Professional Experiences
For professional experiences, on-campus practicums can be developed
in the UA Athletics Department, UA Student Recreation Center, and
the Paul W. Bryant Museum. Off-campus experiences can be aligned
with Alabama High School Athletic Association, Alabama Sports Festival,
Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC),
Colonade Group, Crimson Tide Sports Network, Host Communication,
License & Contract Group, National Center for Sport Safety,
NYC 2012, Pelham Civic Center, Professional Sport Organizations
(NFL, NBA, NBL, WNBA), Talladega Super Speedway, Tuscaloosa County
Parks & Recreation Association (PARA), and the United States
Olympic Committee.
Career Opportunities in Sport
In the last two decades sport in North American society has flourished
at an astounding rate. Statistics indicate that millions of people
participate in recreational sports and athletics, while millions
more follow sport as fans and spectators. Evidence of this phenomenon
can be witnessed by the fact that there are over 10 national television
channels running 24 hours a day devoted to the coverage of sport
in our country. Based on gross domestic product statistics, the
sport industry has grown to be the sixth largest industry in North
America, generating over 213 billion dollars in 2001.
In Alabama, sport is represented at the professional, intercollegiate,
high school, youth and recreational levels. At the professional
level, Birmingham, Huntsville, and Mobile each support a minor league
baseball team with the Barons, Stars, and Bay Bears respectively.
Birmingham and Huntsville are also home to the Steel Dogs and Vipers
arena football teams and the increasing interest in women’s
sport has been reflected with the recent introduction of a National
Women’s Basketball League franchise, the Birmingham Power.
The state of Alabama is served by 13 public universities, 16 private
universities and colleges, and 25 community colleges, all of whom
provide intercollegiate athletics and recreational opportunities.
This is epitomized by The University of Alabama which has a rich
tradition in intercollegiate athletics. The University of Alabama
is presently expanding and up-grading the facilities of the student
recreation center, thus recognizing the important role sport, physical
activity, and recreation plays in enriching the lives of faculty,
staff, students, and the local community. A further area of growth
and opportunity germane to Sport Management is the Alabama school
interscholastic programs. Housed in 401 high schools and 287 junior
high and middle schools in the state, over 150,000 children’s
lives are touched by an athletic director, coach, band director,
cheerleader, or art/music sponsor each year.
Youth sport associations across the state report steadily increasing
numbers of juvenile participants numbering in the tens of thousands.
Previously, youth soccer associations in the greater Birmingham
area hosted 4 tournaments for over 300 teams across the state. This
activity generated over eight million dollars for Birmingham merchants,
businesses and citizens. These types of activities fall into the
category of sports tourism, another burgeoning sport enterprise,
which has a tremendously positive economic impact for Alabama’s
merchants, businesses, and citizens. The University of Alabama Sport
Management program is designed to produce and disseminate research
and knowledge to sport providers throughout the state, region and
the world. |
