Feature: Selected Sport and Physical Education Career OpportunitiesNo.52
January 2008
 
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Selected Sport and Physical Education Career Opportunities

Editorial
Anneliese Goslin & Abel Toriola

 

Professionalism, globalisation, commercialisation and global health issues have catapulted sport and physical education into the business arena causing an exponential growth in career opportunities. A career represents a chosen path upon which a professional travels. A professional is one who possesses distinctive qualifications that allow engagement in and contribution to a career.
Career success can be greatly enhanced by examining all segments and opportunities in the industry. A wide range of career opportunities exist in the sporting arena: coaching, professional athlete, media, law, health, journalism, marketing, retailing and management, to list a few. Each of these opportunities demonstrates and requires specific education and characteristics. Because of the vast number of career opportunities in the 21st century, it is not the intention of this Bulletin to address all of them. Sport Law, Teaching Physical Education, High Performance Coaching and professional sport as a career have been selected as an introduction to the vast array of career opportunities. Professionals and experts currently practicing these selected career opportunities on different continents have shared their views and perspectives.
The article by Hums, Moorman and Kabourakis emphasises the broad spectrum of the sport industry including professional sport, club sport, intercollegiate sport, recreational sport, sport for people with disabilities, facility management and event management. As sport is a reflection of society, all of these areas have legal issues and need sport managers with legal expertise to handle them. The article clarifies two broad categories in sport law career opportunities: a career in which a licensed attorney engages in the practice of law in some segment of the sport industry and alternative career paths for those with law degrees but who are not actively engaged in the practice of law. Hills’ article provides a supplementary viewpoint on Sport Law from a South African perspective.
Cathy Sellers clarifies the diverse demands on elite coaches in their daily interaction and training with elite athletes from the viewpoint of the US Olympic Training Center. The competency profile of an elite coach includes knowledge on physiology, nutrition, psychology, video technology, motor learning and biomechanics. She concludes by raising two key issues for the future training of elite coaches: (1) the demise of Physical Education programs and its impact on the elite coaching profession; and (2) the pool of scientists able to remain working on sport issues.
Sean McCann reflects on the retention of elite coaches in his article on “Can Elite Coaches have a balanced life?” He discusses the challenges and stress facing elite coaches in leading a balanced life. Unhappy, unhealthy and unbalanced coaches either burn out or leave coaching while elite coaches who maintain some semblance of a balanced life are better performers. Sports organisations that retain coaches perform better than those that have to start from scratch every year.
The value and contribution of Physical Education to personal and community well-being is above repute. Both Jones and Lopez de D’Amico argue that teaching Physical Education is one of the most fulfilling career opportunities available. Jones’ article highlights the proliferation of career opportunities inside and outside the classroom due to increased attention to health, fitness and leisure. Lopez de D’Amico highlights the training of professionals in the area of Physical Education and sport from a Latin American perspective. The Venezuelan Constitution and specific Acts support the importance of physical activity and, as such, provide an important platform for the development of opportunities in related careers. Clement is also a supporter of the career as a Physical Education teacher but highlights the impact on health education that such a role has.
Glamorous as it may seem, a career as a professional athlete demands many sacrifices, hours of practice, long periods away from home and the ever-present threat that injury will put an end to a career. The captain of the New Zealand Canterbury Cricket Team (Kruger van Wyk) communicates his personal views on the harsh realities and long road to becoming a successful professional athlete.
Prof Anneliese Goslin
Prof Abel Toriola


Contact
Prof. Anneliese Goslin
University of Pretoria
Center for Leisure Studies
Pretoria, South Africa
Email: anneliese.goslin@up.ac.za

Prof. Abel L. Toriola
Tshwane University of Technology
Pretoria, South Africa
Email: ToriolaAL@tut.ac.za





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