Mary A. Hums

The Ethical Issues Confronting Managers in the Sport Industry

The sport industry is an extremely diverse industry, including segments such as professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness, recreational sport and facility management. The industry is currently experiencing rapid growth and development, and as it grows, sport managers in the different segments encounter ethical issues which are often unique to each segment. This article examines the professional sport, intercollegiate athletics, health and fitness, recreational sport and facility management segments of the sport industry and discusses the various ethical issues facing managers in each of these segments.

The Inclusion of the Paralympics in the Olympic and Amateur Sports Act Legal and Policy Implications for Integration of Athletes with Disabilities into the United States Olympic Committee and National Governing Bodies

The governance of disability sport is a complex and evolving area. In particular, the passage of the Stevens Amendment of 1998 altered the responsibilities of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in terms of its relationship to disability sport, specifically Paralympic sport. Now the USOC, along with the various national governing bodies (NGBs) and disabled sports organizations (DSOs), is grappling with the implementation of the Stevens Amendment. The policy implications of this legal mandate to be more inclusive of athletes with disabilities are unclear, as Congress did not specify how the act should be implemented. This article provides background information on disability sport governance and presents the legal and policy implications of the Stevens Amendment for the various sport governing bodies.

Examining the Inclusion of Wheelchair Exhibition Events within the Olympic Games 1984–2004

Abstract The inclusion of athletes with a disability within the mainstream of sport has been an issue within the Paralympic Movement since its inception. Prior research pertaining to inclusion of athletes with a disability into mainstream sport is reviewed, with particular note being made of the absence of any substantial body of knowledge derived from relevant academic study related to inclusion in the Olympic Games. This paper then examines from a historical perspective, using archival documents and interviews with key stakeholders, how athletes with a disability have been included within the Olympic Games under the auspices of exhibition events from the 1984 Winter and Summer Olympic Games in Sarajevo and Los Angeles until the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. This historical review uses the Organizational Continuum for the Inclusion of Identify Groups in Sport developed by Fay to identify changes during the twenty-year period. Lastly, the authors lay the groundwork for future academic inquiry by using Fays model to provide a series of alternatives of how future inclusion of athletes with a disability within the Olympic Games could be structured to better serve the Olympic and Paralympic Movements.

Sport and Social Change

JOPERD • Volume 80 No. 1 • January 2009 V ew pint Those who are fortunate enough to work in the field of sport recognize the power of sport to transform lives on many levels. Beyond the basic skills needed to enjoy participation, sport teaches larger lessons and can act as a gateway to greater personal achievement for girls and boys alike. Sport can even act as a catalyst for social change, affecting the life of participants beyond the playing field or gymnasium by bringing people together, even people in conflict. The transcendent power of sport is apparent all around the world. Recognizing the global influence of sport, the United Nations has incorporated sport as an important element in the pursuit of its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs; United Nations InterAgency Task Force on Sport for Development and Peace, 2003). A number of these MDGs directly relate to girls and women (Division for the Advancement of Women, 2007). This Viewpoint focuses on sport and social change as it relates to girls’ and women’s participation in sport, specifically on the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women (MDG #3) and how sport can play a part in achieving this goal.

Examining the Educative Aims and Practices of Decision-Makers in Sport for Development and Peace Organizations.

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) policy-makers and practitioners continue to offer ambitious claims regarding the potential role of sport-based programs for promoting social change. Yet, it is important to put sport under a critical lens in order to develop a more balanced and realistic understanding of the role of sport in society. Whether SDP programs result in positive or negative outcomes depends on the structures and processes of the implementing organizations. Hence, SDP researchers are paying more attention to the organizational approaches of these agencies. Scholars also argue the outcomes of SDP programs depend on the relationship of these organizations with broader community education and health promotion efforts. Despite the claims of many SDP programs, little remains known about the educational goals of these programs and their relationship with broader educational efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to critically examine the role of education among a randomly selected sample of nonprofit SDP organizations in urban settings across the USA. Findings from in-depth interviews with 17 executive directors indicate a broad range of educative aims, but also innovative organizational practices, highlighting a salient relationship between education and SDP in the USA. Prominent themes emerged related to program models and organizational approaches, academic enrichment programming, partnerships with educational institutions and education-focused nonprofits, and educational outcomes. These findings are examined and implications for future SDP research are also discussed. Although important work is emerging in SDP literature on how educational values are delivered in these programs [Spaaij, R., & Jeanes, R. [2013]. Education for social change? A Freirean critique of sport for development and peace. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 18, 442–457], findings from this study also help stimulate a critical dialogue on the educative aims and practices of decision-makers in SDP organizations.

The International Olympic Committee–International Paralympic Committee Relationship Past, Present, and Future

The inclusion of athletes with a disability into the Olympic Games has been a long-standing issue within the Paralympic Movement. This article reviews the history of including athletes with a disability into the Olympic Games using two frameworks, the Critical Change Factors Model (CCFM) and its companion, the Organizational Continuum for the Inclusion of Identity Groups in Sport (OCIIS). The CCFM and OCIIS were developed by Fay, grounded in critical social, principal–agent, and open systems theories. Last, the authors identify five future scenarios noting where they would fit within the two frameworks.

Examining the Mentoring Relationships of Women Working in Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

The purpose of this study was to examine mentoring relationships of women working within intercollegiate athletic administration. More specifically, the mentor characteristics and the career and psychosocial benefits of having a mentor in intercollegiate athletic administration were the focus of the study. The population for this study was all 1,834 women working in intercollegiate athletic administration. Several practical implications for women wanting to work with a mentor in intercollegiate athletic administration arose from the data and included counseling, role modeling, acceptance and confirmation, coaching, and exposure and visibility.

Comeback Player of the Year: A Conceptual Model on Former Student-Athletes Returning as Adult Students

Abstract Student-athletes endure a myriad of academic challenges upon entering higher education that increase the likelihood of them leaving school without completing their degree. Thousands of student-athletes fail to receive their degree after completing their athletic eligibility (), and many of them return as adult students with significantly different life responsibilities. With adult student enrollment on the rise (), “re-recruiting” these former student-athletes can be crucial for the university. The purpose of this article is to summarize the literature on (a) challenges student-athletes face that may lead to them leaving higher education without a degree, (b) why these former student-athletes come back to higher education, (c) what challenges they encounter when coming back to college, and (d) recommendations on the services and support available from both the university’s athletic department and academic affairs.

Women of power soccer: exploring disability and gender in the first competitive team sport for powerchair users

Abstract Power soccer is a sport in which teams of four compete against each other in an effort to drive a 13-inch soccer ball through goals using motorized wheelchairs. The athletes typically have upper and lower extremity impairment and the sport is played co-ed. Because chairs are motorized, traditional physiological gender differences in sport have been removed. Still, the sport is over 80% male. This study explored the experiences of female power soccer players in light of three distinct positions they hold: as athletes with disabilities in a predominantly non-disabled world; as athletes with more impactful physiological impairments within the disability sport community; and as women in a co-ed male-dominated sport. Results indicate experiences of ableism and minimally impactful but present sexism. Finally, participants note how they engage with social dynamics related to their disabilities and gender.

The International Paralympic Committee as a Governing Body

The governance structure of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic Movement includes international federations, National Paralympic Committees, a governing board, a general assembly, as well as a management team. Guided by its Strategic Plan, the IPC governs para-sport and also maintains relationships with the IOC and various sport governing bodies that work with sports for people with disabilities but are not competed in at the Paralympic Games.