Major in sports?

I love this!!!! I've thought it for a long time (actually just came to the site to post it, excited to see it already there).

I think it would be a huge benefit to give students some sports specific knowledge, but also, how do I choose an agent, how do I set a budget when I'm suddenly making $2 million a year, nutrition, etc. etc. etc.

Students have to audition for opera or theatre, so why not to major in (most likely) football or basketball, but also in baseball or rowing?

I think it's an exciting way to get serious about athletics and the role they play in many lives.

The manifestation of "we ain't come here to play school" 

@Iowamom23 posted:

I love this!!!! I've thought it for a long time (actually just came to the site to post it, excited to see it already there).

I think it would be a huge benefit to give students some sports specific knowledge, but also, how do I choose an agent, how do I set a budget when I'm suddenly making $2 million a year, nutrition, etc. etc. etc.

Students have to audition for opera or theatre, so why not to major in (most likely) football or basketball, but also in baseball or rowing?

I think it's an exciting way to get serious about athletics and the role they play in many lives.

 

 

While I think required electives might be helpful, an overwhelming majority of student athletes would benefit more from majoring in something that will help them land a career after college. Just about every kid who plays a college sport probably thinks they have a shot at being a pro. The reality is very few will actually make it.

It could be a good idea if it had either a business or a science underpinning. Like sports/event management, coaching/scouting/training, or health/sports science. The problem in the past has been that they were degrees without career paths and that doesn't help anyone. I agree about the performance credit. Theater or dance majors get a performance credit or two during the semesters when they have performances. Getting a credit or two in-season might be the difference in some guys getting their degree a year or a semester more quickly...

Oh sure, but I'd guess that many more are interested in a career in the mega-industry of sports, whether that is youth travel, sports equipment, marketing, broadcasting, coaching, professional teams, instructing, etc. Just like most music majors aren't going to become professional musicians, but might do something with music - work in the recording industry, for example, or teach.

@anotherparent posted:

Oh sure, but I'd guess that many more are interested in a career in the mega-industry of sports, whether that is youth travel, sports equipment, marketing, broadcasting, coaching, professional teams, instructing, etc. Just like most music majors aren't going to become professional musicians, but might do something with music - work in the recording industry, for example, or teach.

I know a few guys who majored in sports recreation or something like that. Their parents weren't happy with them. Now they own several for profit sports leagues and make solid low to mid 6 figures. 

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

While I think required electives might be helpful, an overwhelming majority of student athletes would benefit more from majoring in something that will help them land a career after college. Just about every kid who plays a college sport probably thinks they have a shot at being a pro. The reality is very few will actually make it.

I'd say the same thing about a Music major, though.  Very few of them actually end up performing for their primary job.  However, they get an education and a college degree that opens a few doors for them.  Not that it would be better than, let's say a kinesiology major (some of them can't seem to pass the Chemistry and Biology courses, though), but I think it would be better than general studies, and at least interest the min something else. 

@TerribleBPthrower posted:

While I think required electives might be helpful, an overwhelming majority of student athletes would benefit more from majoring in something that will help them land a career after college. Just about every kid who plays a college sport probably thinks they have a shot at being a pro. The reality is very few will actually make it.

I think part of the point of this program would be that not everyone can get in. My daughter just graduated with a BS/MS in diet and exercise. In order to get into the program she had to complete a number of prereqs and maintain a specific GPA. Why not have the same? Kids can come in and know they are going to major in some sports-related field. After a season or maybe two, they can be steered into the communications, coaching, facility management track or the performance track — reserved for those players that coaches legitimately feel have a chance to go pro.

Sure.  Why not?  We've got a few months left in this crazy 2020 year.  If this really prepares some people for a life in sports (which is really entertainment when you think about it) then why not.   But, please no 8am classes! 

Here is my first semester classes:

First class - "Paramutual Betting 101...How to Play the Ponies and Win!"   (4 credit hours*)  

Second class - Case study in "Economic impact to Major Sports industry and infrastructure in a pandemic" (3 credit hours)

Third Class - "Sports Ownership - How to Hide the Money and Get Public Funding" (3 credit hours)

Fourth Class - "The NCAA - a History of Skulduggery" (3 credit hours)

Fifth Class - "The History of Major College Conferences and Chasing the Money" (3 credit hours)

* 1 extra credit hour includes lab & field work on becoming a bookie

Iowamom23, we are in the same boat here.  You have said your son wants to coach and so does mine when his playing days are over.  They both are at P5 schools as pitchers.  He spent all summer coaching a highly competitive 14U travel team this summer when his league fell through.  My oldest son is a varsity HS basketball coach and my middle son is AC at a juco.  I have coached HS and travel.  He has no desire to be an engineer or doctor or lawyer or such.  But his passion is coaching.  He is having to get a degree in business to receive in-state tuition at an out of state school.  He will add a masters of sports administration or something later.  He would major in sports if it was offered and he could be in-state tuition.  For those who know that is their future it is a good thing.  I've told mine to stay as close to the coaches as he can and take in all the knowledge he can.  Ask questions as to why even if it does not apply to him.  One day it will pay off.

The best advice I can give, is to become a grad student if coaching is what they want to do and ask to be on the team assisting the coaches because I don't think that there are classes that you can take to learn that stuff.  You learn from them. When a coach knows that you want to learn he will teach you.

The best coaches now, have worked with the best Head Coaches.

Corbin, O'Sullivan, Bakich worked under Leggett and now those guys have guys coaching in college or pro ball.  There are so many  guys that have worked under winning coaches.

Coach Corbin's wife teaches the players life skills. How to cook, how to keep expenses, including writing a check, laundry, nutrition, etc.

I think that is a badly needed course study for athletes!

@fenwaysouth posted:

Sure.  Why not?  We've got a few months left in this crazy 2020 year.  If this really prepares some people for a life in sports (which is really entertainment when you think about it) then why not.   But, please no 8am classes! 

Here is my first semester classes:

First class - "Paramutual Betting 101...How to Play the Ponies and Win!"   (4 credit hours*)  

Second class - Case study in "Economic impact to Major Sports industry and infrastructure in a pandemic" (3 credit hours)

Third Class - "Sports Ownership - How to Hide the Money and Get Public Funding" (3 credit hours)

Fourth Class - "The NCAA - a History of Skulduggery" (3 credit hours)

Fifth Class - "The History of Major College Conferences and Chasing the Money" (3 credit hours)

* 1 extra credit hour includes lab & field work on becoming a bookie

You forgot College Athletics 101, “How to make a million using performers as slave labor.”

Not sure I understand. Can't you study sports science or physical education at US colleges?

Here in germany you can study physical education and parts of it are sports practice.

Or is this basically about getting a major just for playing sports? 

@Dominik85 posted:

Not sure I understand. Can't you study sports science or physical education at US colleges?

Here in germany you can study physical education and parts of it are sports practice.

Or is this basically about getting a major just for playing sports? 

Yes you can take those courses, if the desire is to be involved with sports.  

Sports Management is trending very high these days as an elected major.  Most of those kids think they are going to graduate and become the assistant to the vice president of the Red Sox.  Reality is they are going to be the manager of an Anytime Fitness in Boise.

The idea is that if you major in some kind of music, you get credit for practicing and performance; you study music theory and history, and it is a performance degree.  There is nothing comparable for sports, even though both are areas in which the outcome is entertainment that requires a lot of practice.  Of course, you can also major in music pedagogy, or music production, or arts administration, or other things that would be analagous to PE, fitness, sports management.  But those latter degrees do not make a primary focus the preparation needed to produce a product that is performance-based.

I think the way to go would be to model it on music.  For most music performance degrees, who actually have to demonstrate competence on more than one instrument; one could imagine football players having to master a track or field area, for example.  You would make the sports performance into an actual area of study.

@3and2Fastball posted:

Sports Management is trending very high these days as an elected major.  Most of those kids think they are going to graduate and become the assistant to the vice president of the Red Sox.  Reality is they are going to be the manager of an Anytime Fitness in Boise.

I think this is the truth.  Moneyball was no joke - if you want to work in the front office, study economics at Yale, math at Stanford or MIT, law at a top school, etc.  Haverford has also found a way to place numerous graduates into prime spots in MLB organizations.

Edited to correct "spellcheck" typo.

@3and2Fastball        It doesn't really matter what you major in, you got to be someone's nephew for that front office MLB job

But seriously, I know some guys who went the route of Travel Ball orgs and make some serious bank. However, I would recommend majoring in advertising/marketing. Cause all they really do is sell a product.

With the music thing it really is mostly about connections, especially with Jazz music.  If you attend New School in NYC as a Jazz major, you are going to have a ton of connections if you put in the work, and will get touring/performance work after graduating.  You might not be a star, but you’ll be working.  Studying Jazz Studies at Northern Illinois or Oklahoma?  Good luck with that.

I would imagine that coaching college Baseball is about connections, too.  There are a lot more college coaching positions than there are spots for Jazz musicians to make a living at it, too.

Edit to add: Great points above about Harvard/MIT/Yale being the paths to front office work, and not a Sports Management major at State U