A survey of athletic directors, principals, and facility directors to determine the need and curriculum content of a sports administration program.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the need for a professional preparation curriculum for sports administrators in the secondary school, collegiate, and public sector in Tennessee. The study was conducted to determine the professional background and duties of the current sports administrators, the need for a sports administration program, and the course content for a sports administration program. A 25-item questionnaire was developed to survey the sports administrators across Tennessee and provide the results. A total of 162 sports administrators composed of secondary school principals and athletic directors, college athletic directors, sports arena directors, and public sports facility directors responded to the survey. The findings revealed that: (1) Most of the sports administrators have held their current positions for less than 5 years; have their master's degrees with undergraduate majors in physical education and graduate majors in administration; and do not belong to any professional organizations that are related to sports administration. (2) A professional preparation program for sports administration should be developed and should be interdisciplinary. (3) Experience in the field of sports administration is the most important variable in preparing a person for the field. A recommendation was made to pursue the development of a professional preparation program for sports administrators in Tennessee. The program should be flexible and tailored to meet each student's professional goals. Also, more students in related fields should be made aware of the scope of the field of sports administration.