Since its inception, no formal content analysis of the Sport Management Education Journal has been conducted. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine article characteristics, assess topic diversity, determine predominant themes and methodological frameworks, and identify editorship and authorship gender differences. A total of 185 articles published by the Sport Management Education Journal from 2007 to 2023 were analyzed. The authors found that research articles were the most prevalent. A significant relationship between gender and article type and content was identified, as women were more likely to publish research-oriented articles than men. Women also accounted for 54.1% of first authors and 48.8% of all identified authors. As the first content analysis conducted on the Sport Management Education Journal , this study provides a needed inspection of the only sport management journal committed to disseminating pedagogical knowledge.

PurposeThe purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the workplace experiences of current and former underrepresented ticket sales employees.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilized survey methodology to answer the research questions. Purposive sampling was used to identify potential respondents: individuals who were either currently employed as sport ticket sales employees or had been previously. The researchers examined online media guides from North American major league sports teams and identified ticket sales representatives who were compiled into a database and then cross-referenced through social media platform LinkedIn. Individuals were located via LinkedIn profiles and sent an anonymous, electronic survey which included a combination of Likert scale and open-ended questions regarding respondent experiences working in ticket sales departments.FindingsSurvey responses from 511 ticket salespeople revealed negative experiences related to management and career advancement opportunities, as well as significant differences in negative experiences for underrepresented populations regarding mentorship and culture.Originality/valueSport sales managers desire to expand employee diversity (Wells et al., 2019) and improve overall retention rates, but if a clear understanding of organizational vision toward diversification is not established within sports teams, managers are less likely to embrace diversity initiatives. Thus, it is imperative to understand the lived experiences of underrepresented ticket salespeople in order to improve workplace culture and effectiveness.

Sport management is a rapidly changing and highly competitive field. With over 200 graduate and over 400 undergraduate degree programs in the United States, faculty are tasked with regular assessment of their program's curriculum to ensure that students graduate with the knowledge, skills, values, and opportunities that make them marketable in a competitive marketplace. The purpose of this study was to describe and identify trends in the admission requirements, coursework, and culminating experiences for degree completion in sport management graduate programs in the United States. Content analysis was used to collect data from university websites and course catalogs on 230 sport management master's degree programs. Minimum grade point average (GPA) standards were listed for 52% of programs, 44% required test scores for admission, and 28% did not require either a test score or GPA. Law, marketing, and research methods were the only three courses required by more than 70% of programs. At least one research-related course (research methods, statistics, or sports data analytics) was required by 78% of programs. One third of programs prescribed a specific course sequence to earn a graduate degree, while two thirds provided students with options on how the degree could be completed. Only 7% of programs required students to complete a thesis, and 27.8% required a comprehensive examination.

For academic undergraduate sport management programs to thrive at the university level an understanding of curriculum issues should be fostered. Using content analysis, the purposes of the current study were to identify current demographics analysis and curricular trends of undergraduate sport management programs over the past 13 years in the United States. Logistic analysis identified areas such as department affiliation or school size that could be predictive of undergraduate sport management courses in the United States. The results will help faculty in the United States and internationally to evaluate their programs to reflect the rapid changes in the sport industry.

Purpose Sport ticket sales is often positioned as a “foot in the door” to the sport industry due to ample job opportunities, but anecdotal reports of high turnover raise questions of the efficacy of recruitment, training and retention efforts in sport sales. The purpose of this study was to determine attrition levels among entry-level ticket sales personnel, observe whether entry-level sales positions lead to other non-selling positions within sport organizations and determine if education and market related variables are related to job tenure. Design/methodology/approach LinkedIn profiles were analyzed for 1,122 entry-level ticket salespeople listed in media guides between 2015 and 2019 in the “Big Four” North American professional sports leagues. Names were obtained from 26 NBA, 21 MLB, 20 NHL and 12 NFL teams. Survival analysis provided defection rates and demonstrated the relationship between those rates and key variables. Findings One in every four entry-level ticket salespeople defected within the first year and one in every two defected within 26 months. Only 8% moved on from ticket sales to a non-sales role within the sport industry. Increases in cost of living, working for an NFL team and having sport industry experience prior to taking a sales position decreased the likelihood of defecting, while increased distance between the salesperson's university and the team's location increased the likelihood of defecting. Originality/value This study applies survival analysis to a sport human relations context to understand turnover in a specific occupational discipline and establishes the turnover rate for sport sales positions.

In 2012 the Indiana High School Athletic Association approved the Tournament Success Factor (TSF). This innovative policy was designed to improve interscholastic competitive balance by reclassifying individual teams above their enrollment based on success in their post-season tournament. To date, there have been five two-year cycles of TSF reclassifications, and some critics argue the policy unfairly penalizes the athletes on teams who must play up in classification after the successes of the predecessors. To determine if this critique was justified, as well as identify patterns and potential policy adjustments, this study investigated 93 cases of how teams performed after moving up in classification due to the TSF. Results indicated that 55.9% did not have enough post-season success at the next level in the first cycle after moving up to remain in the higher classification, and 79.5% did not by the end of two cycles. Additionally, reclassifications happen at a disproportionately high rate for private schools relative to the number of private high schools throughout the state. Historically, six and eight years prior to moving up show significant differences between teams that have some success at a higher classification and teams that demonstrated isolated success with an immediate return to a lower classification. Based on the results, it appears a reasonable policy innovation would be to increase the point value needed to trigger the move up from 6 to 7, or use a historical metric that includes TSF points over prior cycles. These changes would eliminate most of the isolated cases of success and target the most successful programs that should be competing at a higher classification, which meets the true intention and spirit of TSF.

Sales has gradually gained traction in the sport management programs over the past 15 years. This article examines the extent to which client-based experiential projects are used in sport sales courses and determines if teaching practices are different in client-based and non-client-based courses. Online survey responses were received from 36 of 85 sport management programs that offer a sport sales course. Results indicated that 58.3% of sport sales courses utilized a client-based experiential sales project. The sports properties that partner with sales classes the most are college athletics, minor league teams, and Big Five professional sports teams. Clients provided students with leads in 55% of the projects. The most popular organizational model was the independent model, which was employed by 70% of the courses engaging in a client-based project, followed by the on-campus and in-venues models. Client-based courses were more likely to use mock sales calls, guest speakers, and the Sales Huddle game. Implications for teaching client-based experiential courses are addressed.

Experiential learning has played an integral role in curricular innovation since the inception of North American sport management education. However, internationally, work-integrated learning, and specifically cooperative education, have proven to be robust methods for preparing students for the workforce with little to no mention of these terms as applied to sport management curricula in the United States. This educational research review positions involving both of these structured pedagogies that combine classroom instruction with highly contextualized, authentic work experiences of at least two semesters to improve experiential learning and calls for more research to be done to demonstrate its efficacy. Recommendations are made to spur faculty to consider ways these pedagogies can be applied to their sport management curricula. In addition, this review addresses keys to successfully implement them on campus.

Youth sports is facing a crisis that threatens the ecosystem of youth sports. Innovation—the ability to generate and execute new ideas—is needed to stem the negative tide of a declining and aging officiating pool and improve the recruitment and retention of sports officials. Without creative problem solving and innovation by many different stakeholders in youth sports, the benefits that children receive from participating in sports are threatened by the lack of qualified officials to referee competitive games and matches. This case pushes students well past the news headlines of angry parents yelling at officials and deep into several problem spaces that emerge from the application of design thinking. Students are introduced to design thinking and prompted to innovate solutions to problems framed using the design thinking process. Students can select a preidentified problem space, then work through an ideation session facilitated by the instructor.

Assessment UpdateVolume 32, Issue 4 p. 6-13 Articles Using the IUPUI Capstone Taxonomy to Design High-Impact-Practice Capstone Experiences for Graduating Students Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Tyrone McKinley FreemanSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Pierce, David PierceSearch for more papers by this authorAimee N. Zoeller, Aimee N. ZoellerSearch for more papers by this author Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Tyrone McKinley FreemanSearch for more papers by this authorDavid Pierce, David PierceSearch for more papers by this authorAimee N. Zoeller, Aimee N. ZoellerSearch for more papers by this author First published: 03 August 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/au.30220Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume32, Issue4July/August 2020Pages 6-13 RelatedInformation

COVID-19 has impacted all areas of life, and youth sports is no exception. States and counties are publishing their own unique guidelines for permitting youth sports to return over designated phases, creating a patchwork of guidelines and dates for returning to practice and games. Governing bodies, sports facilities, and event operators are creating modifications and adaptations for participants and spectators to ensure a safe environment. The Sports Innovation Institute at IUPUI, a partnership between Indiana and Purdue universities in Indianapolis, and Grand Park Sports Campus (Westfield, Ind.) collaborated to better understand how COVID-related adaptations are perceived by parents, athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators. The results provide youth sports facilities and event operators with data on how specific adaptions are received by these stakeholders who are looking to return to youth sports in a timely, but safe manner. Twelve adaptations were identified from a review of documents prepared by states, governing bodies, trade associations, media reports, and feedback from industry and academic experts. The survey questions were designed using the Kano Model (pronounced “kah-no”), which was selected due to its ability to determine how people feel about proposed adaptions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each adaption comprised three questions that assessed the respondents’ feelings toward the adaptation (functional question), their feelings if the adaptation did not exist (dysfunctional), and their assessment of how important it is for the adaptation to occur (importance). The Kano Model is interpreted based upon these three scores, and each adaptation can be placed into one of five categories on a scatterplot. The survey was distributed to 40 organizations that circulated the survey to their members. The survey reached a national audience that represents the landscape of youth sports. A total of 10,359 people from 45 states completed the entire survey, representing at least 13 different sports. Nearly 92% of respondents were parents, but with the option to select multiple roles, coaches (25%), administrators (10%), athletes (9%), and officials (3%) were also represented. Results indicated that venues and events should invest heavily and visibly in sanitization of the facility, playing areas, and equipment before, during, and after events. Venue operators and event managers can feel confident the recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to sanitize playing areas and equipment after each use will be well-received and welcomed by users. Promotion and monitoring of social-distancing guidelines, limiting personal contact between players, limiting admission to those under age 65 with no CDC-indicated pre-existing conditions, and completing a health and contact-information questionnaire prior to entering are seen by users as must-be adaptations in order for players and spectators to feel comfortable returning to youth sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. This means their presence does not bring satisfaction, but their lack of presence brings significant dissatisfaction. Respondents felt indifferent toward changing arrival and departure routines, closing amenities, and minimizing the capacity and rearranging bench areas for athletes. The presence or absence of these adaptations do not make a real difference in users’ experiences. User sentiment regarding facemasks was mixed, with strong feelings about the use and non-use of facemasks. Finally, limiting entry to athletes and game personnel but excluding spectators was not well-received by survey respondents, especially parents. Youth sports venues and events should tread lightly when considering not allowing spectators into venues, and expect negative backlash from parents should such policies be adopted. Parents of recreational athletes viewed the adaptations in a more positive light and as a more necessary part of the youth sports experience than parents of travel athletes. A similar trend was found when comparing parents who are less willing to travel during the pandemic than those who do not expect their travel to be impacted. Travel sports parents demonstrated an increasing comfort level in traveling for competitions over the summer months, from 42% in May to 76% in August. The economic turmoil wrought by COVID-19 has touched nearly every component of American life. However, 59% of travel sports parents reported that the pandemic will not negatively impact their sports travel budget. Only 23% will experience a budget decrease greater than 25% related to youth sports travel.

Students are placed into a consulting role with SPT, a sport marketing agency hired to help a sports organization create a new strategy for video content creation on social media. Students are provided a large data set in Tableau with analytics that hold the key to increasing the team’s engagement and views of videos on social media. Can your students find the insights in the data to drive a new video strategy for social media? Can they turn those insights into a creative content plan that will engage and win fans in the future? Students will have the opportunity to demonstrate creativity and innovation, data-based decision making, and digital literacy.

This paper examined the curriculum posted on program websites of sales education in undergraduate sport management programs in the United States. A sport sales course is offered by 22% of undergraduate sport management programs. Programs with Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) accreditation, located in a city, housed in a sport management or leisure department, and programs with larger student enrollments were the most likely to offer a sport sales course. A survey was also utilized better understand of how sport sales courses are being taught and uncover the perceptions of programs not offering sales. The top reasons for adding the class were the demand from the industry for qualified salespeople and a positive employment outlook. Survey results revealed that all courses were taught in a face-to-face environment with an average class size of 27, predominantly taught by a full-time faculty member in sport management. Selling in the Sport Industry authored by Pierce et al. was the most commonly used textbook. Respondents from programs not offering the course nearly universally recognized the importance of students demonstrating competence in sales by the time they graduate, and 74% reported covering sales competencies elsewhere in curriculum. Slightly over one-fourth of the programs without a sales course indicated that addition of a required class is likely in the near future. The business school was a likely place to outsource the teaching of sales competencies, with 13% of schools without a sport sales class requiring a professional selling course offered in the business school and 18% offering access to an elective. The most significant obstacle impeding the adoption of sales was the constraint posed by credit hour limits for graduation.

Limited nutrition knowledge is prevalent among all types of athletes, which is correlated with negative health consequences. Eating disorder (ED) etiology is the most documented, dire issue facing athletes, especially those in lean-emphasized sports (LES) such as gymnastics and tennis. primary contributor to ED in LES is athletes’ lack of nutrition knowledge of carbohydrates (CHO), fats, and weight management (WM). PURPOSE: To assess NCAA Division II (DII) athletes’ knowledge in distinct domains: (1) CHO, (2) fats, and (3) WM. METHODS: The Macronutrient and Energy Metabolism Expertise Survey (MEMES) was created through modification of Reagan’s NET Survey. Changes included different domains (e.g. WM questions vs. Etiology) and expanding number of questions (5 to 10). An expert panel confirmed the face and construct validity of the MEMES before it was piloted. Athletes signed informed consent and then voluntarily completed the MEMES via Qualtrics in a designated computer lab on one test date. Email reminders were sent 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day prior to test date. The criterion for “Adequate Knowledge” (AK) was set at 80% for each domain and total score correct. Pearson product moment correlations were calculated between variables (e.g. percent correct, gender, sport).| RESULTS: Eighty-eight males and eighty females completed the MEMES (35.8% return rate). Males scored significantly higher on CHO (p = 0.017) and athletes (n = 16) who reported having access to a Registered Dietitian (RD) scored significantly higher on the CHO and fat domains (p = 0.00 and 0.042, respectively). The majority (28.6%) reported “experience as an athlete” as their primary source for nutrition knowledge. The least cited source was a RD (8.9%). Also, the athletes lacked knowledge: the mean total score was 14.4 correct out of 40 or 36%, falling below the established AK of 80%. The mean of correct scores were 29.1%, 37.0%, and 41.9% for fats, CHO, and WM, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that athletes are at a high risk of health consequences such as ED. Likewise, they are likely to be misinformed about sound sports nutrition by relying on their self-knowledge rather than a professional advice from a RD. This challenges the notion that experience as an athlete is a source of nutrition knowledge.

This article outlines an opportunity for sport management instructors to integrate design thinking as a pedagogical tool into their classrooms to align with the demands of today's innovative and evolving sport industry. Design thinking enables students to become designers and to approach problems from an empathetic and creative perspective to promote innovative solutions to a wide range of problems. This article will introduce design-thinking concepts and how they align with the advancing sport management curriculum before outlining the steps required for instructors to incorporate design thinking into a sport management capstone class.

Holland's vocational choice theory is used in vocational counseling to aid job seekers in finding occupations that fit their personality based on Holland's RIASEC typology of personalities and work environments. The purpose of this research was to determine the Holland RIASEC profiles for occupations within the sport industry by having employees in intercollegiate athletics complete the Position Classification Inventory. Results indicated that the three-letter Holland code for the sport industry is SEC. The sport industry is dominated by the Social environment, evidenced by seven occupations possessing Social in the first letter of the profile and Social rating in the top two letters for all occupations. Seven occupations were primarily Social, three were Realistic, two were Enterprising, and two were Conventional. A multivariate analysis of variance was also conducted to compare differences between occupational disciplines on the six Holland environments. Implications for sport industry occupations and the application of Holland's theory are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of newly hired coaches in relation to their predecessors, and utilize the analysis to provide guidance to decision makers in college athletic departments. This study examined 185 coaching changes in Division I women’s basketball in 16 conferences between 2000 and 2009. Data were collected from online sources including institutional websites, media guides, and media articles. Latent class analysis was employed to reduce the data to one item per factor. Factors included demographics, coaching ability, coaching experience, past team performance, hiring factors (coaching level change, inside/outside hire, interim, conference affiliation), and institutional factors (public/private, demographic market area, enrollment, budget, and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics standings). Mixed models analysis was performed to identify which categories have a relationship with changes in the number of wins following a coaching change. Results suggest that past team performance was the strongest indicator of future performance after a coaching change.

The purpose of this investigation was to identify best practices in intercollegiate athletic donor relations for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Neither philanthropy research nor athletic fund-raising research presents a contemporary model of donor relations best practices. Additionally, athletic development tactics are given little attention in evidence-based literature. To investigate this topic, three rounds of the Delphi method were completed by 17 intercollegiate athletic development directors in the FBS. Forty-two best practices for donor acquisition and 38 best practices for donor retention and upgrade emerged. Implications for intercollegiate athletic development campaigns are addressed. Subscribe to JASM

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of newly hired coaches in relation to their predecessors, and utilize the analysis to provide guidance to decision makers in college athletic departments. This study examined 185 coaching changes in Division I women’s basketball in 16 conferences between 2000 and 2009. Data were collected from online sources including institutional websites, media guides, and media articles. Latent class analysis was employed to reduce the data to one item per factor. Factors included demographics, coaching ability, coaching experience, past team performance, hiring factors (coaching level change, inside/outside hire, interim, conference affiliation), and institutional factors (public/private, demographic market area, enrollment, budget, and National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics standings). Mixed models analysis was performed to identify which categories have a relationship with changes in the number of wins following a coaching change. Results suggest that past team performance was the strongest indicator of future performance after a coaching change.