In the wake Tiger Woods’ press statement on Friday, one thing really stood out for me; the stance that the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA) took.  In preparation for the event, Tiger invited the GWAA to send three journalists to cover the statement which was by invitation only for the press.  The GWAA declined to attend for two reasons: the press conference was not open to all media and Tiger would not allow questions. According to the GWAA website, the “organization’s goal is to improve working conditions for the membership. We strive for constant improvement in press facilities at tournaments, hotel accommodations, local transportation, interviews with the players and work in concert with the Association of Golf Writers, our British counterparts.” Based upon this, the boycott makes sense. However, by boycotting the statement have they made themselves irrelevant in the golf writing journalist world?  By declining to take part in the most watched golf story in recent memory what does that say about their importance in the industry? Although the organization has a membership of 975 and stringent requirements to join, does anyone really care about what the GWAA says? Put another way, a Google search for “golf blog” yields in excess of seventy three million sites…isn’t traditional media really taking a backseat to the “new” media?   Maybe the GWAA should take a page out of St. John’s basketball book (see Peter Robert Casey) and start to credential bloggers. Is this just another example of the traditional “old school” media not getting/wanting to change and adapt o the “new” ways consumers get information?

I have traveled overseas to teach in the past. Each time, I learn something new and am reminded of the lessons learned from previous trips. In that respect, this experience overseas is no different. To begin with, eating is always an adventure. As usual, I have been advised not to consume fresh vegetables or fruit and to only drink bottled water. Considering the fact that I really like salad and have at least one daily, I am naturally craving one right now!
During last night’s dinner I was also reminded about how difficult it can be to communicate basic, yet important information. For example, although I am not really sure what I ate (it was pretty good) it took a while for the waiter to understand that I wanted a bottle of water. After several attempts, I finally succeeded in getting a diet coke instead. However, when the waiter brought me the soda and poured it in a glass with ice I was back to square one. Again, with communication an issue, I somehow convinced the waiter that I couldn’t drink this particular soda and he brought me a new one. During the entire incident, I was being serenaded with “modern American music” such as Bon Jovi, Boys to Men and Abba. Needless to say, I found the entire situation pretty funny. Breakfast this morning was just as adventurous. The cuisine was beef bacon, cheese omelet and spicy fried rice…and I mean SPICY fried rice! Would you believe I had the same conversation about bottled water during this meal as well? Despite the difficulties in communication, the people here have been very nice and I am enjoying my experience so far.
This morning I had yet another laugh though. Since I am very much a creature of habit, I woke up and as part of my regular morning routine, I put on ESPN while getting dressed. Naturally, I was not not surprised when I did not hear the usual Mike & Mike Show. However, I was expecting to see a version of SportsCenter. Imagine my surprise when I instead saw a replay of the final round of the Carsta SI Italian Ladies Open (won by Marianne Skarpnord) and sand soccer! In any event, I am off to teach for the first day. As always, I am really excited to see what the next adventure will bring and the role communication has in the day’s adventure!

This week’s post is courtesy of Matt Blaszka (’07).  He has some interesting insight on why it is so important to get involved in the Sport Management Student Association.
The Sport Management Student Association might be one of the more important things to do while you are at York College. The SMSA provides opportunity to go out in the field, meet people, learn professionals, and most importantly being a part of the SMSA Golf Tournament.

During the 2005-06, I was the president of the SMSA. We were operating in the red but through small fundraisers during the fall and spring we were able to get ourselves in the black. During the spring of 2006 we wanted to do something big that would help the SMSA for years to come and provide opportunities to attend conferences and bring in professionals for cheaper cost. The SMSA at this point was 12-15 students and was trying to find a way to get involved. Enter the SMSA Golf Tournament. The committee of Dan Stahl, Scott Fitzgerald, Megan Eckenrode, Chris White and I began to explore and conquer putting on a golf tournament. Needless to say we struggled to put it together but we pulled it off with 10 foursomes, a professor who got sick the day of the tournament, and a building block for the SMSA for years to come. Now entering the fourth edition of SMSA Golf Tournament it is arguably the biggest event of the SMSA year and provides students with great experience.

I tell you this story not because of the struggles we went through but the experience of putting on a major event provides your resume with that little extra. When I did my work experience at Lehigh University, they saw that I put on a golf tournament and asked me to put together one for the alumni in the program. Again, it was 2ndgolf tournament that I was part of starting and now it sells out routinely.

The SMSA provides you the opportunity to get to know people that are in your classes. The Sport Management program provides you with students who are typically in all your classes. The classes provide a forum to meet people but the SMSA takes that to the next level. Joining SMSA puts you in touch with all the people in the program from seniors to freshman. For freshman it is crucial to get involved because you will not have the opportunity to have seniors in your classes and this is a way to network for yourself. Remember that networking is not limited to just professionals, it is fellow students and professors. SMSA provides these opportunities.

I am currently enrolled to get my Masters in Sport Administration at Georgia State. Students in my class have a ton of experience and volunteer work because they did the little things through their school. Those opportunities give your resume that boost when you do go for a job interview. Interviewers will see that you did a lot of work and were a part of a club at school. Whether it’s helping on game day with the Ravens as a greeter or having events with the York Revolution it all can help you further yourself in the field of Sport Management.

Here are my suggestions

As a college professor, I look forward to and enjoy the summer months because I am on vacation. But vacation means different things to different people.  I spend my vacations relaxing, catching up on some reading, playing golf, spending time with family etc… But I also spend time reflecting on the previous year and planning for the school year ahead because one thing is for sure the sport industry never goes on vacation.

The sport industry is going through the same tough economic times as the rest of us, so I will be looking at ways that will make our students more marketable in their search for internships and jobs. I will also be researching ways to better incorporate social media into the courses I teach as well as developing a new course.

I believe that we should always be trying to improve to make us better people as well as better professionals. What are you doing this summer to be a better professional?