The present essay aims to promote further dialogue within the sport management community about research productivity and impact by outlining various considerations that should take place within any potential ranking attempt. Some may question why examining research production and impact matters to sport management education, but the mission of many institutions of higher education is not exclusively centered on teaching and training the next generation of leaders. In many instances, sport management programs and faculty are collectively compelled by their host institution to develop theory and search for answers to important questions that can shape future sport management practices, including classroom activities and materials. In the present essay, a rationale is provided for why sport management programs and individual faculty should be interested in developing their own tailored research output and impact rankings. Next, a list of research product variables is offered for consideration, and a conversation is provided about their need and impact with respect to the uniqueness of sport management—a multi-interdisciplinary field. Finally, recommendations for the weighing of such variables to tailor an approach best suited to programs based on college or department home, faculty appointment/workload, and faculty-to-student ratio are submitted.
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Sport Management Research Productivity and Impact for Ranking Considerations
Chad Seifried, J. Michael Martinez, Yizhou Qian, Claire Zvosec, Per G. Svensson, Brian P. Soebbing, and Kwame J.A. Agyemang
What Is the Sport Industry?
Nola Agha and Jess C. Dixon
Women and Men Professors as Role Models and Their Effect on Academics’ Career Decisions
Lara Lesch, Katrin Scharfenkamp, and Pamela Wicker
This study investigated the perception of role model attributes of women and men sport professors, how these attributes influence the choice of academic role models, and how such role models affect career objectives. The study draws on social cognitive (career) theory. Data were collected with a quantitative online survey (N = 792) targeted at major students (under- and postgraduate [n = 515], doctoral [n = 122]), and faculty members (postdoc researchers [n = 43] and professors [n = 112]), in sport management/economics/sociology or a general sports-science program in different countries. Data were analyzed by mean comparisons and regression analyses. The results suggest that women perceive women professors as more competent and as better teachers. Women perceive more similarity with women professors, and the intention to imitate the role model seems to influence both women and men in their role model choice. Women’s interest in an academic career is positively impacted by women and men role models, while men’s career objectives are only influenced by men professors. Implications of the study are that the applied theoretical framework is appropriate for investigating both women’s and men’s role models and career objectives. Furthermore, the study helps academic policymakers and sport faculty members to understand the importance of professors as role models.
Volume 18 (2024): Issue 1 (Apr 2024)
Utilizing Specification Grading in Sport Management Classes
Kimberly L. Fierke
This paper discusses the use of specification grading in sport management courses. The process organizes assignments around grading bundles and evaluates students as either Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory in meeting each assignment. A token system is created to provide flexibility to the students. There are advantages to using specification grading. For example, it empowers students to choose their grade, reduces stress and worry over “points,” allows students the opportunity to resubmit Unsatisfactory assignments, and provides a sense of freedom to the instructor through the feedback to students. This paper explores the process of creating the specification grading method in a class and reflecting on implementation and utilization of the method in undergraduate sport management classes.
Erratum. Volunteerism During COVID-19: Sport Management Students’ Career Interests Against Public Health Risks
Sport Management Education Journal
Volunteerism During COVID-19: Sport Management Students’ Career Interests Against Public Health Risks
Kyu-soo Chung, Jennifer Willet, B. Christine Green, and Nari Shin
Employing the theory of planned behavior, this study aimed to identify how sport management students’ intentions to volunteer for a sporting event were affected by their COVID-19 preventive health factors and social consciousness. From eight U.S. universities, 415 sport management students responded to a self-administered online survey. Collected data were analyzed via hierarchical regression modeling. While the students’ health literacy and susceptibility affected their intentions positively, their social consciousness played a crucial role in producing low intentions to volunteer for a sporting event. Sport management educators should include more hands-on activities in the curriculum and collaborate with local sport agencies to provide diverse experiential learning opportunities while students comply with the health guidelines.
Utilitarianism, Sport Mega-Events, and Pandemic Protocols: A Case Scenario for Teaching Utilitarianism in Sport Ethics and Event Management
Chuck Provencio
Sport managers need to make decisions that have moral implications on a regular basis, and applying their theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios is an essential skill in the field. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory that focuses on maximizing the production of good. The purpose of this case is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about utilitarianism (including act and rule utilitarianism) and engage in class discussions surrounding the case of pandemic protocols in sport organizations. A brief and general overview of pandemic protocols used in the sport industry is provided alongside discussion questions designed to challenge students with the application of utilitarian principles to their decision making. The case also provides a teaching note with discussion topics and potential responses.
Exercising Empathy in the Sport Management Classroom: The True Flipped Classroom
James Strode
Many universities focus on improving pedagogy through training sessions related to technology and assessment. However, what is missing is an emphasis on the humanistic side of teaching, specifically emphasizing empathy in the classroom. This essay makes an argument for faculty to employ empathy in their teaching. Empathy is a learned behavior that motivated faculty can develop and enhance to better serve students. Empathetic teaching is critical for sport management professors due to the numerous challenges and stressors students face, notwithstanding the competitive sport job market. The essay concludes with a novel example of the lessons faculty can employ using knowledge of the motivations of attending a concert to help create an empathetic classroom experience.
