Looking beyond the jockocracy: finding competent recreational sport managers - Research Update

Parks & Recreation, Jan, 2004 by Bob Barcelona

In another time and in another context, sports broadcaster Howard Cosell used to rant against the idea of "jockocray"--that is, television networks providing broadcasting jobs for former professional athletes with no formal training as sports journalists. A similar argument has been made with respect to the qualifications of personnel in a number of jobs in the sport industry, including recreational sport management.

The popularity of sport as a recreational pursuit has created a demand for competent managers capable of designing and delivering sport programs and services (Mull, et al., 1997; Ross & Young, 1998). In addition, the growing popularity of youth sports, and a number of well-publicized incidents of violence, overtraining and hyper-competitiveness, have led to various summits and interventions focusing on raising community and professional standards for grassroots sport professionals (NAYS-NRPA, 2001). A growing number of professional organizations, including NRPA, have devoted significant energy and resources to providing professional training and continuing education opportunities for recreational sport professionals.

If Cosell's jockocracy exists in the recreational sports field, it is quickly being discredited. While the local high school sports hero might still be able to get a full-time job working with community recreational sports programs, there is a good chance that to be competitive for that job, he will need a college education and competence in business, management, communications, technology, legality/risk management, research and evaluation and event programming (Barcelona, 2001; Toh, 1997).

Recreational sport professionals practice their trade in diverse employment settings, such as public recreation programs, campus recreation departments, commercial venues, military bases and correctional institutions (Mull, et al, 1997). In addition, organizations within each setting differ with respect to size, as well as the number and level of full-time staff devoted to providing sport programs and services. If recreation directors are seeking competent professionals capable of planning and delivering recreational sport programs in increasingly complex and diverse environments, it is necessary to understand what to look for in a potential recreational sport manager. The purpose of this research update is to examine the research that has been conducted on recreational sport competencies, and to provide recreation directors with recommendations for hiring competent sport managers for positions in a variety of diverse and complex sport settings.

Recreational Sport Management Competencies

Many researchers have attempted to define the body of knowledge needed to produce competent recreational sport managers. Jamieson (1980) was one of the first, and her research in this area became the foundation for the certification of recreational sports professionals through the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). Jamieson identified competencies in business, management, communications, technology, legality/risk management, philosophy/sport science, research/evaluation and event programming as the key knowledge areas for recreational sport managers to possess. Other studies supported these findings, identifying the same or similar areas of competency (Afthinos, 1998; Barcelona, 2001; DeSensi, et al., 1990; Lambrecht, 1991; NASPE/NASSM, 1993; Toh, 1997).

Several researchers have noted the difference in the general body of knowledge necessary for entry-level compared to upper-level recreational sport managers (Jamieson, 1980; Skipper, 1990; Toh, 1997; Barcelona, in press). In general, direct service competencies such as sport programming and event management have been found to be more important for entry-level sport programmers than for upper-level sport administrators. This reflects the job duties of many entry-level recreational sport managers, as they are most likely to be responsible for program design and direct service delivery. Upper-level sport administrators, on the other hand, need to be more prepared in areas related to business administration, technology, research, evaluation and the various types of management tasks (personnel, risk, facilities and equipment).

Research has shown that both agency type and organizational size make a difference in the competencies required of recreational sport managers (Barcelona, in press; Cuskelly & Auld, 1991; DeSensi, et al., 1990; Lambrecht, 1991). For example, a study by Barcelona (in press) found significant differences between campus and public recreation agencies with respect to the importance placed on a number of competency areas. Respondents indicated that research and evaluation, philosophy/sport science and legality/ risk management were more important for recreational sport managers in campus recreation agencies. It was also found that competence in sport programming/event management was more important for recreational sport professionals in public recreation agencies.