The document traces the evolution of sport management structures from early clubs in 18th century England to modern leagues and tournaments. It discusses how management evolved from local clubs organized for entertainment to complex national governing bodies and commercial leagues in response to broad social changes and the need to standardize rules and resolve disputes. Key developments discussed include the establishment of the Jockey Club in horse racing as the first national governing body, the modern Olympic Games revival in the late 19th century, the creation of the first professional baseball league in 1871, and the rise of golf tournaments sponsored by companies in the 20th century. The document also notes the increasing role and importance of women in both sport participation and sport management careers over time.

1. Chapter 1
The History of Sport
Management

2. Introduction
Roots of Sport Management Structures
• Management structures include clubs,
leagues, professional tournaments
• Primary theme of chapter
– Evolution resulting from broad social changes
and/or to address specific issues
• Secondary themes:
– Honest play and inclusion

3. The Club System
• England
– Birthplace of modern sport and sport
management
• 18th century
– Development of sport clubs with limited
membership
• 19th century
– Continued club evolution with standardizing of
rules, settling disputes, and organizing
schedules

4. Thoroughbred Racing
• Races drew broad and diverse audience
– No admission charged
• Local club system initially
– Racing existed for entertainment only, not
financial gain
• 1830s
– Rail system allowed horses to compete
nationally
• Desire of owners to breed and train fast horses and
the increasing complexity of gambling lead to
more complex club system

5. The Jockey Club
• Settled disputes, established rules, determined
eligibility, designated officials, regulated breeding,
and punished unscrupulous participants
• Organized, sponsored, and promoted local events
• Met need for a strong national governing body to
establish rules, standards, and a mechanism for
resolving disputes
• Served as model for wider sport management
practices in England

6. The Modern Olympic Games
• International club event, with little resemblance to
ancient Olympic Games
• First Modern Olympics in 1896, but the revival can be
traced back to at least 1850 with club-based Olympic
festivals in England
• Founder Pierre de Coubertin, inspired by English
revivals and Victorian notions of character building
and peace movements through sport, introduced
concept of amateur Olympic Games every 4 years

7. Present-Day Club Structure
• Commitment to serve broad membership and
manage elite sport enterprise
• Clubs organize youth teams and academies, adult
recreational leagues, and social events for members
• Large built-in memberships and loyal fan bases
• Characterized by nonprofit status and exclusive
membership
– Augusta and male-only membership
• Change from European club system to U.S. league
system

8. American Structures
• European club system did not suit the United States
– Lack of aristocratic tradition and prohibition
against gambling
• Evolution of harness racing, sport of the common
person
• Better spectator sport
– Sprint vs. 4-mile race; horses could compete
daily, large field of competitors
• Managed by track owners and race promoters
– Willing to create spectator interest for sport
• Issues of race fixing, management lacking
credibility

9. Leagues
• Baseball was first to adopt league system
• Cincinnati Red Stockings: First pro team
• Some teams in the league paid and some did not—
created controversy
• 1871: Creation of National Association of Professional
Baseball Players
• Importance of “breakeven” financial interests of
individual clubs
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10. William Hulbert
• Czar of baseball
• 1876: Took over management of National League
of Professional Baseball Players
• Believed stability achieved only if teams were run
like businesses
• Teams should compete against each other and not
collude
– Understood that without strict rules forcing
honest competition, collusion would occur

11. William Hulbert (cont.)
Also believed:
• Owners must take some financial risk:
– Abandoning seasons early to prevent losses in
short term eroded long-term faith of public
• Owners must field competitive teams to be
profitable.
• Integrity of baseball was suspect as long as the
players’ honesty was questionable:
– Gambling prohibited and ticket prices raised

12. Success of League
• Excitement of pennant race
• Favorable media attention
• Appealed to fans’ loyalty and pride in their
cities
• Early form of revenue sharing
• Rules that distributed talent

13. Leagues Today
• Successful contemporary commercial sport
leagues depend on consolidated league play with
strong centralized control and regulation
• Audience has changed
– Public’s perception of locus of honest effort
resides more with the players than with
ownership structure
• Single-entity structures: MLS, MLL, AFL

14. Professional Sport Tournaments
Professional Golf
• Early golf professionals were
instructors and caddies.
• Professional leagues failed to capture
public interest or attract golf
professionals.
• Attempts to generate gate revenues at
tournaments failed.
• Stability of tournaments was achieved
when prize money was put up by
companies and corporate sponsors.
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15. Corcoran’s Tournaments
• Fred Corcoran: Architect of golf tournament
• Golf tournament was medium through which
celebrity, politician, manufacturer, charity,
town, or product gained exposure
• Used athletes and golf tournaments to sell
advertising space to the public
• Bing Crosby and Bob Hope created charity
golf tournaments in pro-am format for WWII
fund-raising

16. Corcoran’s Tournaments Continue
After War Ends
• Good business = Tax deductions
• Charities encourage volunteers and good publicity
for tournaments
• Golf equipment manufacturers paid Corcoran to
create golfer association and arrange tournaments
using prize money as player payments to reduce cost
of hiring player representatives
• 1950s press changes policy and begins naming
tournament sponsor not location = free publicity

17. Tournaments Today
• Golf tournaments have evolved into corporate
celebrations of golf and products
• PGA Tour viewed as private group
– Set rules of eligibility
• Associations not as exclusive as private clubs
(Casey Martin)
• Trend moving away from nonprofit private
associations and toward marketing agencies and/or
broadcast media

18. Importance of Women
• Heraea Games:
– The Sixteen Women
• Intercollegiate Sport:
– Christine Grant and Judy Sweet
• National Intramural-Recreation Sports
Association (NIRSA):
– Anette Akins, Mary Daniels, Juliette Moore

19. Importance of Women in Sport
Management
• Sport management industry:
– Effa Manley of Newark Eagles (Negro League)
– Billie Jean King (WTT, WSF)
– Lesa France Kennedy (NASCAR)
– Stephanie Tolleson (IMG)
– Dawn Hudson (PepsiCo)

20. Academic Field
• Continuing growth of sport industry and its
importance to numerous sponsors and institutions
created demand for the systematic study of sport
management practices.
– 1957: Walter O’Malley
– 1966: James Mason; first master’s program at
Ohio
– 1971: University of Massachusetts

21. Academic Field (cont.)
• Current status
– More than 210 programs nationwide
– North American Society for Sport Management
(NASSM)
– Program evaluation
– Globalization
• Sport management degree programs
throughout Europe
• SMAANZ
• EASM