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Letter From the Editor
Joshua R. Pate
The Impact of Short-Term Mega Sporting Event Experiences on Student Learning
Andrea Buenaño, Stacy Warner, and E. Whitney G. Moore
Short-term mega sporting events provide an opportunity for students to not only gain a memorable career experience but also enhance student skills and learning. However, very few (if any) researchers have explored students’ confidence related to key skills before and after such an event. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the effect of experiential learning at the National Football League’s 2023 Super Bowl LVII mega event on students’ learning outcomes. Students (N = 103) responded to an online survey distributed to assess their self-confidence across 18 learning-outcome skills covering problem solving, communication, sport-industry knowledge, and professional development. Each dependent-sample t test done to examine the students’ self-confidence with the individual learning outcome skills was significant (p < .001) and had meaningfully increased (Cohen’s d range: 0.47–0.97) from pre- to postevent. The results suggest that students can experience a notable increase in self-confidence when volunteering at a short-term mega sporting event. From a practical standpoint, the results provide sport management educators with strong evidence of the meaningful student learning related to problem solving, communication, sport-industry knowledge, and professional development that can occur with a single short-term mega-event experience.
A Proposal for Improving Student-Athletes’ Mental Health Through Leadership Training
Elizabeth A. Gregg, Matthew Ohlson, Ana Roman Dominguez, and Sydnie Steele
Student-athletes face a variety of stressors and are at risk for mental health issues, particularly with “name, image, and likeness” issues creating new pressures and distractions. This article outlines a leadership development program geared toward student-athletes and the enrichment of their mental health. The courricular content described within includes self-development material delivered by faculty in a team context. Early findings indicate that the Positive Leadership Program appears to make impactful improvements in mental health outcomes and can be introduced into sport management curricula.
Potential Barriers and Pathways to Professional Development in Sport Management: Should Internships Be the Gold Standard?
Jessica R. Braunstein-Minkove, Nicolo Russolillo, and Lorie Logan-Bennett
Due to increased industry demands for specialized experience, students and sport industry professionals alike often feel stifled during the job search process. As a result, practices have been absorbed into the curriculum to provide this link to future employability, with a distinct focus on internships. Therefore, if we seek to create a diverse workforce that more closely represents the individuals that we both see and serve, we must assess the primary practice used for professional development in sport management. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to explore both barriers and pathways that sport management students face when participating in for-credit internships. To do so, a mixed-methods, two-phased, approach was adopted. Results indicate primary barriers in the areas of lack of time and the competitive nature of the sport management internships.
Proactive Autonomous Assignments as Pedagogical Responses to the Rise of Artificial Intelligence Solutions in Sport Management Teaching Practice
Antti Kauppinen
Introducing ChatGPT offered higher education students a chance to use artificial intelligence to automatically generate assignment texts, and some might cheat in behaviorist tasks by using generative artificial intelligence. However, the introduction of ChatGPT could also lead instructors to expect more (rather than less) academic integrity in terms of their students’ assignment preparation. That is especially crucial in sport management education, where many instructors apply experiential learning. This essay suggests theory-driven content for proactive autonomous project assignments, addressing some students applying ChatGPT when generating experiential assignment content. The target of such projects is to ensure the greatest possible academic integrity and that students perceive a satisfactory return on their resources invested in education.
Erratum. Sport Management Research Productivity and Impact for Ranking Considerations
Sport Management Education Journal
What Is the Sport Industry?
Nola Agha and Jess C. Dixon
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
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.
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.
