Site Visit #3 Turner Field

Our Sports Administration class took a tour of Turner Field on November 11, 2010. I had previously been on a tour but that had been about 8 years ago. Our tour was pretty in depth, however not as in depth as I would have liked. We got to visit the Sun Trust level, the luxury suites, Sky Field, and even got to stand outside of the Braves' locker room and look in. The only things that would have made this tour better would have been if we were able to actually go in the locker room, view the workout area, and view the batting cages underneath the stadium. My favorite part had to be the locker room even if we did not get to go inside it. Just seeing where the guys that I love to watch play the game of baseball get ready for the games I watch on TV was pretty cool. I would have loved to be able to sit in the same locker that Chipper or B-Mac sits in everyday.


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Human Resource Management

Case: "You are seeking a JV women's basketball coach at Sprayberry High School in Cobb County; the person may also need to coach other sports."

Job Description includes but is not limited to:
-Be able to hold a successful tryout
-Help create a schedule
-Run efficient practices and be able to set times
-Make a roster
-Attend conferences and clinics
-Help maintain trip budgets

Job Specification includes but is not limited to:
-Undergraduate degree
-Basketball and other sports experience/knowledge is preferred
-Some type of coaching experience is preferred
-Knowledge of rules

Application Instructions:
-Apply through the school board
-Include a resume and past coaching experience
-Go through the interview process with head coach, principal, and athletic director
-Application is due by the end of the school year leading up to the season applying for

Candidate Evaluation Form includes but is not limited to:
1) Sports Knowledge/Experience
2) People Skills
3) Interview Process
4) Knowledge of Rules
5) Money Management Skills


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Group Presentations/Order of Presentations

November 16th:
1) Wes, Jay, Ethan: Gold's Gym/Sports Facility Management
2) Ben, Monique, Jemere: Leadership Interviews
November 18th:
1) Haley, Bailey, Cali, Andrea: Sports Information
2) Tim, Stephen, Brandon: Personnel Management

Site Visit Summary #2: Georgia Tech/Georgia Dome

On November 2, 2010, our Sports Administration class took a trip to the Georgia Tech Student Rec. Center as well as the Georgia Dome. The bus departed around 9:30 a.m. and we were headed first to Georgia Tech. I must say that my jaw dropped when we pulled in the parking lot of the Rec. Center. This place is unbelievable! It was home to the 1996 Summer Olympics swimming/diving competitions. With that being said they had three pools, a diving pool, and even a lazy river with a slide. The place also has an incredible amount of workout equipment including a rock wall. Above the pool/diving area are the basketball courts and the indoor soccer/hockey field. The tour guide told us about a kid who kicked a basketball and it hit a sprinkler eventually causing a flooding and it totaled to about $1,000,000 in damages. He also told us that they do not offer graduate assistantships, but they do offer internships. He told us that he is the contact we need if we are interested in obtaining an internship at the Rec. Center.

After we left Georgia Tech we went to lunch at the CNN Center. The Georgia Dome is right next door to the CNN Center. Wally was our tour guide at the Dome. We got to see more than I could ever have possibly imagined. He showed us the "ins and the outs" of the stadium. We got to see everything from the SuperSuites to the Falcons locker room. The field itself was not painted because they had a Georgia State football game and a motivational speaker seminar over the weekend. It was pretty cool seeing them clean the turf and wipe off the college hash marks to prepare for Sunday afternoon's home Falcons game. The only thing that I was disappointed with was the fact that the field/stadium was not prepared for a Falcon's game. The endzones and half line were not painted, the goal posts were not up, and the locker room had no name plates or chairs out. Other than that, this trip was awesome. It was a once in a lifetime experience and I would just like to thank Dr. Epling for allowing us to go.

Estarr10

Speaker Summary #4 Bob Pearson

On October 28, 2010, Dr. Bob Pearson of Berry College came to speak to our Sports Administration class. Dr. Pearson has a great personality and is a fabulous speaker. He told us that he came bearing gifts and passed out three items to each and every one of us. The first item was a whistle. The whistle stands for safety. It can be used in times of need to get people's attention. He also pointed out a scenario of a referee blowing his whistle during a basketball game. If he barely breathes in to the whistle, it will let out a weak sound; however, if he is assertive with blow then it will get everyone's attention and prove that he knows he made the right call. The next thing was a clip. It had multiple meanings. Last but not least he passed out a bright yellow notecard. He said he uses these cards on an everyday basis to help him remember things. Pearson stated that he has them all over his car, on his desk, and even at his house. Dr. Pearson is the Athletic Director at Berry College. He is in his 29th year at Berry. He is also the head of the Department of Kinesiology for the school. He has trained many high school coaches in his day, and many of them are now coaches and thank him for everything that they now know. In closing, he recommended that we see four movies: Miracle, Rudy, Mr. Holland's Opus, and The Rookie. Pearson said that he loves all of these movies and finds inspiration in all of them.

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ICE 11-15

11) Comcast Spectacor/Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center
- The first one is for the Northwest Georgia Trade & Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia. I believe this internship would be a great thing for me because I have always been interested in working with the media in some way, shape, form, or fashion. It could be a great building block for my career and provide much needed work experience. However, it is an unpaid internship. Basically, I would be performing any duties that the Marketing Department needed for me to do. These duties could include anything from writing press releases to representing the arena at festivals and fairs.
12) Turner Sports Sponsorship and Marketing Intern
- The second one is for Turner Sports Broadcasting in Atlanta, Georgia. This internship would be a great way to start a career that some day could end up in the television business. Atlanta is not too far from my hometown and I have always had dreams of working in television. I would not mind to live in Atlanta and i possess all of the skills required for this job including the preferred major. I would be assisting with the execution of on-air sponsorships and promotions for the Sports Sponsorship and Marketing department.
13) Atlanta Braves Ticket Sales Trainee
- The third one is for the Atlanta Braves organization in Atlanta, Georgia. Working in the Atlanta Braves organization would be a dream job. I could hopefully use this internship to help work my way up through the organization. I would have no problem working any and all Braves games including games on weekends and holidays. I would be helping with the promotion of ticket sales and packages, as well as actually making sure the tickets and packages get sold.
14) Atlanta Braves Ticket Operations Trainee
- The fourth one is for the Atlanta Braves organization in Atlanta, Georgia. Any job in the Atlanta Braves organization would be an incredible experience. This job would give me great experience with customer service both face to face and over the phone. I would be assisting in the processing, printing, and mailing of tickets to both companies and individuals.
15) Atlanta Braves Special Events Trainee
- The fifth one is for the Atlanta Braves organization in Atlanta, Georgia. If I was able to land a job in the Atlanta Braves organization, I would consider my life successful. This job in the Special Events department would just be an added plus. Special Event management is something that I could possibly be interested in pursuing. I am already up to date on professional sporting events, and this could possibly help me land this job in the near future. I would be assisting in updating weekly availability of rental space, distribution of the monthly calendar to the Braves Front Office personnel and producing Special Events MLB reports for the legal department.

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Speaker Summary #3 Coach Bill Popp

On October 19, 2010, Bill Popp came to talk to our Sports Administration class. Popp is the Head Baseball Coach and Athletic Director at Reinhardt University. He has been at Reinhardt since 2004 when he built the baseball program from the ground up. He has been the Athletic Director for six years. He said that the job basically fell into his lap. Popp came in as the Assistant A.D. and the year after he came the Head A.D. left and he was offered the position.

Before Reinhardt, Popp attended West Georgia and was undecided about a major. He then went on to Kennesaw State University and graduated with a B.S. in Sport Management. He played baseball at KSU when they were a NCAA Division II powerhouse. After graduating from KSU he became the Assistant Baseball Coach at Oglethorpe College in 1994. The head coaching job at Oglethorpe also fell into his lap. The year after he became assistant the head coach resigned. He was then offered the head job. He was there for 13 years. Popp also coached at East Cobb for 14 years with his assistant at Reinhardt, Coach John Ihlenberg.

He came to talk to our class about the things that an Athletic Director does.
As an Athletic Director he has several administrative tasks that he has to do on a regular basis. Some of the things that he does include:

- He works with the budgets of both scholarships and athletic operations
- He deals with eligibility issues of student-athletes
- He on committees for both the NAIA and the AAC (Appalachian Athletic Conference)
- His hours are basically 9:30-5:30 or 6:00 during the summer
- When school is in session he pretty much sets his own hours as long as he gets his things finished.

Coach Popp also gave us some statistics about Reinhardt University and the NAIA.

- There are more than 240 student-athletes at RU. This totals to about 1/3 of the population on campus.
- Reinhardt started off in the GCAC (Georgia Collegiate Athletic Conference). This conference was every school in the state of Georgia besides Division I schools. Reinhardt then spent six years in the SSAC (Southern States Athletic Conference).
- This past year RU moved into the AAC. Scholarships played a major role in the move. The schools in the AAC offer around the same amount of athletic scholarships as RU. However, due to the move RU's teams have longer travel times to face conference opponents. There are currently eight schools in the conference and they are pursuing the idea of adding more in the near future.

Coach Popp also mentioned the fact that Reinhardt is talking about adding a football program in the future.

- He said that in six months he should know more details about whether or not it is a real possibility.
- The reasons they are pursuing a football program include the fact that it will pay for itself in the long run and the recent success of football programs at schools the same size as RU.

Bill Popp's visit was very informative and we really appreciate him taking time out of his busy schedule to spend a few minutes with our class.

Estarr10