director (Internal and External affairs) at the top of the hierarchy to Assistant Director in charge of ticket sales within middle management.
University or College Campus
A wide variety of jobs and opportunities
exist within this setting. The size, scope and mission may be
different from school to school. As a result the job descriptions
will vary. For example, individuals who work in large athletic
programs will have defined duties and are responsible for a concentrated
area such as Public Relations Director or Director of Eligibility
or Compliance. It is not unusual to find major athletic programs
with over 200 employees, each of whom is assigned to a rather
specific area of responsibility. These larger athletic departments
are, in essence, corporations with budgets that amount to tens
of millions of dollars. These athletic departments, universities
have come to realize, are the windows through which the public
views their institution.
On the other hand, individuals who work in a smaller school setting,
such as a Division III institution, may find that although they
have specific titles, they are expected to perform a broader range
of tasks. This is simply because there are staff members. A head
coach of one sport may assume additional duties as a Sports Information
Director for instance. Another head coach may be the Athletic
Director. In this context coaches must assume that coaching will
only be a part of their overall job description.
Athletic Director
All athletic departments, regardless of the size of the school
or the level of competition, have an athletic director or someone
with a similar title who is in charge of the overall athletic
program. In most cases this is a full-time job, although within
smaller settings they may have other responsibilities within the
athletic or academic setting.
Until recently many athletic directors were retired coaches who
had put in a number of years as the football or basketball coach,
in the process becoming quite visible within the athletic community.
This is no longer the case. In contemporary society, athletic
directors come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences
and perform many of the tasks that a CEO in a corporate setting
would perform. In fact, budgets at larger schools can be in the
$30 million to $50 million-dollar range and are run like businesses
with profit driven motives. Athletic directors are responsible
for fund raising, finance, scheduling, contract negotiations,
the hiring and firing of staff, public relations and the general
coordination of the athletic programs. A background in finance,
accounting and even law would be helpful for this increasingly
important and powerful position.
Associate Athletic Director
Most athletic departments have at least one associate or assistant
athletic director. These individuals are usually designated or
assigned the task of fund raising, promotions or facility management
and have major responsibilities in those areas. The hours are
long and the responsibilities are varied.
Increasingly, it is common to have an associate athletic director
for women's athletics. This individual would perform duties similar
to the other athletic director but would direct his or her attention
toward the women's programs. With the long overdue enforcement
of Title IX, women's athletics are growing by leaps and bounds.
In recent years budgets for women's programs, the number of scholarship
athletes, and the amount of exposure given to women's sports have
all increased. A background in finance, accounting, public relations
and communications would be helpful.
Director of Athletic Fund Raising
(External Affairs)
This position, which exists primarily within larger institutions
(Division I), has become second in importance only to the athletic
director. Increasingly, most institutions need to solicit funds
to supplement their athletic budgets. Although income from gate
receipts, television contracts, concessions, parking, sneaker
contracts and advertising may be substantial, money raised from
private donors allows athletic departments to meet increasing
financial obligations. This is a people-oriented position that
involves speaking to large groups and entails a great deal of
travel. A background in communications, public relations and public
speaking would be helpful.
Responsibilities include:
- Plan, coordinate and service all athletic fundraising events
- Identify and solicit potential contributors
- Continuously cultivate and recognize existing donors
- Solicit and close on major gifts of personal and real property
through wills, trusts and planned giving
- Establish and promote a viable plan for the solicitation of
endowment funds for the support of the athletic department
- Prepare fund-raising brochures and literature for distribution
to potential contributors
- Maintain donor records and individual club memberships
- Prepare the fund-raising budget
- Keep abreast of current pending tax laws relative to charitable
and deferred planned giving
- Assign priority seating for athletic events
Promotions Director (Director
of Internal Affairs)
The promotion director's main responsibilities are to (a) ensure
that capacity crowds attend the revenue producing sporting events
and
(b) promote athletic events in such a way that they receive maximum
public exposure. This responsibility requires creativity, imagination,
and salesmanship.
Depending upon the size of the staff, the promotions directors
may also serve as a liaison to local television and radio stations
as he/she presents the athletic events to the public. Sometimes
control over the boosters club falls under the auspices of the
Director of Internal affairs. In this capacity money is distributed
to the appropriate departments and programs for which they were
intended. Although budgetary responsibilities in larger institutions
are increasingly being shifted toward specialists with finance
and accounting backgrounds, sometimes the budgets are the responsibility
of the Director of Internal Affairs. In addition to the aforementioned
Accounting and Finance, Marketing, public speaking and sales experience
would be helpful to the promotions director.
Responsibilities include:
- Promote advertising and sales in all media markets
- Supervise all public relations efforts and oversee all media
policies
- Coordinate all special media projects
- Develop revenue sources related to television packages
- Coordinate the marketing of ticket sales
- Prepare promotional messages for all media events
- Budget supervision
Director of Athletic Facilities
This individual must ensure that the athletic facilities are maintained
up to the standards of the programs participating in the facilities.
Facilities usually under the auspices of the facility coordinator
include practice areas, stadiums, golf courses, locker rooms,
weight-training facilities, and all other facilities used by the
athletic programs. Often times recreational facilities for intramurals
and sport clubs are also under the jurisdiction of the individual
in charge of facilities. This person is usually responsible for
game staging and contest management. Everything vital to the organization
of an event including overseeing the ushers, ticket sellers, ticket
takers, the placement of the bands and half-time shows are taken
care of by the director of athletic facilities. The hours are
lengthy and it is important for the individual that serves in
this capacity to remain in constant contact with the various coaches,
the recreational director, and the athletic director. Skills such
as accounting, business administration, soil science even engineering
can be useful in this profession.
Director of Academic Affairs
Recently, the public has given a great deal of attention to athletes
and their academic standing. Legislation such as propositions
48 and 42 in the ever-changing governance of the NCAA has shed
light on the importance of individuals serving in this capacity.
In addition, to overseeing the qualifications of the first-year
student-athletes, these individuals are responsible for monitoring
the eligibility of the returning intercollegiate athletes on campus.
A background in education, counseling or psychology would be beneficial.
Responsibilities include:
- Understand all conference and national governing body eligibility
regulations
- Submit to the appropriate offices the eligibility forms for
all student athletes
- Monitor and report grades and progress reports
- Encourage student athletes to work with academic department
advisers and other counseling and support staff available on campus
- Keep records of the student athletes' academic progress
- Serve as a liaison with the other offices on campus that are
related to academic performance of student athletes
Sports Information Director (SID)
The Sports Information director is the bridge between the School
and the conference, the NCAA and the community. This individual
releases press information and puts together programs and other
promotional materials. They are responsible for maintaining a
positive relationship between the team and the local community.
This person must give special attention to the press, fans, city
officials, and anyone who comes into contact with the university
relative to all men's and women's athletic programs. This individual
is responsible for putting forth a positive message on behalf
of the college or university. Skills that would be of assistance
include public speaking, public relations, journalism, radio/TV,
broadcasting, creative writing and communications.
Director of Campus Recreation
The large number of curricular and extracurricular offerings in
existence today stands as evidence to an increased administrative
commitment to this endeavor. Programs provide opportunities for
students, faculty and staff to release tensions, combat the dangers
of a sedentary academic existence and to develop personal habits
of regular involvement in physical activity.
The director of campus recreation works with many competencies
in a variety of roles. They work with student services in the
promotion of the activities offered and Director of Facilities
in order to co-ordinate facility priority. In addition, they often
employ a number of undergraduate and graduate students, in many
roles, which exposes them to this quickly growing and under appreciated
field. Skills that would be of assistance within this field include,
but are not limited to communication skills, writing skills, speaking
skills and money management. As a result complimentary courses
in communication and business would be beneficial.
Some of the responsibilities include:
- Act as general advisor to recreation on campus
- Act as liaison with all organizations sponsoring student recreation
programs
- Maintain continuity in matters related to the coordination of
student recreation
- Provide professional leadership in program appraisal, program
development, and recreation leadership training
- Accomplish tasks mandated by local state and national agencies
Professional Sport
There are a number of opportunities available in professional sport. There are more opportunities at the intercollegiate level simply because there are more colleges and universities than professional organizations. Consequently opportunities at the professional level are highly competitive. When one thinks of professional sport immediately one thinks of competition at the highest level such as the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). If one truly wants to venture into professional sport one should consider minor league opportunities that engage in competition below some of the aforementioned leagues. The hierarchical structure is similar and initial opportunities are more plentiful. Positions in professional sport are somewhat difficult to define because the job titles and responsibilities tend to change form one sport to another and from one team to another. There are, however some common threads that are woven throughout professional sport regardless of the sport.
General Manager
The general manager serves in almost the same capacity as the
Athletic Director at the intercollegiate level. Hatfield, Wrenn,
and Bretting (1987) conducted a study that compared the job responsibilities
of athletic directors and general managers. The authors developed
a 50 item list related to job responsibilities, which were then
grouped into six major categories: labor, relations, marketing,
financial management, administration, personnel evaluation, and
public relations. The general managers related labor relations
and personnel evaluation as more important whereas athletic director
assigned higher ratings to financial management, administration,
marketing, and public relations. The skill assessment component
of the general manager responsibility is probably the factor that
upon which athletic directors have very little influence.
The general manager must ensure that the team is operated in a
successful, efficient, and profitable manner. General managers
are often times former players themselves with a long history
of participation in the sport of focus. A complimentary or helpful
background would include finance, marketing, public speaking,
public relations, management and law.
Public Relations Director
The director of public relations is charged with maintaining a
positive relationship between the team and the local community.
This person must give special attention to the press, fans, city
officials, and anyone who comes into contact with the team. This
individual will do a great deal of speaking within the community
and put forth a positive message on behalf of the organization.
Skills that would be of assistance include public speaking, public
relations, and communications.
Ticket Director
The ticket director's responsibilities at the professional level
are more difficult than they are at the intercollegiate level.
This is simply because at the professional level more games are
played and playoff games have to be scheduled so quickly. Most
professional teams will maintain ticket outlets throughout a wide
area. The ticket manager is responsible for the inventory, final
audits and accounting associated with each contest. Ticket managers
at the professional level usually have a large staff because of
the magnitude of the workload. Complimentary fields include business
management, accounting and finance.
Traveling Secretary
Most professional organizations employ an individual who makes
all of the travel arrangements for the team including flights,
ground transportation, hotel reservations, and meals. Major league
baseball tams play 162 games per year, professional hockey and
basketball teams play more than 80 regular season games a year
and pro football team plays twenty, if you include the pre-season.
This is an extremely important position that requires quite a
bit of travel. An appropriate background would be business management,
accounting, hotel and restaurant management, public relations,
communications and finance.
Sports Information Director
(SID)
Most professional teams employ an individual quite similar to
the SID within the intercollegiate setting. This individual is
responsible for maintaining the statistics of the team and working
closely with the press in releasing facts, figures and highlights
that provide interesting reading in the press. This person is
usually responsible for preparing the pre-season press guides
and game programs, as well as any other special publications.
A solid background would include journalism, creative writing
communications and English.
Facility Management
Increasingly professional management means that a company specializing
in facility management (as opposed to an individual employed by
a city or a college) is hired to independently manage and run
a facility. It has been estimated that 30 percent of the nation's
facilities are currently operated by private companies. By the
turn of the century this figure could approach 50 percent. This
phenomenon is a response to increased pressures to attract major
revenue producing events beyond the scope of the main tenant,
which is the sport organization in many instances. A background
in accounting, finance and business management would be helpful.
Although I put this job description under that of professional
sport, obviously there are opportunities elsewhere including publicly
owned facilities and some of the private organizations that are
growing in popularity. Facilities, after all, exist within a wide
variety of sectors. Facilities one might oversee include, but
are not limited to:
- Private Sport Facilities
- Municipal Sport Facilities
- College and University Facilities
Facility Director
This individual is responsible for the total operation of the
facility and reports directly to the designated superior (mayor,
city council, CEO, college president etc.) This position requires
a great deal of political interaction. Long-range planning and
the establishment of goals and objectives, budget management and
budget presentation are inherent responsibilities of the director.
A background in communications, soil science, public speaking,
sales, business management and finance would be helpful.
Operations Manager
This individual serves as the right hand of the General Manager.
Specific duties and responsibilities include event management,
marketing, financial management and personnel supervision. This
individual serves as the "detail" person carrying out
tasks discussed with the facility director. This individual will
often have to interact with agencies outside of the facility such
as political groups, the press, security groups and medical organizations.
A background in marketing, accounting, public speaking even journalism
would be helpful for this versatile person.
Box Office Manager
This person works closely with both the director and the operations
manager. Tasks involved in this job begin as soon as the event
is scheduled and all coordination of ticket operations runs through
this individual. The primary responsibility is for seat sales.
A background in business management, finance, and accounting would
be helpful.
Personnel Manager
This individual is responsible for the hiring and training of
all part-time employees needed for efficient facility operation.
The personnel manager often oversees setup and takedown of the
performance area. Human relation's skills would be helpful in
the dealings with the wide variety of people that are involved
in this business.
Sports Information
This particular field involves the publicizing of athletic programs.
People with sports information backgrounds work in a variety of
settings including national collegiate governing bodies (NCAA),
collegiate conference offices (Big Ten, Pac-10, Big West etc.)
collegiate offices, organizations such as the AAU, the United
States Olympic Committee (USOC), Pan American Games, Special Olympics,
and professional sports organizations of all kinds and at all
levels. The basic function of a sports information director is
to serve as a liaison between news media and the organization.
Although the size and scope of sports information offices vary,
each organization has someone that serves in this capacity. This
individual, due to the nature of the field, must possess writing
skills, computer skills, organizational skills as well as speaking
and public relations skills. This individual is responsible for
daily or weekly news releases, hometown stories, media guides,
game programs, advertising, statistics, photographs, answering
national news media representatives, press box management, game
reporting, and press conferences.
Sport Marketing
Sport marketing is a relatively
new and exciting career field that offers diverse entry-level
opportunities with excellent potential for management and career
advancement. Although sport marketing is a dynamic and challenging
specialization within sport management, it may be the least understood
concentration within the field of sport. This lack of understanding
may be attributed to the fact that most people associate the field
of marketing exclusively with the promotion and sale of products.
Sport marketing may be defined, with very broad strokes mind you,
as providing programs, products and services relative to sport
that satisfy client needs. Sport marketing includes but is not
limited to sales, advertising and promotion, public relations,
needs assessments, program development, pricing, scheduling, and
distribution as they relate to sport. Marketing is a process involving
a coordinated set of activities. The activities normally included
in the process are:
- Conducting research to determine
customer needs and interests
- Putting together a research-based sport product or program package,
which you hope will satisfy identified needs and interests
- Pricing the product or program and developing a plan for raising
money to finance the program
- Deciding when and where to conduct the program or distribute
the product
- Developing and implementing a plan for informing the public
about your product and convincing people to buy or attend
- Selling your program or product
This field revolves around the four P's, which are product, price, place and promotion. Sport is unique from a marketing perspective due to the fact that it is more volatile and subject to outside influences. The product is unpredictable. One never knows who will win at the outset of a contest and how long the contest will take. Price simply cannot fluctuate due to supply and demand and attendance is often subject to wins and losses. The location moves depending upon home and away contests. Finally the promotion must revolve around the ebb and flow of the success of the team and individual performers.
Within the field there are Managers,
Promoters, Fundraisers, Sales people and Public Relations experts.
Their duties include but are not limited to:
- Managing sporting events including promotion, facility scheduling,
press coverage, recruiting services, and on-site management
- Developing and executing promotional aspects of events such
as press releases, celebrity appearances, and media tours
- Creating sports events to reach specific publics and specific
product exposure
- Handling on-site press relations and building special promotions
to maximize exposure for event and sponsor
- Designing, constructing, and merchandising mascot characters
for major professional teams
- Marketing companies interested in achieving specific marketing,
sales or public relations objectives through the use of sport
and leisure time activities
- Creating events or concepts; handling on-site management, sponsorship,
sales support material production, and corporate usage consulting
- Conducting feasibility studies, public relations and media buying
- Establishing liaison and contact with sport governing bodies;
developing recommendations for on-site signage and advertising;
negotiating for sale of national television rights
- Publicizing and promoting programs to achieve maximum target
participation, sponsor identification, and exposure
Sports Journalism
It is said that journalists write the first draft of history. Sports journalists are no different from mainstream journalists in this respect. Recent articles pertaining to sport are just as likely to be found on the front page of the newspaper as they are within the sports section and sport reporting or broadcast journalism within the area of sport is one of the fastest growing sectors within the field of broadcasting.
Print Journalism
More than 1,600 daily and 4,000 weekly newspapers are published
in the United States. Nearly all of them cover sports in some
capacity. In addition, there are more than 100 magazines devoted
entirely to sport and another 100 that focus on health, wellness,
and fitness. Working for a newspaper or magazine as a sport journalist
requires a talent for writing with speed, clarity, and accuracy.
On a daily newspaper, the deadlines often come every 24 hours.
If you are contemplating a job as a sports reporter for a newspaper
or magazine, there are a plethora of opportunities within a college
setting that would provide excellent training for eventual placement
within the field upon completing ones coursework.
Broadcast Journalism
The United States has no shortage of radio and television stations.
Broadcasting Yearbook lists almost 1,600 television stations and
nearly 11,000 radio stations. Some television stations are noncommercial
or educational while others are smaller independent stations with
no network affiliation. Most network affiliates do have local
news and as a result sports programming. All of the concerns about
writing well and quickly also apply to broadcast journalism, where
deadlines may be hourly, not daily and where stories usually have
to be presented in 30-second slots and one-minute packages.
Career paths within the field of journalism usually require several
moves from smaller markets to larger markets (i.e., smaller cities
to bigger cities). In closing it should be mentioned that sports
journalism is a highly competitive profession. Salaries are quite
low initially but tend to increase rather dramatically as one
moves toward the top of the hierarchy. The initial wages does
not seem to dampen the enthusiasm of those who pursue sports journalism
and these individuals tend to really enjoy their career choice.
Community-Based Sport
In my opinion this is one of the
fastest growing sectors within the field of sport. Community-based
sport usually focuses on actual physical participation in recreational
pursuits within the community. Across the nation, communities
have a multitude of sporting opportunities in one or both of these
categories. Many communities have organizations that encourage
participation for individuals of all ages.
Examples of organized community sponsored programs, which in turn
would provide opportunities for someone within this field, include:
- Little League Baseball
- Co-ed Recreational leagues
- Aerobic dance and Fitness classes
- Locally sponsored road races
- Municipally owned Golf Courses
- Municipally owned fields
- Municipally owned pools
Recreation/Park Director
This individual is responsible for the total operation of the
programs provided by the community. Often times responsibilities
will include the overseeing of a facility and this individual
reports directly to the designated superior (mayor, city council).
This position requires a great deal of political interaction.
Long-range planning and the establishment of goals and objectives,
budget management and budget presentation are inherent responsibilities
of the recreation director. A background in communications, business
management and finance would also be helpful in this community-related
pursuit. The YMCA, YWCA, AAU, Catholic Youth Organization, Pop
Warner Football, Youth Soccer, and Youth Ice Hockey Organizations
may provide other related opportunities.
Sports Club Management
The athletic and fitness club business is a large and growing
industry that can be broken down into three major segments. First,
there is the large segment of old-line, member-owned country clubs,
urban athletic clubs, yacht clubs, and tennis clubs. There are
over 6,000 such clubs in operation in the United States today.
Secondly, there are the owner operated, for profit health and
fitness clubs. There are between 8,000 and 10,000 of these clubs
in the United States today. Finally, there are organizations such
as the YMCA, YWCA, JCC's and community centers that are considered
to be "quasi-clubs". There are over 5,000 in operation
in the United States today. Within this industry there are also
jobs such as exercise physiologist, corporate health instructor,
sales director, Private training, strength training, marketing
specialist etc. The skills that would be helpful in gaining employment
and succeeding within this sector would vary depending upon ones
specific pursuits.
Bibliography:
Field, S. (1991). Career Opportunities
in the Sports Industry. New York, NY: Facts on File.
Parks, J.B. & Zanger, B.R.K. (1990). Sport & Fitness Management.
Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.
Parks, J. B., Zanger, B.R.K. and Quarterman J. (1998). Contemporary
Sport Management. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics.