The sports landscape

When the word “sport” is discussed in conversations, it immediately resonates with the public, consumers, and fans. Simply saying “sport” may evoke thoughts of feelings that include pleasure, enjoy, fun, excitement, exhilaration, happiness, adulation, love, and enthusiasm, to name only a few. Sport is extremely emotional, as fans clamor to cheer for their favorite athlete(s) and team(s) and jeer at longstanding rivals in sport enterprises. The magnitude of sport’s influence on culture should not be understated. Sport is a social institution with a tremendous impact that crosses over to other existing social institutions, such as mass media, research, education, religion, family, and medicine (Coakley, 2008). Although the popularity of sport is apparent, countless people are unaware of what the word sport means and struggle to provide a definitive definition. In beginning your journey in the Sport Administration program, it is important to have an insightful understanding of what sport is. In this Discussion, you will explore the various interpretations and definitions of sport.
Reference: Coakley, J. (2008). Sports in society: Issues and controversies. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Note on the format of Discussions: The Discussions in this and future courses are intended to generate a meaningful conversation among you and your peers, similar to what you would experience in a live classroom. As such, the prompts focus on specific issues related to the weekly topic and assigned readings. Your responses are expected to be fully conceived ideas supported by those readings and your own experiences or those in the current media/literature.  Each Discussion prompt is followed by a series of “in formulating” questions. These questions are an aid to help generate your thoughts related to the topic at hand and to offer potential support for your initial post.

Post your personal definition of sport. Then, explain how your definition suits the broader needs of organizations that associate themselves with the term sport.
In formulating your Discussion post, consider the following:
What is the definition of sport as defined by Pitts, Fielding, and Miller in the course text?
How do their definitions align with your personal definition of sport? How do they differ?
How might economics influence an individual’s definition of sport?
Where would you place the sales of Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV)? Under the sport industry or automotive industry? Why?
Where would you place revenue made in sports bars? Under the sport industry or restaurant industry? Why?
Rodenberg’ s argument further expand the notion of sport? Should sport practitioners think more broadly about sport and all it encompasses?