I have been publishing this blog for a little over a year now; I must admit I am surprised by the variety it contains. Each article addresses issues, people, events and information I consider pertinent to sport management professionals, business leaders, athletes, sport enthusiasts, high school/college students and their parents. Some are inspired by events in my personal life (especially my two daughters), by my interactions with students/alumni/colleagues (I am a sport management professor) and by the events and circumstances of everyday life. My goal is to provide content that helps readers look at things from a different perspective and enables individuals to learn while being entertained.

For this week’s blog I’d like to get your input.

• What types of topics do you enjoy the most?
• What issues would you like to see covered in upcoming posts?
• Do you have any questions about sport management at the college level or in the “real world” of business?
• Is there an area I have not yet covered that you feel should be examined and discussed?

This is your specific invitation to let me know what you want to see from me on this site. Please remember that I am always open to suggestions or comments—I am just taking this week to especially focus upon your thoughts and ideas. To make things easier and to serve as an overview (especially for those relatively new to the blog), I have organized past postings into categories. I am sure there is a better way to do this (feel free to share suggestions) but here goes anyway.

Listed below are the topics from the past year and the month in which you can find the original post within the archives. Please respond with your thoughts, ideas and suggestions for the future…I’m serious…let me know what you think and what you want in the future and I will do what I can to accommodate your wishes. In the meantime, thanks for reading and joining in on the conversation!

For All Readers
1st Time for Everything (March 2009)
A Different Perspective (April 2009)
I am _____? (January 2010)
Make a Positive Lasting Impression (October 2009)
Motivation (June 2009)
Peopling (September 2009)
Planning for Success (February 2009)
Preparation, Reaction, Change (March 2009)
Success (December 2009)
Taking Responsibility (July 2009)
Tips for Landing a Job (May 2009)
What do you read? (February 2010)

Networking and Social Media
10 Tips for Twitter Networking (August 2009)
Basic Networking Tips (January 2009)
How can Twitter help me? (April 2009)
Networking and Fantasy Football (September 2009)

Issues for College Students
Easing the Transition between High School and College (June 2009)
Get Involved (August 2009)
How do you study? (May 2009)
Student-Athletes (February 2009)

Sport Management Majors (Information and Conferences)
Advice for Sport Management Students (December 2009)
Choosing a Sport Management Program (July 2009)
CSRI Conference in Chapel Hill: Day One/Day Two (April 2009)
Health Care Reform and the Sport Industry (July 2009)
Make the Most of the New Year (January 2010)
Princeton Sports Symposium (December 2009)
Sport Management Faculty (February 2009)
Sport Management Projects (May 2009)
Students Host Professional Panel and Charity Event (October 2009)
YCP Alumni on the Web (May 2009)

Highlights of Sport Professionals
Bob Ancharski/Hershey Bears Hockey Club (April 2009)
Lewis Howes/Sports Networker (September 2009)
Steve Masterson/Game Face, Inc. (March 2009)
Packy Moran/University of Ohio (March 2009)
Becky Norris/Oklahoma City Thunder (March 2009)
Jeana Olchowy/National Pro Fastpitch (June 2009)
Dr. Ramlan/Director General of the National Sports Institute of Malaysia (November 2009)
Dave Salter/Author (October 2009)

Miscellaneous Topics
Brest Cancer Awareness Month (October 2009)
Fix It (February 2009)
Random Thoughts (November 2009)
Rush Limbaugh (October 2009)
Summer Job (June 2009)
Trip to Malaysia (November 2009)

            Reading has been on my mind a lot lately.  I really started thinking about it in mid January just prior to the start of the semester. I had two alumni give me books and said I should read them. I thought that was great.  What better to pass on to someone than knowledge?  Then I thought to myself, “I wonder if they think I don’t do enough reading.”  Since that time, I have gotten more books that I had ordered late in December and early January.  This past week I read a post on sportsinfo101.com (which is in my blog roll and if are not reading it regularly you should) about his “addiction” to reading and it once again got me thinking. I think that we sometimes take reading for granted, for example trying to get students to read not just textbooks, but supplementary materials such as articles in journals or newspapers is worse than pulling teeth. One of my assignments to the students is a topic of the day.  The student who is charged with the topic of the day is responsible for finding something non-sport related, of interest that is going on in the world and generate a discussion regarding it in class.  Most students get the topic from the television news, not from the internet news sources.

            With technology making information more accessible than ever before, reading becomes more important as well. Since individuals don’t have to subscribe to newspapers or carry around books anymore in order to get information/read for pleasure, one would think that it would be more accepted and natural to spend more time reading. The most successful people do a whole lot of reading and they read about a variety of topics. Below are five reasons why reading is critical to one’s success in today’s society:

• With the globalization of the world it is imperative to know and understand events as they happen and to understand their impact on daily life.
• To be considered an expert or a respected information source you have to incorporate current examples regardless of subject manner to maintain credibility.
• You have to be read enough to be fluent and quickly comprehend anything a teacher/employer assigns you to read.
• With the myriad of ways we get information (text, e-mail, internet etc…) one must be able to quickly discern quality information from the many inaccurate items in circulation.
• If you don’t read you won’t pass class/graduate/get the job you want etc…!

            In case you were wondering, I do read a lot, but mostly out of necessity. In fact, one of my personal goals in the coming days, weeks, months is to read more of the things I want to read. For now I’m starting with the books given to me by former students since they are top my list to read for fun!

This week’s post is courtesy of a very special guest blogger – Jennifer Pinsky-Newman
It is almost the end of January and for the first time I can remember, I am happy with my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that I decided NOT to make any. Usually, by the time December hits, I have a list of things I’ll “work on” and “change” after the holidays. By the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, I’ve selected one or two items from my list and I enthusiastically declare them as my resolutions! Shortly after that, my husband laughs as he asks me long how I think it will last (especially since the resolutions don’t seem to change much from year to year). I’m sure this sounds familiar to many of you reading this right now!
I’m not exactly sure when or why I decided to do things differently this year. It isn’t just my way of avoiding being disappointed. It can’t simply be attributed to my procrastination. I’m positive that it isn’t me being lazy either. In reality, it is more connected to reflecting on my life (I turned 40 in December) and to a shift in the way in which I think. Of course, I have no way of knowing how this year of “non-resolution” will evolve but I’m up for the challenge!
Where do you stand at this point in the year…have you already given up on your resolutions…are you proud of your accomplishments so far…did you forget to set goals for the year…are you surviving one day at a time…?
Consider this week’s blog as an invitation to examine your life from a different perspective; the good news is that each one of us is responsible for everything in our life…the good and the bad while the bad news is that each one of us is responsible for everything in our life…the good and the bad. This means there is no one else to blame when something goes wrong AND there is no one else to get the credit when something goes right. Understanding the concept that each one of us is in charge of our own life is a gift—and—a responsibility. While most people have the best of intentions, those intentions often do not get translated into making the best choices or doing the right things. What makes one person successful when someone else is not? What enables one person to persevere when others quit? You get the idea.
Keep all of that in mind as you take a look at this riddle by Sean Covey, found at the beginning of his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens:

I am your constant companion. I am
your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down
to failure. I am completely at your command.
Half the things I do you might as well
turn over to me and I will be able to do
them quickly and correctly.

I am easily managed – you must merely
be firm with me. Show me exactly how you
want something done and after a few
lessons I will do it automatically. I am the
servant of all great individuals and, alas, of
all failures as well. Those who are great, I
have made great. Those who are failures,
I have made failures.

I am not a machine, though I work
with all the precision of a machine plus
the intelligence of a human. You may run
me for profit or run me for ruin – it
makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me,
and I will place the world at your feet. Be
easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
Ponder that one awhile. I had my high school students try and guess this and it lead to some very thought-provoking discussions.
Eventually I told them the answer:
I am habit.
If you read through the riddle a few more times while keeping the answer in mind I’m sure you will come up with some insights about yourself and your life. The question is what will you do with them? I’d love to read your response…join the conversation by posting your thoughts and comments…it really does lead to an interesting conversation and hopefully will contribute to a good year for all.

After taking an extended and much needed break, I am back! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and your new year is off to a great start.  During my break I did a lot of work.  I know it is an oxymoron but I started working on a couple of projects that I have been putting off and I am really excited about them now that the ball is rolling.  I am working with some great people and I will fill everyone in regarding these projects another time. 

This week’s post is centered on the theme of conferences and opportunities—both enable individuals to network and gain valuable insight on what it takes to get a job in the sports industry from those currently working in the field.  Although I am constantly telling students what they need to do or what they should be doing, it is sometimes more effective when they hear it from someone else.  As a result, I have compiled the following list of some upcoming conferences which I recommend attending if you are a student, young professional or someone trying to get into the sport industry: 

• 2/1-2/3 National Sports Forum – Baltimore, Maryland http://sports-forum.com/
• 2/19-2/20 18th Annual Georgia Southern Sport Management Conference – Savannah, Georgia http://ceps.georgiasouthern.edu/conted/sportconference.html
• 3/5-3/6 Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference Washington, D.C. http://www.sinc-conference.com/
• 3/26-3/27 Sports Events Marketing Experience Washington, D.C. http://www.seme-now.com/
• 4/14-4/16 6th Annual Southern Sport Management Conference Troy University Troy, Alabama http://troy.troy.edu/healthandhumanservices/khp/ssm2009.html
• 4/21-4/23 2010 Scholarly Conference on College Sport Chapel Hill, NC http://www.csriconference.org/

In addition, the two sites listed below are not actually conferences but both put on amazing networking events. I recommend you make them part of your regular reading and attend as many of their events as possible:

• The Business of Sports – http://www.thebusinessofsports.com/
• The Sports Networker (has a great weekly newsletter as well) – http://www.sportsnetworker.com/

Please let me know, if I have missed any conferences or good networking opportunities…I’d be happy to post them as well!

Preparation is one of the key elements for success in any endeavor. I firmly believe this and encourage all of my students to plan and explore as many opportunities as possible as they move from one stage in their life to the next. I also believe that some of the best teachers, coaches and leaders in virtually any field come from the experiences of those who have forged ahead of us. As a result, I find myself seeking out advice from my mentors and successful individuals in a variety of fields. In turn, I often am used as a sounding board for my current students as they prepare for their future and even have the privilege of talking with my former students as they advance in their careers as well.

Along those lines, this week’s blog consists of a small portion of a panel discussion at York College of Pennsylvania. The attached video clip focuses on what each panel member feels is important to keep in mind when preparing for success after graduation. It applies to nearly everyone, regardless of their age, major or career aspirations. I hope it will provide you with useful information and points to consider. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and reactions…the panel participants included (as seen on the video from left to right):

• Mr. Bill Nuttall -- Owner & President Golden Viking Sports, LLC (formerly Diadora America)
• Ms. Megan Smith (’04) -- Guest Services & Logistics Coordinator Lowe’s Motor Speedway
• Mr. Matt Guercio -- Coordinator of Game Day Operations & Special Events C.W. Post Campus (Athletic Department), Long Island University
• Mr. Joseph (JW) Cannon -- Sponsorship Manager Brand Marketing ING U.S. Financial Services