Leadership and Critical Thinking in Sport Management (3 units)
Development of critical thinking skills necessary for success in the professional workplace. Specific examples in the sport industry and a survey of the sport marketplace will be examined. Among the skills to be analyzed and developed: effective communication; decision making; work environment analysis; political awareness; goal setting and risk taking. Exploratory research regarding opportunities in the sport industry. Case studies from professional and collegiate sports, fitness and sport marketing industries will also be included. The role of ethics in leadership.
Sport Marketing (3 units)
Foundations of consumer behavior and sport marketing planning. Design and implementation of marketing plans. The integration of product, pricing, promotion, distribution, sales, sponsorship, advertising, and brand in the marketing of sport goods and services. Analysis of leagues, teams, events, properties, corporations, and manufacturers. The role of ethics in sport marketing.
Accounting and Budgeting in Sport (3 units)
Financial statement analysis and business plan development. Principles of budgeting including types, designs, for-profit, and non-profit. Applied budgeting for events, facilities, professional, university, and recreation. Cost-profit-volume analysis and breakeven analysis. Pro and collegiate sports accounting techniques including transfer pricing and depreciation. The role of ethics in sports-related accounting.
Sport Business Research (3 units)
Principles and techniques of business research including, development of research objectives, theories, hypotheses, review of existing research, methodologies, and data analysis. The course will also cover survey design, descriptive techniques, primary and secondary data collection, statistical analysis, hypothesis testing, report writing, and the role of ethics in business research.
Sport Economics and Finance (3 units)
Analysis of supply and demand, market equilibrium, price and quantity as they pertain to sport. Market structure of sport leagues and study of competitive balance, revenue sharing, and salary caps. Techniques of economic impact and feasibility studies, valuation of sport assets, and financial analysis. Reasons for and methods of government sport venue financing. The role of ethics in sport economics and finance.
Business Development and Sales in Sport (3 units)
This course offers a comprehensive understanding of business development and the sales process in the sport industry. Beginning with a fundamental overview of business development and sales theory and strategy, the course then provides sport specific insight into negotiation in the sport sponsorship process as well as ticket sales department structure, techniques, and strategies. The role of ethics in business development and sales will be discussed.
Sport Law (2 units)
Foundations of the legal system and legal research. State, federal, and organizational regulation specific to sport. Focus on contract law, tort liability and negligence, constitutional law and discrimination, antitrust law, agency law, labor law and collective bargaining. Skills focus on contract development, dispute resolution, management of risk. The role of ethics in sport law.
Strategic Management in Sport (3 units)
Strategic management and human resources. Understanding the value chain, competitive forces that affect a firm, factors affect each force, strategic choices including low-cost leader and differentiated products, methods to achieve each strategic choice. Also, understanding groups and teams, negotiation, resource allocation, governance, recruitment of employees, training and development, employee motivation and compensation. The role of ethics in strategic management and human resources.
Managing Sport in a Dynamic Environment (3 units)
This course embraces the concept that successful strategies for managing ideas, people, and organizations are constantly changing. The flexibility of the course allows it to offer topics which may change from year to year such as sport culture and commerce, personnel management, sociology of sport, and customer relationship management.
Internship in Sport Management (4 units)
Professional experience through practicum or internship in sport industry. Positions in professional sports, intercollegiate sports, health and fitness clubs, arenas and stadiums, sport marketing and management firms, and other sport entities. Directed and evaluated by a faculty member with supervision of an on-site professional. Students complete an analysis paper, and oral summary presentation.
Master's Project (4 units)
Students propose, develop, and write a Master's Project demonstrating research skills and an integrated understanding of sport management. The goal of the project is to apply the cumulative curricular experiences to the research project that is consistent with the objectives of the student. This course is optional and can be taken instead of two elective courses.
The Master's Project provides a unique culminating experience for Sport Management students during their last semester in residence. Students propose, develop, and write a Master's Project that demonstrates research skills and an integrated understanding of Sport Management, relative to the area of their professional future. The Master's Project is a four-unit course and is optional. Students who choose not to take the Master's Project can take two additional elective courses.
The Master's Project provides a supportive setting for students to share their work with other students as it develops and is refined. The cohort group is divided into smaller working groups that define more intimate seminar course sections, based on interest and the area of the students' Master's Projects. In these more intimate Seminar Groups, students receive guidance from an experienced seminar instructor who serves as the Master's Project Advisor. In the course of developing and researching the topic that will be the focus of the Master's Project students are encouraged to consult with members of our faculty and to seek guidance and information from professionals in the sport industry.
The goal of the Master's Project is to apply the cumulative curricular experiences to the professional objectives of the student. The Master's Project may take the form of either a major research paper or professional document, such as a comprehensive business or financial plan, grant proposal, or market research study. Because the vast proportion of these projects have real world applicability, The Master's Project provides an important element in distinguishing students in The Master's Program to professionals in the sport industry. With a completed Master's Project, students may demonstrate advanced level knowledge, analytical skills, and writing abilities to prospective employers. Beyond this, a polished Master's Project signals to the professional sport community that students in The Master's Program are ready to meet the challenges of professional advancement.
Students should begin thinking about and researching the topic of their Master's Project at the beginning of the second year in residence. As the student begins the process of defining The Master's Project topic, consultation should take place with one of the Director's, faculty members, internship site supervisors, and relevant professionals in the market niche that surrounds the project.
A sample of Master's Project titles submitted by students include:
- Rationalizing NBA Performance Statistics: Quantifying Winning Percentage, Offense and Defense
- Sponsor Placement in Televised Sporting Events
- Factors Influencing Sport-Specific Camp Enrollment
- Our National Obsession: An Examination of Sport, Nationalism and Globalization in South Australia
- Understanding Sport Philanthropic Partnerships: An Exploration of the Oakland Raiders Teaming Up with Toys For Tots
- Understanding the Sport Sponsorship Process: A Japanese Corporate Perspective
- Division I-A Athletic Directors' Perceptions of the Academic Component of the Champs/Life Skills Program
- Influences Contributing to Childhood Obesity in the Pacific Northwest
- MMA: The Ultimate Fighting Perception
- Do the Six Pro Teams in the Bay Area Compete for Fans?
- Membership Attraction and Retention Factors in the Contemporary Fitness Center
