Lessons for Sport Administrators

The following Prescriptions are taken from the article:

Soucie, D. (1994). Effective Managerial Leadership in Sport Organizations. Journal of Sport Management, 8, pp 1-13.

Prescription 1: Develop and use a variety of internal and external, formal and informal, power bases.
Prescription 2: Cultivate large networks of contacts.
Prescription 3: Learn how the political system works in and around your organization
Prescription 4: Secure a minimum amount of hierarchical position power.
Prescription 5: Provide appropriate benefits and treat subordinates in a fair and considerate manner.
Prescription 6: Select influence tactics that are appropriate for the situation.
Prescription 7: Select problems judiciously and concentrate on successfully solving the big and important problems in your organization.
Prescription 8: Clarify role demands and expectations
Prescription 9: Learn to know yourself, capitalize on your strengths, compensate for mistakes, learn from surprises and failures, and work on your weaker traits and skills.
Prescription 10: Develop long-term objectives for self-improvement that focus on balance.
Prescription 11: Maintain a positive attitude toward your boss and your board of directors.
Prescription 12: Develop and nuture favorable interpersonal relationships with subordinates, peers, superiors, and outsiders, and be connected to the world around you.
Prescription 13: Maintain a balanced concern for the needs of the organization and those of people within the organization.
Prescription 14: Understand and appreciate the demands of subordinates and clients, and fully appraise constraints and limitations inherent to each situation before taking action.
Prescription 15: Be persistent and consistent in the pursuit of a vision for your sport organization.
Prescription 16: Be congruent, live up to the values you hold, and manage by example.
Prescription 17: Believe in people, delegate, and be prepared to share power.

I hope that when/if I ever become a sport administrator, I follow the above 17 prescriptions. I think that all of these prescriptions can be used in non-sport application as well.

Goalball

I learned about a sport today that I have always wanted to learn more about: Goalball. Goalball was invented in 1946 by Austrian, Hanz Lorenzen, and German Sepp Reindle, in an effort to help in the rehabilitation of blinded war veterans. This sport was specifically designed for the visually impaired and was not adapted like other sports available to the visually impaired. It is a Paralympic sport that was introduced to the games at the 1976 Toronto Games.

I find it interesting that this sport is able to focus on the athletes abilities as opposed to dwell on their disabilities. Goalball has taken vision completely out of the sport, and the athlete must rely completely on his/her sense of hearing and touch as well as instinct to compete.

I was able to try this sport, and I put on a mask just as any other Goalball athlete would do to completely take away my vision. I realized how much I rely on my vision for simple things such as orienting up and down. I can appreciate how these athletes are truely amazing.

March Madness vs. CIS basketball championships

I am currently writing a paper for my Political Economy of Sport class on the importance of keeping the student-athlete distinction in Canadian universities. With March Madness all over CBS ,SportsNet, and sports news channels all weekend, plus the talk about everyone's brackets getting messed up, it makes you think about how different the NCAA is from the CIS.

Last weekend in university/college basketball, Carleton beat Concordia to three-peat as CIS basketball champions, but there was probably more buzz about Vermont (14) beating Syracuse (3), Bucknell (14) beating Kansas (3), and NC State (10) over Charlotte (7) and Connecticut (2) in the NCAA basketball tournament than Carleton winning its 78th consecutive game (regular and post-season).

Should Canadian universities entertain thoughts of heading down the same path as NCAA Divison I schools of what Murray Sperber (2000) termed "Beer and Circus" where big-time college sports are taking over undergraduate education?

-----
If you are interested in college athletics and academics, then Murray Sperber's book: Beer and Circus: How big time college sports is crippling undergraduate education. New York: Henry Holt, 2000., is a great read. Although it is American based, it really opens your eyes.

Sport Administration?

I am currently completing the first year of my Master's degree in Human Kinetics - Sports Administration. Although my first degree was in Systems Design Engineering, I feel that my calling maybe more sport related.

During the first class of each our courses, we would go around and introduce ourselves. Whenever it was my turn, I was always given a few funny looks when I said that my first degree was in Engineering instead of the usual: Physical Education, Kinesiology or Human Kinetics. But with my volunteer activities, I have been able to live through the sport administration experience.

During this first year, we have studied a wide variety of topics with respect to sport administration and the Canadian Sport System. There are some topics that I was more drawn to than others, but I am still not 100% sure whether or not sport administration is really where I want to go.

I am hoping to use this forum as a sounding board for interesting topics that intrigue me, so that I can find a focus. I am still considering pursuing a PhD after I finish my Master's, but I would have to find an area of focus.

Currently my interests lie in:
- Local Sport Organizations (ex/ OCUA - the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association)
- Event Management
- the Olympics
- Delivery of Recreation and Leisure programs
- Sport Volunteerism
- Canadian student-athletes
- Ultimate frisbee