Sports Management Major

I was reading an article “Can Graduates of Sports Management Programs Score?” In the article Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban discuss the growth of the Sports Management program and how many more schools are offering the program than ever before. According to Mark Cuban everyone with a sports obsession wants to work for their favorite team therefore more people are interested in a Sports Management Master’s degree creating more demand and more program offerings.  

                With so much demand it makes a lot of competition. Especially when interested in operation ( GM & Coaching) positions you are competing with other graduates as well as former athletes. With demand and so much interest in these desirable jobs sports teams can pay much less than companies that have less desirable jobs.

                According to the article a survey was conducted by Sports Business International and the average salary for a graduate with a Masters degree in Sports Management 3 years after graduation was $48,000 for 2015 graduates. According to a May 2015 survey the median starting salary expected for 2015 MBA graduates is 100,000.

                I found this article to be interesting. It is true that if a job is in high demand the employer can pay you less because they have so many people willing to work for the low salary. After spending a couple of years working in sports I know that a lot of people will work in sports and make less for the experience rather than take a higher paying job. In my opinion it’s not all about the money. When you do what you love you will be happy.  The same goes for school if you take a major you love you will enjoy it. Its best to follow your passions. You can move on when the time is right but no one can take away your experiences.

Source: http://observer.com/2016/01/can-graduates-of-sports-management-programs-score/

Bigger Than Us MLK Day

                Today on Martin Luther King Day, Portland Trailblazers Damian Lillard debuted a video for his song inspired by everything he sees going on around us in the world today. The song by Damian Lillard is called “Bigger than Us” this is a great song and a great video with a very powerful message.  According to an article I read from USA today “Damian Lillard’s new rap video is hope for racial harmony” Lillard wants to use the platform he has as being a NBA superstar for a greater good and be a role model for other people.

“I was inspired by all the things going on around us, I felt like it was important that it was addressed," Lillard told USA TODAY Sports. "It affects all of us, whether in a positive or negative way. For someone with my platform, I felt like it was a great opportunity to express that. I'm not on either side. You know, I think that when we stand together, a lot more can be accomplished."

It is amazing to see an athlete using his talent and platform to be a positive role model and set a positive influence. Lillard is an amazing person and takes his status and the impact it has on others seriously. I really enjoyed the message in his song because he didn’t take a side or point fingers but challenged everyone to look at themselves and see how they can be a better them. Lillard stated

 “It's the same thing as a basketball team, if you have two guys who want to do one thing and two guys who want to do something else, the team won't be as strong. But if we're all on the same page, if we all believe the same thing, if we're all going in the same direction, then we're stronger. I see the same thing for the world."

I hope Lillard continues to make positive music and stay a great role model. I hope more athletes follow his path and stand up as strong role models. Athletes have a lot of influence and a lot of power to help the community. 

Link to video below: Watch and Share

 http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/blazers/2016/01/18/damian-lillard-rap-bigger-than-us-trail-blazers/78943604/

Athletes Are A Representation Of The League

I recently read an article about Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes being fined $35,000 by the NBA for a comment he made during a pre- game interview. The league felt Matt Barnes comment was condoning violence. When asked about an altercation Barnes had with New York Knicks coach Derek Fischer he responded:

“Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it is. And unfortunately, it happened.

"I don't regret it. Like, man to man knows who's wrong and who's right. The NBA decided to step in and did what they did. But it is what it is."

As an athlete players are role models and they also are a representation of the league. They must be mindful of everything they do and everything they say. Everything they do is being watched and they must always carry themselves in a professional manner. I agree that athletes should be fined and penalized when they are acting or speaking out of order. The league must have strict rules and harsh penalties to ensure professionalism. The NBA is a huge business that generates a lot of money therefore everyone associated must always conduct themselves as a professional.

When I was reading this article the first question that came to my mind was what was the question asked to Barnes that made him respond with this answer?

Athletes are penalized for saying certain things but the reporters are asking the questions and they have to do the interviews so why penalize them for being honest. No one is perfect and everyone is going to have different opinions about different topics so how can you penalize someone for not saying what you want them to say. I agree that athletes should be penalized when acting out of order but the NBA should speak with the reporters and have them asking questions that only pertain to the sport and the game as opposed to outside drama. If you are asking a questions you should expect someone to answer with an honest response. Don’t ask the questions if you are not going to be okay with the response.

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/01/17/matt-barnes-derek-fisher-incident-nba-fine-condoning-violence

The Influence Of Social Media In Sports

Social media is extremely powerful in today’s society.  It seems like every couple of years a new social network is created that makes it even easier for people to connect with people they wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to connect with.  

Socially media can be used for good. In many cases people are connecting with new opportunities, old friends and distant family. But, sometimes people use social media for cruel purposes. Many people use social media as a platform to offend people and tear other people down. It’s easier to say mean things when hiding behind a computer. Social media gives people a platform to be whoever they want to be and say whatever they want to say, sometime even anonymously.

I read an article “LeBron James is on fire, and he says one criticism on social media urged him to fix his biggest weakness.”  This article talks about how LeBron James saw a tweet online calling him the worst high volume shooter from outside the paint. This tweet affected LeBron James so much that he was determined to working on his shooting.  LeBron stated

“I actually saw it on my Instagram feed that I was the worst- shooting player in the NBA. I actually saw that when I woke up from a nap. I remember exactly when that was. Denver. Right before the Denver game, so I answered the call… It doesn’t bother me. It put me back in the gym.”

What was tweeted as criticism ultimately turned into motivation in this situation. But, what was amazing to me was that this guy on social media was not a coach, not an analyst, not a friend or family member to LeBron. But yet his tweet reached him and made an impact on him.  It makes me wonder how many post athletes see every day and after each game. It must be hard to live in a world having to deal with so many opinions and reactions on a daily basis. Although, athletes are in a public spotlight and must adjust to dealing with adverse opinions how much access is too much?

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/lebron-james-says-tweet-made-him-fix-shooting-2016-1

When to leave the Game ??

I recently read an article that stated Baron Davis will be returning to sports. Baron Davis is very excited to sign a contract to join the NBA Development league. I found this to be very interesting given Davis being 36 years old and having a successful NBA career. The amount the D league pay is an insult when compared to the NBA.

 Davis joined the NBA in 1999 as a 3rd round pick. During his time in the NBA he had been considered an All Star making the NBA All Star team twice. Davis played in the NBA for 13 years which I would consider a solid NBA career considering the average length of a NBA career is under 5 years. Davis made $147 million during his NBA career and will make between $13,000-$25,000 per season with the D-league. What would make a 13-year, 2 time NBA All Star vet sign up to make $25,000 or under in a lower lever league?

                Many times athletes have a hard time giving up basketball and stepping away from the sport. It's a hard adjustment for the majority of athletes to step away from the game. Athletes begin prepping for a career in sports from a young age and sometimes the game is all they really know. Athletes become accustom to games daily, exercising daily, having so much attention and always being in the spotlight. When the athlete career comes to an end due to injury or age it can be very hard for athletes to cope with. 

Many athletes stay connected to the sport in some form by coaching, mentoring or by working for a team in recruitment or basketball operations. Although most athletes will stay in the sport in some form it's still really hard for most to step away from the actual title of basketball player.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/baron-davis-to-sign-d-league-contract-001850710.html

Hip Hop the lifestyle

In the images viewed on the power point you see Allen Iverson who is portrayed as ghetto and you see the ESPN cover that states “The BAD Boys are BACK”. What makes an individual bad? Is it the way they dress, the neighborhood they grew up in, or is it the color of your skin?
On October 17, 2005 David Stern implemented a dress code for the NBA that banned clothing associated with the hip hop culture.
In different neighborhoods and among different races people grow up with different ways of living. The way you grow up and the neighborhood you grow up in usually shape the music you listen to, the television programs and movies you watch, the way you dress, the sports you play and how you defend yourself. In many urban neighborhoods adolescents grow up listening to rap and hip hop music. Boys want to bling like the rappers and girls want to be pretty and have sex appeal like the video models. On television there’s a whole network geared toward this culture that represents black people and how black people dress, the music black people listen to and the programs black people watch. The reading Basketball's Ghettocentric Logic by David L. Andrews and Michael Silk states
“The NBA’s new racial order exists and operates between and beyond both the racially neutered populism of the Jordan script ( Willis, 1991), and the racially demonized “ hip-hop… ghetto mentality” of the generation that succeeded him on the basketball court ( Leonard, 2004 2006b, p.158; Markovitz, 2006; Tucker, 2003). “
Why is a culture, the way people dress, talk and look seen as ghetto? When is it okay to be ghetto? Is playing basketball ghetto? Is rapping ghetto? Is hip hop dancing ghetto? These are all aspects of the hip hop culture learned and taught in urban neighborhoods.
In urban neighborhoods recreational activities are expensive and not affordable. Basketball and rapping are inexpensive recreational activities. To play basketball all you need to buy is a basketball and to rap all you need to buy is a notebook therefore young men in poorer neighborhoods start playing basketball and rapping at a young age. In the so called “Ghetto” all the boys play basketball and all the boys are rappers. Basketball and rapping is a way for boys to bond together and have fun. If you’re good you develop popularity.
This idea of rapping and playing basketball is seen as the only way of making it out of the “Ghetto”. It is a great idea to want more and want to have a better life for yourself and your family the only problem is in the “hood” you don’t live next door to doctors, lawyers and professors. Children in the “Ghetto” are not exposed to successful educated black people but when they turn on the television they are exposed to “ghetto” uneducated rich black athletes and rappers. This is seen as an attainable goal in the so called “Hood”. Rapping and basketball is seen as a means to an end. It’s seen as the only way to come up and positively make lots of money to support yourself and your family. Since all the little black boys in the urban neighborhoods are basketball players and rappers it creates lots of competition. Everyone cannot make it as a basketball player or a rapper so for the ones who don’t what are they left to fall back on? What else does playing basketball and rapping all your life prepare you for?
In 2006, the NBA eligibility rule changed declaring that players must have one year out of High School to be eligible for the draft. I would like to see players have to get a degree to be eligible to play in the NBA. The reason I feel this way is because boys are growing up with the automatic assumption that they can play in the NBA when they grow up left with no skills when that dream doesn’t pan out to reality. If players are required to get a degree they will be told at a young age “you know if you want to be a NBA star you need to get good grades so you can go to college and get a degree to become a NBA star.” If this was the case and all NBA players had a degree would they still be seen as ghetto?
Why is the image of ghetto the only image displayed by media for the players in the league? The fights are quick to be broadcasted but what about the charity work and community service done by the teams? Why does ESPN show the BAD Boys of the NBA on the cover of the magazine instead of the individual organizations the players have to help children and people in need?

Black women and sports

Paper Topic-

The lack of black women in executive positions of professional sport organizations

Overview-

This paper will compare the relationship of gender and race to sport and hiring. The paper will examine why black women are the least represented group in sport management. Minorities make up a small percentage of executives in professional sport organizations.

From the organizational perspective, are professional sport organizations against hiring minorities?  Do professional sport organizations view sports management as a white male club only for white men with a few minor exceptions? The NFL has taken steps to increase minority hiring by hiring more black men but the hiring of women has not increased. With so many athletes being black men one would assume that many of the executives will also be black men but if black men are not holding these positions what does it say about black women and how hard it will be for black women to receive an executive position in a white male dominated sport organization?

From the perspective of black women, are black women intimidated to work in the male dominated field of sports? Could the lack of black women in sports be due to black women being afraid that the sports industry is competitive and choose not to give it a try? Or could it be a lack of interest? Are women interested in working in sports? Are women not applying for these sport positions and therefore not being hired into these companies.

Outline

I.                   Introduction- 

Black women hold the least amount of executive positions in professional sport organizations. Is it a coincidence that white men are the top executives in sports management followed by black men, white women and black women last? This paper aim is to examine black women in sports from two perspectives the organizations perspective and also the perspective of black females.

II.                Sports and hiring

1.      The history of hiring in sports

a.       NBA

b.      NFL

c.       MLB

d.      WNBA

e.       College Sports

III.             Men and sports

1.      Black men and the meaning of sports

2.      Black men and the meaning of sport compared to white men and the meaning of sport.

3.     

4.      Black men as professional athletes

5.      Black men as executives in sport

6.      Male attitudes toward women in sport

IV.             Women and sports

1.      Women and their relationship to sports

2.      White women relationship to sports compared to black women relationship to sports.

3.       Women relationship to sport compared to male relationships to sport.

4.      Female attitudes toward working in sport.

V.                The barriers of pursuing a career in sports for minorities

1.      White men make up the majority

a.       People want to feel comfortable at work not like an outcast.

b.      Feeling out of place and intimidated

2.      The representation of women in sports

a.       The women represented in sports are always beautiful.

b.      Women are not respected in sports.

c.       Men dominate sports.

VI.             The interest black women have in pursuing a career in sports

a.       Interest

b.      Opportunity

c.       Discouragements

VII.          Sport organization diversity improvements/ lack of improvements

a.       NBA

b.      NFL

c.       MLB

d.      WNBA

e.       College Sports

VIII.       Conclusion-

My theory is that the lack of women in sport is due to a combination of lack of interest in pursuing a career in sport, lack of opportunity and intimidation.  Based on research this paper will examine if this theory is true or false.

References

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