Transcript Principles & Practice of Sport Management

Chapter 7
High School
and
Youth Sports
Introduction
• High numbers of children participate in
youth/school sports.
• Athletics provide positive influences on
adolescents at a crucial juncture of their lives.
• School and youth sports are the most influential
sport programs in the United States.
– Reflects directly on the importance Americans
place on involving youth in sport activities
History: School Sports
• Youth athletic participation predates formation of
United States and signing of U.S. Constitution.
• Formally organized youth educational athletic
participation did not emerge until mid-19th
century.
• Schools and other agencies promoted sport
participation to aid in solving broad social
problems such as ill health and juvenile
delinquency.
History: School Sports (cont.)
• Public schools were slow to embrace value
of exercise and play, but private schools
recognized value much earlier.
• Students organized games at college level.
• Athletics were incorporated into school
curricula (New York, Illinois, Wisconsin).
• Boston-area schools formed Interscholastic
Football Association in 1888.
History: Twentieth Century
• Progressive Movement
– Educators touted athletics as tool to prepare for
rigors of modern life and democracy and to
assimilate immigrants into American culture
– Promoted child welfare by advocating for
increased playground space
– Promoted formalized public school athletics as
an antidote to regimented physical education
curricula
History: Twentieth Century (cont.)
• Period during and just after World War I
– School sports for males were promoted as a
source of physical training for armed forces
• Sports resulted in boost in school retention and
graduation rates
• Athletics became entrenched in schools and
educators took control of athletics from students
• Dr. Dudley Sargent, James Naismith, and Amos
Alonzo Stagg
– Significant contributions toward meeting
instructional and curricular development needs
History: Nonschool
• YMCA: Most prominent private agency to
promote youth athletics (Young Men’s Christian
Association)
• 1930–1950s: YMCA branches were opened in
suburban areas that allowed female members
• Financial calamities of Great Depression of 1930s
launched unprecedented governmental
involvement in recreation
Governance: National Federation of
State High School Associations
• National coordinator for high school sports, plus
activities such as music, debate, theater, and
student council
• Encompasses 50 state high school athletics and
activity associations, as well as District of
Columbia, Bermuda, Guam, St. Croix, St.
Thomas, St. John, and 10 Canadian provinces
• Coordinates official certification
• Issues playing rules; holds national conferences
and competitions; acts as advocate/lobbying agent
Governance: National Federation of
State High School Associations (cont.)
• Structure
– National Council
• Legislative body
• One representative from each association
– Board of Directors
• 12 member panel elected from National Council
• Oversees budgets, committees, exec. Director
– Administrative Staff
• 50 people; day to day operations
Governance: State Associations
• Replicate NFHSA model
• Organize state championships and competitions in
athletics and activities
• Final authority in determining athlete eligibility
• The scope of activities, the size of full-time
administrative and support staff, and the number
of schools represented vary from state to state
Governance: National Youth League
Organizations
• Focus administrative efforts on promoting
participation in a particular sports among children
(e.g., Little League Baseball)
• Require strict adherence to administrative
guidelines: Standardized field size; use of
uniforms and a draft system; promote adult
supervision and safe play
Career Opportunities: School
Athletic/Youth League Director
• Responsibilities
– Hiring, supervising, and evaluating coaches
– Coordinating facets of contest management,
including hiring and paying of officials and
event staff
– Departmental/league training and
disciplinary policies
Career Opportunities: School
Athletic/Youth League Director (cont.)
• Responsibilities
– Determining departmental/league budgets
– Overseeing all associated fund-raising
– Determining and verifying game
scheduling and athlete eligibility
– Transmitting relevant publicity and
handling public relations
Career Opportunities: Coach/Trainer
• Coach
– Face complex human resource issues
– Deal with pressure
– Long hours with little or no pay
– Most must pass certification
• Trainer
– Important to avoid litigation
Career Opportunities: Officials/Judges
• Employed by schools and leagues but are
considered independent contractors because
school or league exhibits no supervisory capacity
over the official
• May require certification from national, state, and
local sanctioning organizations
• Use of unprofessional personnel (volunteers) can
leave a league liable for litigation for the actions
of these individuals
Management
• Issues:
– Increased pressure to win
• Leading to obesity (Brockton football) and more injuries
(women’s soccer)
• Players want to play and see opportunities to play in college
• Up to coaches to provide safe environment
– Equipment (using right ones, maintaining)
– Actual play (not playing in bad weather, minimizing
physical mismatches, etc.)
• Evaluating coaches important
– Consistent performance reviews
Financial
• Although school and youth sport organizations are
not-for-profit enterprises, this does not mean that
associated programs are not concerned with
controlling costs and maintaining balanced
budgets
• 2008 Economic downturn led to tighter budgets
– Cancellation of local sports
– Pay-for-play
Marketing
• Corporations use youth sports to profit
– Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex
• Expanding of opportunities draws more
students
– Bass Fishing
Ethics
• Drug use more prevalent in youth sports
– Testing has high costs
– Students feel impervious to risk, enjoy
challenging authority
• Administrators are responsible for ensuring
that athletic programs treat boys and girls
equally and ethically
– Suburban rates equal; urban rates behind
Legal
• Codes of conduct can be seen as legal document
– Ex. Yarmouth, ME case