Factors Impacting Management of a Collegiate, Professional, and Olympic Organization/Institution

Answer

Factors Impacting Management of a Collegiate, Professional, and Olympic Organization/Institution

Sports is appreciated as one of the most famous and popular phenomena in the evolution of mankind. This is largely owed to its particular characteristics and the roles it plays in various aspects of man’s life. Indeed, sports play an integral role in individual as well as societal development.  Apart from enhancing art and education, it contributes to the physical and psychological development of an individual.  For this reason, the management of sports gains relevance an aspect of professional endeavor entailing an array of managerial careers related to sports. It is also a crucial field of academic professional development and preparation. As a major education field, sports management is concerned with an exploration of the array of skills related to planning, organizing, directing, evaluating, budgeting, and controlling within the context of departments or organizations whose main services or products are related to sports or such physical activity attracting competition. Therefore, sports managers perform the stated functions in various institutional or organizational settings such as Olympics, college sports, professional sports, or amateur sports. The management of sports is influenced by a number of factors including economic, social-cultural, ethics, legal, as well as political factors. This paper discusses three main factors that affect the management of collegiate or Olympic institutions. They are ethics, political, and economic factors.

Ethics

In exploring how ethics affect sports management, one notes that the manner modern games such as Olympic Games are organized have led to some scholars referring to them as resting upon the principles of excellence based on fair play. A fundamental principle fronted by the International Olympic Committee is that defining Olympism as a philosophy of life that exalts and combines qualities of the mind, will, and body    while blending education with culture. It seeks to yield a way of life founded upon the joy resulting out of effort. It emphasizes the educational value of setting a good example and upholding or respecting universal principles of ethical conduct. This attention or call to ethics shows the role it (ethics) plays in sports management and development.

Over time, the manner sports has been organized has elevated it to be regarded as a very profitable venture, at least with good management. It is in this breath that the role of corporate sponsors is appreciated. Games in the Olympic context are now associated with deep monetary consideration in terms of the potential of financial rewards for not only athletes but also coaches, administrators, as well as corporations that may be connected in one way or another to the games.   The seriousness of how this monetary attachment has led to a contravention of the ethical principles of Olympism is evident when one considers the number of high profile cases clearly depicting such contravention. Laurman (2002) gives an example of the skating judging scandal at Salt Lake City which is a clear pointer of the effect ethics can have in the management of a collegiate or Olympic organization. Ethical decay at institutions entrusted with the management of sports not only erodes the confidence of stakeholders but also washes away the credibility of those institutions. It is this lack of confidence and loss of credibility that led to a 2003 restructuring of a sports institution in the United States: the United States Olympics Committee (Institute for Global Ethics, 2003).           

Ethics is what motivates the ongoing anti-doping struggle in sports that started way back in the 1960s. It cannot be disputed that the definition of sports from an ethical aspect would not be the same if the ethical element were to be eliminated. In order that perceptions of control are maintained within the sports context, it is imperative that managers, coaches, and athletes remain focused on what they are doing and how they are doing it, as opposed to the outcomes. Pensgaard (1999) laments that sports managers should not concern themselves with outcomes such as winning and beating competitors, rather with the very fabric of sports management. This leads to another topic of ethical concern within the arena of sports management: use of substances meant to enhance performance. The topic is so wide it may not be possible to discuss it exhaustively considering the scope of this construction, but it is of great ethical concern in the management of amateur and professional sports.

Still on ethics, bribery and nepotism are not new in the sports arena. In as much as they may not directly affect athletes per se, it is of interest to look at how these unethical vices affect the management of collegiate or Olympic organizations. The indirect influence that results out of nepotism and bribery in management can contribute significantly to athlete disillusions that can make them reconsider their commitment in the sport. The alignment between domain and the field could as well be dictated by what is happening in management. This is so because as a primary institution within the field, a collegiate or Olympic organization is entrusted with moral authority to define and establish the         domain’s written and practical codes of conduct.

Management of a collegiate or Olympic institution cannot be separated from the ethical component. The practices it is likely to condone or put up with would be dictated by its ethical standing.         

Economic factors

Sports stand out as one of the indicators of economic development. A number of studies have been carried out to investigate the impact of economic factors on sports management and success. According to         Bernard and Busse (2004), with all factors held constant, a GDP per capita increase of 1% to the global average would increase the number of medals (Olympic medals) by about the same amount). This illustration gives insight into how economic factors can affect collegiate or Olympic institutions as primary institutions in the context of sports management.

In most instances, it has been found out that higher income affects sporting activity through provision of sports infrastructure for athletes, hence enabling them access to better training facilities. When considering the functions of sporting organizations or institutions, it goes without saying that an organization with a strong economic muscle will have a relatively easier time performing its roles (Hoffman et al., 2002). In the sporting context, the availability of income and other resources go a long way in dictating aspects such as franchise location and success of athletic teams.  While local economic development may be a result of the emergence of professional sports and successful management, it is imperative to critically examine, at least from a public policy perspective, whether the converse is true or not. Is successful sports management a result of normal economic development or is economic development a by-product of such management? The answer to this question can be essential in understanding how economic factors impact management in the context of collegiate or Olympic organizations. For instance, it is agreed that development of sports infrastructure signals major economic developments in local and regional settings. However, economic factors also gain relevance in the design and development of sports facilities, a task that more often than not falls within the obligation of the institutions under discussion (Rosner, & Shropshire, 2011). As such, various relationships can be established between major economic indicators that determine the economic development and wealth of different places. It is appreciated that there exists a relationship between the level of sports infrastructure in a given place and the degree of economic development. Such relationships cannot be ignored in the current conversation on how economic factors affect the management of collegiate or Olympic organizations.

The importance of economic factors in Olympic institution management is elevated by economists such as Hoffman et al. (2002) who have come up with predictive models of measuring success in Olympic circles based on characteristics such as national population, GNP, climate, and the structure of government. Indeed, higher populations, temperate climates, high GNP, and more centralized structures are linked to better performance in sports, a result of effective management in primary Olympic institution circles. A correlation is also established with higher rates of participation and winning. The model by the named economists effectively describes an array of socioeconomic variables which are associated with success at the Olympics. The variables are no different from those that impact management of Olympic institutions. Many decisions made in the management context are influenced by the manner the whole concept of Olympic Games or sports have been commercialized. Managers ask themselves: what are the economic implications of such and such a decision? Furthermore, some actions or omissions are dictated by the economic rationale behind them.                                             

Political factors

It cannot be denied that politics has been incorporated into sports so much to such an extent that separating the two is impossible. Anyone who has attended sporting events such as the Olympics must have noticed rituals that have special resonance to, for instance, the hosting nations.          Prior to any event or game, players, broadcasters, fans, and officials stand up, face the flag and sing a country’s national anthem. Performing the national anthem             means more than just an expression of national unity. To the critical mind it is a reminder of the role politics continue to play in sports.      

Indeed, the influence of politics in sports management is made evident by famous incidents in recent history. There have been international controversies and conflicts showing the effect politics can have in sports.  For instance, when the then Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, many countries boycotted the Olympic Games that had been scheduled to take place in Moscow. Even more famous are incidents where national level boycotts in rugby and cricket were aimed at forcing the then government to reconsider its apartheid policy. It cannot be disputed that this move, coupled with a few sanctions here and there ultimately had the effect of forcing the government to change it policy. One would argue that the South African whites loved sport so much to the extent that they would eventually give away the governing role so that they could have a chance to participate in sports in the international arena.

Traditional sports participants and commentators are for the opinion that politics should be set aside from sports since it is largely about what are understood to be the idealistic aspirations of mankind, as opposed to the less tasteful tendencies of politics and/or politicians.  However, they both affect the human race, a fact that has made it effectively impossible to separate one from the other. This has turned out to be true even in Olympic management levels, right from the local stage to the international scene.

In the management of Olympic institutions, a point of interest is the role of local authorities in supporting sport through staffing, facilities, and general performance. Indeed, local authority funding is significant to sport management everywhere. A political aspect in this regard is that decisions revolving around such funding are made by local politicians who are oftentimes influenced by purely political reasons. It would be naïve to think that sport, even at the local or regional level, is not linked to politics. Other political factors that affect Olympic institution management are those related to issues of relationship with current or prospective/potential sponsors. For instance, it goes without saying that sponsors would not wish to be associated with a sport where drug prevalence is high, or where cases of violation of human rights are rampant. It is appalling to imagine what the management of a given institution would do if sponsors packed and left on such grounds.

In many a collegiate institution, there is bound to be the “politics of sport”. This is concerned with the politics of sports within the sports context. In other words, there may be instances where there are issues that are non-party political, especially when certain interest or lobby groups within the organization clash regarding the manner in which sport or the institution should be managed. Such cases have been witnessed in voluntary and paid scenarios to the detriment of the specific sport and participants (Steve, & Schiavone, 1996).

According to Watt (1998) significant issues like racism and gender equality can also be examined through a political lens. Being political matters in the society in general, they do not drop their political tag in the sports context. In managing Olympic institutions, they are used as arguments for the introduction of equal opportunity policies and fighting against traditional discriminatory tendencies (Masterman, 2004). Some interest groups can employ them to pursue contextual self bigotry, thus using sport as a venue for displaying their views. Lastly, patriotism and nationalism are political issues that affect management, either negatively or positively. For instance, Hitler used them in 1936 to champion for his Aryan superiority notion. On the positive end, South Africa was significantly unified following a World Cup match victory. The level of government involvement in sports management is also a significant political factor since governments play a critical role in providing operational and even financial guidelines.

Overall, it must be noted that there may be instances where the factors discussed overlap, such that one cannot discuss one and ignore the other. For instance, a condition for sponsorship may political correctness. In such a case, the factors are compared and contrasted with each other in the manner each affects management as the implications for each may still cut across the board. For instance, ethical consideration may dictate that an institution declines sponsorship from a corporation with a poor human rights record. In the same context, economic pressure maybe the only reason such a sponsorship may be welcome. Moreover, the equation may become more complex if the owners of the corporation are powerful politicians, or it is government-owned. With this illustration, it is clear comparison of the factors may reveal that there are instances where they overlap, such that optimal management decisions are dictated by maximum benefits for the organization. A projection into the next ten years reveals no change in these factors per se, unless the core dynamics of the sports business climate change. However, such a change is very unlikely. Arguably, current trends where management is affected by ethics, legal, sociocultural, economic, and political factors are likely to continue (Rosner, & Shropshire, 2011). This argument is based on the fact that these factors have been at play for as long as modern sport has existed.

In conclusion, the degree of success in the management of Olympic institutions is shaped by a number of factors like ethics, economic, social-cultural, and political factors. Managers are tasked with making crucial decisions that would keep these factors in check if greater organizational success is to be achieved. The presentation on ethics as well as economic and political factors may not be as exhaustive, but it gives insight into some of the management issues that arise in the context of Olympic institutions.