Contemporary Sport Management

Book excerpt: Contemporary Sport Management, Fifth Edition With Web Study Guide, provides students with an overview of sport management by presenting extensive discussions of the foundational aspects of the profession and current topics from the field. The fifth edition continues to engage students with a full-color format and an integrated web study guide. The text also discusses the role of social media in revolutionizing the industry and the significance of sport as an international institution. Students will learn the relevance of legal, sociocultural, historical, political, and psychological concepts to the management of sport; the professional skills and attitudes of successful sport managers; and ways in which the globalization of sport continues to affect sport management professions. One of the top-selling textbooks in the field, the fifth edition retains many of its popular learning tools for students and also offers several key additions: • Social media sidebars in every chapter prepare future sport managers to confront some of the unique challenges and opportunities of this growing phenomenon. • Professional profiles containing a biography, Q&A, and associated web study guide activity allow students to gain realistic views into the roles of sport managers. • Enhanced ancillaries include a new image bank and chapter quizzes compatible with learning management systems to further support classroom instruction and testing. • A student web study guide now contains more than 171 fully integrated activities to provide opportunities for real-world application. • A retrospective from cofounding editor Janet Parks illustrating how the outstanding roster of contributors has been a hallmark of this title from the beginning. The text also contains a variety of updated learning tools, including international sidebars with associated activities, a timeline, ethics and critical thinking sections, a running glossary, chapter objectives, end-of-chapter reviews, and references to help students stay engaged with the material and understand key concepts and terms. In addition, the web study guide (WSG) contains multiple interactive learning experiences that assist students in retaining the information. Each chapter of the text includes several cross-references to the WSG, allowing students to take advantage of the following features: • Professional profile activities encourage students to test their expectations of the challenges that sport industry professionals face on a daily basis. • Job announcement activities demonstrate the skills that prospective employers seek in particular sport settings. • Web searches point students to the vast amount of information available online. • Portfolio activities help students reflect on questions related to the critical thinking and ethics sections of each chapter. Upon completion of the activities, students will have constructed a portfolio of their reflections on issues they might face as future sport management professionals. • Learning in Action activities help students understand and apply the concepts covered in each chapter. With 20 chapters written by 44 expert contributors, Contemporary Sport Management, Fifth Edition, begins with an overview of the field and historical aspects of the industry. Next, the attributes of effective and professional sport managers and the relevance of managerial and leadership concepts applied to sport management are discussed. In part II, students learn about the major settings in which sport management professionals work today, including professional and amateur sport management sites, sport management agencies, and sport tourism venues. Part III offers information on key functional areas of sport management, such as marketing, communication, finance and economics, and facility and event management. In part IV, readers examine current challenges in the profession, such as issues related to consumer behavior, law, sociology, globalization, and the importance of continuing sport management research. The updated and enhanced fifth edition of Contemporary Sport Management offers a varied and dynamic learning package to assist readers in understanding the many opportunities and challenges in the sport management field. From historical foundations and future directions to current issues and professional skill sets, this popular textbook continues to inform and inspire up-and-coming professionals to have a positive influence on the management of sport.