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5 Great Reasons to Major in Sport Management and Recreation at Springfield College

1. Leadership is an essential skill for a sport management and recreation professional working in any organization or venue. In its Occupational Outlook Handbook, the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls “leadership skills” an important qualification for sport management and recreation professionals.

Springfield College has a worldwide reputation for educating leaders in sport and recreation. Students will master leadership skills that will be applied in the progressive realm of sport and recreation management on a campus with world-class facilities. Students will learn to manage organizations that improve the human condition in communities throughout the United States and around the world by engaging in the College’s Humanics philosophy, which calls for the education of the whole person – in spirit, mind, and body – for leadership in service to others.

2. According to BusinessWeek, networking and internship experiences are crucial to sport and recreation management programs.

At Springfield College, experiential learning is a vital component of the sport management and recreation program. Students participate in unparalleled practicum and internship experiences at more than 680 affiliated sites worldwide. In addition, students benefit from membership in the College’s distinguished network of national and international leaders in the sport management and recreation fields. Unlimited resources are available to students, including contacts with hundreds of Springfield College alums and professionals active in these disciplines. Here is a list of just some of the sites at which our students have interned:

• American Hockey League
• ESPN
• U.S. Olympic Committee
• Parks and Recreation Department of Springfield, Mass.
• National Hockey League Headquarters
• National Football League Headquarters
• Major League Baseball Headquarters
• Disney World
• Children’s Hospital of Connecticut
• New England Patriots
• New York Knicks
• Reebok
• National Abilities Center in Park City, Utah
• New York Jets
• Boston Celtics
• Rehab Institute of Chicago
• UNC Hospitals
• Yale-New Haven Hospital

3. Sport management and recreation coursework characteristically includes content in business; event planning and sport marketing; facility design and operations; camp management; and problem solving.

Courses in the sport management and recreation program at Springfield College are taught by a dedicated team of faculty members, who are passionate about their industry and active in their fields. Faculty research interests range from business management, customer service, public relations, and marketing to leadership development, municipal recreation management, legal aspects of recreation, race and gender in sport, and much more. Sport management and recreation coursework at Springfield College includes facility design, operations, and maintenance; ethics in sport and recreation; management of leisure services; and dynamics of leadership, just to name a few. Noteworthy is the fact that Springfield faculty and students were first in the nation to develop a game day security checklist for stadiums and arenas right after the attacks on September 11, 2001. Springfield College sport management graduates receive life-long mentoring and continuous support from faculty members long after graduation.

4. Sport and recreation is a big and complex business. All sport and recreational organizations require the expertise of well-educated leaders who can handle a variety of diversified responsibilities, in a variety of settings.

A Springfield College sport management and recreation degree provides the skills needed to fulfill a number of roles at many different types of sport and recreation organizations: child life settings; professional sports teams and leagues; university athletic departments; intercollegiate athletic conferences; sport media;, fitness, and recreation organizations; sports equipment and apparel firms; event management organizations; municipal park systems; and stadiums, arenas, and other sport facilities.

5. Jobs in sport and recreation are part of a rapidly growing industry that is projected to increase faster than average of all other occupations through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment opportunities will be available in a wide range of settings, as the industry is expected to hire a growing number of workers in all age groups.

Springfield College graduates are highly sought and recognized for their exceptional preparation for the growing range of management career opportunities. Upon graduation, Springfield College graduates work in a variety of settings, including:

• Disney World
• Boston Celtics
• Baltimore Ravens
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets
• New Britain, Conn. Parks and Recreation Department
• X Games at ESPN
• Klingberg Family Center
• Frank Templeton Shootout
• United Hockey League
• Philadelphia Flyers
• National Basketball Association Headquarters
• New Orleans Saints
• The Jason Taylor Foundation
• The Buffalo Bills
• The Boston Canons
• The Boston Red Sox
• The St. Louis Rams
• The American Hockey League
• United States Olympic Committee
• Newton Parks and Recreation

The renowned and internationally celebrated academic programs of Springfield College are supported by world-class facilities, providing sport management and recreation students with a competitive edge in a fast-growing and increasingly popular industry.

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