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A Zoom Screenshot of a University Class. Teaching Sport Management Consulting. Spark Solutions.

Teaching Sport Management Consulting

This fall I had the pleasure of teaching a fourth-year class for the Faculty of Kinesiology & Health Studies at the University of Regina. This class was Sport and Recreation Management Consulting Experience, which is a class within the Sport and Recreation Management major for the Bachelor of Sport and Recreation Studies. 

Creating the Course Outline

Because this class hasn’t been offered in several years, I got to create the outline for the course. I considered the classes I took throughout my studies, what I found valuable, and what I liked (and didn’t like). Since the course was a 400-level course, I expected that the students would soon be graduating and looking for paid positions. Contributing to their preparation for full-time work was a priority to me. As well, I thought about the skills and abilities I have needed as a sport management professional and that I need now as a sport management consultant. I took all of these elements into consideration when I built the course outline.

The students practiced critical thinking, technical writing, presenting, and researching- all key skills to use out in the ‘real world’. They were tasked with finding and synthesizing key resources (readings, podcasts, or videos) in order to write short summaries and present them in class. This also helped to ensure that they were doing the readings. When you’re in your undergrad, sometimes a little external motivation is necessary (if ya know, ya know 😉 ).

Creating a 3x3 Basketball League

The majority of the grades came from the completion of a client project. The students worked with Megan Penno, Executive Director of Basketball Saskatchewan. Basketball Saskatchewan is working to launch a province-wide 3×3 basketball league, and the students were responsible to research and develop an implementation strategy. This included writing a proposal and report for the client and presenting their findings in an oral presentation.

According to the FIBA website, 3×3 is simple and flexible enough to be played anywhere by anybody. All that’s needed is a hoop, half-court, and six players. The rules are very simple and designed to make it a fast, spectacular, and exciting game. The non-stop music brings an authentic urban culture atmosphere, which attracts a new young audience to the game. If you haven’t seen the game, check out Team Canada playing at the 3×3 World Cup in 2018 (also, peep player #3, Michael Linklater, who is a Nehiyaw athlete from Thunderchild First Nation, located in Treaty 6 Territory (in Saskatchewan)).

The client requested that the students gather information and provide recommendations on each of the following:
a. whether Basketball Saskatchewan should create a club or team model
b. what part of the year the league should operate
c. which communities should be targeted for the initial start-up
d. how equipment should be ordered and stored
e. details about tournaments (general costs, draw schedules, and best locations given available facilities, accommodations, and meals)
f. potential sponsorship, grant, or partnership opportunities
g. considerations for operating during COVID-19
h. considerations for expanding the league once it has been established

Overall, the students did a fantastic job and enjoyed contributing to a ‘real-life’ project. Both Megan and I provided a lot of feedback to them that they found helpful, that they will take with them into their future careers. To my three students- A., A., and J., I enjoyed working with you and hope that many of the things you learned in this class will serve you well in the future. I also hope (and expect) that you will have success in your future careers. I learned a lot about teaching sport management consulting and hope I have the opportunity to do it again in the future.

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