ABSTRACT

This collection of essays, written by a number of respected sport management scholars, addresses many of the challenges and issues facing today's sport management academic programs. It is intended to begin a professional and scholarly discussion to identify the best, or at least the most logical, paths to follow for sport management programs and the industry with which they are so closely aligned. Contributors, invited to participate based on their recognized areas of expertise, address specific topics using their own unique voices and writing styles.

In the ebook version, essays link to video introductions by the authors and to online discussion forums where readers can respond to the issues presented in the essays.

From the Preface: The field of sport management stands at an academic crossroads; the essays in this book address the following and other emerging questions:

Should our successful field of study continue to model other disciplines and perpetuate their successes, as well as their shortcomings, or should we determine our own specific model for academic success?

How are we doing in preparing future sport managers to perform in the industry and on the global stage?

Where do we belong in the scheme of academe?

The book's goal is to generate discussion among sport management professors, industry professionals who serve as adjunct faculty and participate on sport management program advisory boards, doctoral students who intend to teach in sport management programs, and others who explore and critique higher education in general.

chapter 1|15 pages

Moving Mountains

Encouraging A Paradigm Shift in Sport Management

chapter 3|14 pages

Sport Management Accreditation

Why It Is An Imperative Step Forward

chapter 4|15 pages

Program Rankings in Sport Management

A Critical Analysis of Benefits and Challenges

chapter 5|14 pages

Is Sport Management a Unique Discipline?

How This Question Can Inform Our Pedagogy

chapter 6|13 pages

Theory versus Practice

A Balancing Act

chapter 7|16 pages

Publish or Perish?

chapter 8|14 pages

External Funding

Getting a Piece of the Pie

chapter 9|10 pages

Academia and the Sports Industry

An Auto-Ethnography, Pracademics, and a Collaborative Model

chapter 10|8 pages

The Power of One for the Good of Many

Ethical and Moral Considerations for the Sport Manager

chapter 11|15 pages

Sport Management

Bottom Lines and Higher Callings?

chapter 12|13 pages

The Internationalization of Sport Management Academia

Rising to the Challenge

chapter 13|9 pages

Internships

Indentured Servitude or Rigorous Experiential Learning?

chapter 14|15 pages

Preparing the Next Generation of Doctoral Students

Ten Considerations to Heighten Effectiveness and Impact

chapter 15|12 pages

Welcome the Millennial Faculty

Preparing for New Programmatic Customs