Introduction
Sports administration and constituency relationships are important elements in current sports management because of the competitive nature of sports. Many times, we are bombarded by breathtaking figures in terms of sport revenues to players and sports organizations amounting to millions of dollars, either in ticket sales, concession sales, broadcasting revenues and the likes. Big sports teams like the New York Yankees for instance are known to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars and currently, it is estimated to be nearing the billion dollar mark (Smith, 2004, p. 1).
Smith (2004) reiterates that “Football teams have an average value of $530 million and even the less popular and less prosperous NHL teams exceed $150 million on average” (p. 1). Because of the rapid expansion of the sports industry and its extensive nature, there is a strong need for sports administration as a management tool and a strong understanding of constituency relationships that is an important attribute in the coordination of sports activities. This study explores these elements in detail.
Analysis
Sports administration is a multi-dynamic discipline encompasses elements to do with sports, team/player valuation, and other issues to do with revenue receipt and sports management. Most often than not, sports administration is coupled with constituency relationships because collectively, they act as the most important tools in sports management. In sports administration, leagues are normally the basic focal point through which sport is managed. From these leagues, various models are adopted to estimate player value and team valuation as a critical component in sports management. This exercise happens through the coordination of various sporting constituencies.
For instance, the major model adopted by most leagues in estimating the value of sports teams is the evaluation of team worth between the NFL and other existent leagues (Smith, 2004, p. 17). Sports administration through team valuation is often undertaken through the number of championship wins, number of spectators in attendance, presence of a rival team at the home ground, and the status of a stadium where a game is to be played (Smith, 2004).
Since sports administration is done in specific league constituencies, such as the NBA, MHL, and the MLB, such leagues form the major sports constituencies in America. These leagues ensure specific sporting rules are observed, although their function stretches to organizing matches and tournaments as well (Slack, 2005, p. 47). However, each sports constituent has its own model and administrative capacity but their functions remain more or less the same depending on the kind of sport in question. Nonetheless, the major administrative function of each sport constituent is upholding and maintaining sports standards across their jurisdictions (Ross, 2010).
For example, the NBA has done a tremendous job in upholding the standards of basketball, in addition to facilitating the spread of the game globally. For example, such efforts have been noted through the sourcing of players from overseas teams. These league constituents have endeavored to ensure that revenues are properly used, each player gets value for participating in a given sports and each team gets an equal chance to compete for each coveted price in any sporting tournament. The only difference comes from how each constituent comes up with its administrative modalities.
Conclusion
Sports administration and constituent relationships are all focused towards maintaining the standards of sports. Basically, these constituents have ensured players are accommodated in league championships but conventionally, they have been useful in the utilization and allocation of sports revenues. These attributes have contributed to the effective management and administration of sports not only in the United States but globally.
References
- Ross, S. F. (2010). The Law and Economics of Optimal Sports League. Web.
- Slack, T. (2005). Understanding Sport Organizations: The Application of Organization Theory. New York: Human Kinetics.
- Smith, K. (2004). Valuing Professional Sports Franchises: An Econometric Approach. Web.