Sport Management
The curriculum provides the student with academic preparation and practical training in sport settings. The Bachelor of Science in Sport Management is designed to meet the COSMA accreditation standards (though is not accredited through COSMA as yet.) Sport management graduates may find employment in a wide variety of careers such as; professional sport or collegiate administration, corporate administration, business management, fundraising administration, sport facility management, account executive for professional teams, sales representatives for sporting goods companies, marketing director with professional or intercollegiate athletics departments, conference office administration, athletic conference administration, and public/community or media relations with professional teams.
The Lincoln College-Normal Sport Management Program curriculum culminates with at 90 hour (3 credits) internship experience to provide practical experience in a sport setting. The internship experience is unique to each student, meaning students secure internships based on their specific interest in sport management. Previous students have interned with the following organizations:
- Chicago Bulls
- Bloomington-Normal US Cellular Coliseum
- Illinois State University Athletics
- Lincoln College Athletics
- Normal CornBelter’s
- Iowa Cubs Baseball
- Gateway Grizzlies Professional Baseball LLC
Sport Management Club
In addition to classroom related content, students also have the opportunity to participate in various on-campus clubs and organizations. In the fall of 2011, a group of students created the Sport Management Club. Throughout the school year, the students participated in on-campus and off-campus sport awareness projects. Sport Management Club highlights include:
- Attending the Illinois State University Sport Management Symposium
- Raising $600 for the Miracle League of Central Illinois
- Selling 50/50 Raffle Tickets at Bloomington Blaze Games
- Participating in LCN student activities events
- Club Outings: such as bowling and putt-putt
- Touring sport facilities in the area
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:
- Socio-Cultural: demonstrate an understanding that sport is a microcosm of society influenced by cultural traditions, social values, and psychosocial experiences and that sport managers are immersed in the socio-cultural milieu with sport as the focus.
- Management and Leadership: demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of management and leadership by describing various skills, roles, and functions of sport managers as well as applicable leadership theories as they may apply to sport settings and challenges.
- Ethics: analyze moral and ethical issues related to sport and develop a personal philosophy that governs leadership decisions and social responsibility in sport management settings.
- Marketing: apply fundamental marketing concepts to the sport industry so that an understanding of the unique nature of the sport product and consumer markets exists.
- Communication: demonstrate an understanding of the principles of interpersonal and mass communication and demonstrate understanding of the interaction with internal and external sport publics.
- Budget and Finance: demonstrate an understanding of budget and finance as critical components of all sport setting and industries by analyzing financial control methods and principles.
- Legal Aspects: demonstrate an understanding of legal concepts in areas that graduates are most likely to encounter within sport settings.
- Economics: demonstrate an understanding of sport economic principles as they fit into the national economy and demonstrate an understanding that sport economics are shaped by external influences.
- Governance: demonstrate an understanding of the various agencies that govern sport by identifying their authority, organizational structure, and functions.