The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (and the pandemic of capitalism, white supremacy, imperialism, colonialism, etc.) calls for imaginative, relevant, and critical approaches in sport management education to address diverse, socially, and culturally dynamic students. Yet, the bulk of existing educational resources remain rooted in reinforcing systems of domination and the structure of ongoing settler colonialism. A major challenge in traditional approaches to “updating” the curriculum fall short in challenging the banking mode of education. Following Amis and Silk’s call for a “rupture” of the reproduction of the status quo within sport management research, we invite sport management educators to reconsider the skills and embodied knowledge needed to equip sport management students to critically interrogate the “classroom-to-industry” pipeline. We introduce zine making as a pedagogical practice in the classroom. Zine making facilitates learning through a process of doing and thinking. When implemented intentionally, students explore their lived experiences, applying critical social theories to practice through shared learning and creative expression.

To address the challenges posed by sexual violence in sport, this study examines how integrating self-disclosure with trauma-informed teaching practices can enhance sport management education. Although self-disclosure can be an effective teaching tool, it must be employed with a trauma-informed approach to prevent harm. Drawing from over a decade of personal experience as a sexual abuse survivor and professional expertise, the author discusses how trauma-informed perspectives can enhance learning outcomes and student well-being. The article highlights the prevalence of sexual violence in sports and its profound impact on students, advocating for empathy and proactive measures. It provides insights into effective teaching strategies, prioritizing student safety and support. The author introduces the Trauma-Informed Disclosure in Education framework as a practical guide for implementing trauma-informed self-disclosure in the classroom. The work contributes to advancing pedagogy in sport management education by promoting curriculum development, including comprehensive training on sexual violence in sport.

Sport analytics remains a growing area in the sport industry. As such, the demand for skills and knowledge in this area has grown. This demand includes off-field data, such as marketing trends, as well as financial data related to sport organizations. There has been a trickle-down effect in sport management (and other) education programs to teach about analytics to better prepare students for these positions. The current case study will help instructors teach students analytics skills related to data exploration and analysis through Python, a common analytics and coding program. The case study presents an overview of the importance of sport analytics in the industry. We then present the code to be used in teaching a class related to scraping financial data from Yahoo!Finance and provide sample analyses with related code for assignments.

Mental health is an emerging area of interest in sport, but there is a paucity of educational initiatives in sport management curricula to train the next generation of sport managers to address the mental health needs of athletes, a type of knowledge that the mental health literature operationalizes as mental health literacy. One goal of accrediting bodies such as the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation is for excellence in sport management education; thus, due to the changing landscape of sport, sport management curricula should incorporate mental health literacy competencies. This educational research review provides justification for the inclusion of mental health literacy competencies in sport management curricula and accreditation standards, as well as pedagogical strategies for implementation.

This case study highlights the symbiotic relationship between sport management programs and athletic departments, emphasizing the benefits of leveraging on-campus athletics for practical student experiences. Given the prominence of intercollegiate athletics in the United States, universities have a unique opportunity to offer sport management students hands-on learning while on campus. Through the lens of a fundraising project, this study demonstrates effective strategies for building partnerships with athletic departments. It underlines how such projects provide real-world industry experience, focusing not only on technical skills but also on soft skills. The case study shows that both students and athletic departments can significantly benefit from this collaborative approach, enriching the educational experience and contributing to the professional development of future sport industry leaders.

This research explored the usefulness of a mock-interview assignment through collaborative work between sport and recreation management faculty and communication center staff. The assignment paired entry-level undergraduate students working on mock-interviewing skills as job applicants with upper level undergraduate students acting as hiring managers for a series of mock interviews. Peer educators and faculty in the communication center conducted instructional workshops, provided direct student support and feedback, and facilitated the mock interviews. Data were collected on students’ insights of their job interview skills and career preparation during the 2019–20 academic year. The pivot to emergency remote learning during the spring 2020 semester led the assignment and research collection to happen virtually. The results and findings advocate the positive impact that role playing as hiring managers has on students, the effectiveness of students’ receiving multiple sources of feedback, and the value of virtual or online mock interviewing.

The trio of assessment, accreditation, and accountability is at the forefront of higher education today. National organizations serving specific disciplines often establish curricular elements, review degree programs, and provide external accountability of program quality. Sport management has had two external review options in its history, yet few studies have addressed stakeholder attitudes toward these options. Using longitudinal data, this study explored attitudes and familiarity of external review and the impact that formalized accreditation has had on sport management master’s programs. Reasons for seeking or refraining from external review remained consistent, as did familiarity with external-review standards. Results suggested a general satisfaction with the evolution from the Sport Management Program Review Council to the Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA).

This simulation scenario is based on the events surrounding Naomi Osaka’s decision to withdraw from the 2021 French Open tennis tournament, in which Osaka chose not to participate in media obligations due to mental health concerns. Tournament officials attempted to address her concerns, but Osaka did not find the response substantial enough and viewed the response as worsening the situation. Sport managers, athletes, and other stakeholders have responsibilities toward one another that may be best viewed through deontological ethics. Students will analyze the situation from the perspective of a sport manager using deontology as their guiding ethical framework. Learning objectives include developing a deeper understanding of Kant’s categorical imperative and Ross’s prima facie intuitionism, as well as providing opportunities for students to practice ethical leadership in a classroom setting.

When compared with other disciplines, sport management educators are more likely to encounter student-athletes in their classrooms. While faculty mentoring is a key to student success for all, better understanding of this mentoring dynamic between sport management faculty and student-athletes is important to advancing pedagogical knowledge within the discipline. And perhaps, even more importantly, it can aid in creating a pathway for faculty advocacy and dispelling stigmas related to student-athletes. Consequently, the Mentor Role Instrument was used to determine if faculty mentorship of student-athletes differs by function type (RQ1) and if this was impacted by gender or faculty appointment (RQ2). An online survey of 88 sport management educators indicated that a significant difference was found, F(8, 783) = 44.16; p < .001, among mentoring function type. Friendship and Acceptance were the most prevalent mentoring functions, while Protection was the least frequent. Results did not indicate that gender or faculty appointment impacted faculty mentorship styles toward student-athletes.