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With sport now fully immersed in the era of big data, there is a need for sport managers who are data literate and, therefore, capable of collecting, managing, evaluating, and applying data to the range of problems and scenarios encountered by industry personnel. However, many in the sport management academy remain unacquainted with the development and delivery of sports analytics courses, unsure of the methods and means by which they can equip students with the necessary skills. This is particularly true in sport performance analytics, the version of sports analytics popularized in the book and movie Moneyball and representative of data analyses applied to the competitive side of sport. Although prior literature has provided pedagogical guidance for instructors in the areas of general data analytics or sport business analytics, sports analytics in this traditional sense has largely been ignored. Using the data literacy framework, this manuscript outlines procedures for designing and delivering an applied course in sport performance analytics. It further provides prospective implementers with effective instructional tools and an overview of the challenges likely to be encountered in this arena.

This essay examines the creation of a new undergraduate module on sport, tourism and heritage, at The University of Edinburgh, one based within the confines of a bachelor’s program in sport management. The author emphasizes that this is part of a growing trend toward integrating heritage (alongside history) into Scottish/U.K. sport management academia, as something which can potentially address skills and employability outcomes while still offering the opportunity to critically discuss issues in the sport industry. The creation, running, format, and content of this module is discussed, within the context of its first being offered remotely in September 2020 in between “lockdowns” during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sport management programs have a long history of incorporating experiential learning practices into curricula for the purpose of cultivating students’ practical competencies, both applied and transferable. However, research considering the concept (and value) of transferable skills in sport management education is notably absent. Therefore, the purpose of this work was to understand the salient, transferable skills that sport management students acquire during their undergraduate education and how these are applied to careers both within and outside the sports industry. This research is based on qualitative data collection intended to assess the impact of sport management education on career preparedness. Major findings include the importance of skills in the following areas: teamwork/collaboration, critical thinking/comprehension/analytical skills, general business knowledge, time management, public speaking/presenting, and leadership/management. This research offers important implications regarding the preparatory role of sport management academic programs and educators moving forward.

Guest speakers can reinforce relevance to course content in the classroom. However, integrating guest speakers in online, asynchronous settings may be challenging. To address this issue, sport management educators may utilize this activity with question submissions, guest speaker video interviews, and a cumulative review with consideration of the constructivist paradigm. As elements of constructivism are becoming prominent in higher education, students can construct their own learning and meaning from the insights of the facilitated guest speaker interviews.

Sport management programs are essential pathways by which aspiring professionals in the sport industry achieve their university education. Although a substantial segment of sport management scholarship has focused on driving for higher rates of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport industry, less attention has been paid to the sport management academy. In this study, we examine the gender representation of full-time faculty positions, publications, and research methodologies in sport management. Our results show that men are employed in higher numbers overall. In the 329 sport management programs studied, the percentages of women employed at each level are assistant professor 46.8%, associate professor 39.5%, and full professor 37%, suggesting a drop-off aligned with the concept of career derailment or a time lag in reaching equity in the discipline. Women are also less published in top sport management journals (Journal of Sport Management, European Sport Management Quarterly, and Sport Management Review). Implications of these findings are discussed, as well as future research directions.

A foundational component of sport management education is to prepare students for future employment. Research surveying employers indicated that they seek graduates with three broad types of skills: applied knowledge skills, effective relationship abilities, and workplace. Unfortunately, research also indicates that current employers are finding recent college graduates lacking in communication, interpersonal, and thinking skills. To better serve sport management students, faculty need to design opportunities to help students develop these desired skills. Using the pedagogical structure of team-based learning is one way that classrooms can be designed to assist students in the development of many of these skills while also learning how to work as part of a team.

This study examined how college students’ gender and prior participation in esports affect their perceptions of esports and esports academic programs. After collecting data from college students (N = 162), data were analyzed using 2 × 2 factorial analysis of variance to compare the influence of esports participation, gender, and the interaction effect on perception. Both esports participation, F(1, 150) = 13.78, p < .001, and gender, F(1, 150) = 4.82, p < .05, were significantly associated with esports perception. For the perception of esports academic programs, only esports participation was significant, F(1, 150) = 5.85, p < .05. Men reported positive perceptions, and this phenomenon was amplified in groups with prior esports experience. The authors suggest avenues to embrace esports in higher education, reflecting the findings of this research.