Monday, April 27, 2009

Master's Project

It’s been such a long time since my last blog-post, all I can do is present a sincere apology and move forward. Life as a Sport Management student has been quite busy and challenging over the past few weeks as my class, Cohort-27, is entering its final phase before graduation.

For the second-half of our program, students have a choice to take three elective classes (subjects of which are democratically chosen but the group as a whole) or one elective class and the Master’s Project in Sport Management. As an aspiring writer, slave to academia and curious student, it seemed only logical to embark on this educational endeavor.

According to the course syllabus, the “Master’s Project is the culminating experience for Sport Management students during their last semester in residence. Students propose, develop, and write a Master’s Project that demonstrates research skills and an integrated understanding of sport management.”

At this current juncture of time, my ‘MP’ is still incomplete and as a result, I can not paint a complete picture of what the entire experience is like. Instead, I can share some honest feelings I have about my final course as a USF Sport Management Grad student as I am in the midst of completing it.

I am very pleased that this final project is a total culmination of the different curricular experiences that each student has enjoyed individually. Part of what makes this field of study so unique is that although classmates all study the same courses and complete the same projects, they can easily tailor their efforts towards areas that practically apply to their own career or interests.

This description of Master’s Project topics explored by Cohort-27 students serves as a perfect testament to the diversity of our individual interests as students, and the wide-range of areas under the sport management umbrella:

• An assessment of the importance of parks & recreation and the specific offerings of P&R to the community of Los Banos, California by utilizing survey research and focus groups of stakeholders. The student is a member of the Los Banos City Council and is generating an understanding of what is most valuable to the community’s parks and recreation budget.
• An evaluation of the demand for Roller Soccer as a youth sport offered at local YMCAs and in physical education courses at school by utilizing multiple survey instruments and in-depth interviews. The student and her husband are the inventors of this game which is sweeping the globe, with World Cup tournaments held internationally every year. (http://www.rollersoccer.com/)
• A study of the sponsorship effectiveness at the Beijing Olympics utilizing survey research of Chinese residents and sophisticated data analysis techniques including ordered logic.
• An investigation into the differences of consumer behavior at baseball games in the Nippon Professional Baseball League and Major League Baseball through the distribution of mass surveys and a critical study of professional literature on the subject
• An in-depth analysis of several international soccer teams’ public relations departments. Through in-depth interviews and evaluation of overall departmental objectives and behavior, the student will compare each case to a ‘best-practice’ background, learning about global trends in the industry and the most effective means to carry out public relations for a professional team on the global stage.

Up to this point, my experience with the Master’s Project has been challenging, demanding and educational. I can’t offer my full perspective on the subject, as I am still in the midst of completing my work. Somehow, though, I still manage my treks to library with a smile on my face, with each step bringing me closer to completing a major assignment not to mention a multi-year project; a Masters degree.