United States Sports Academy - "America's Sports University"

CHAPTER
I

INTRODUCTION

Professional
sports provide a source of entertainment for millions of people.
Players and games are seen as diversions to everyday life.
Yet to athletes, and to those who work behind the scenes in
the front-offices, professional sports is a job. Running and
managing sports teams and leagues is big business. As such,
hiring practices of these institutions should be of societal
concern. Franchises impact the lives of not only those whom
they employ, but entire cities as well. From the construction
and operation of stadiums to the local merchants who take
care of the fans, sports teams greatly affect a city's economy.
A glance at the rosters can quickly show what the players'
demographics are, but a closer look is needed to see the racial
and gender make-up of these various teams and leagues.

"Olympia,"
arguably one of the greatest sports films ever produced, may
have also been an effective propaganda tool that promoted
National Socialism as a model form of government. A sports
documentary of the 1936 Summer Olympics, "Olympia"
was directed and produced by the renowned German motion picture
producer Leni Riefenstahl.

Introduction

The
developmental policy aims at achieving the balanced growth
in the different fields of development programs. Any retardation
in these programs will heavily influence the growth of the
other fields. Such balanced growth can be accomplished through
creating waves of private investments in a number of various
projects all at once so as to realize advancement in these
fields (16).

Introduction

As
we move steadily through the first few years of the twenty-first
century, it is only natural to reflect upon the most significant
events of the twentieth century, and look ahead at what awaits
us, particularly the next few years. Perhaps one of the largest
groups of people pondering the future is the business community.
Given all of the technological changes which occurred during
the twentieth century, corporations have had to endure almost
non-stop change to remain competitive in the global market.
Open any history book to see the political changes...the end
of the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the disintegration
of the Soviet Union...or the social changes...the development
of the entertainment industry with things like the television,
VCR, compact discs, personal computers, and the Internet...and
the economic changes...the global economy, instant communication
for business purposes, planes, and even the beginning stages
of video-conferencing.

Eight
months ago, it seemed that the world rushed to embrace the
"new millennium", the dawn of a new era. This is
understandable when viewed in the global context of the previous
century. Two world wars, countless civil wars, the Cold War
and attendant social and political unrest overshadowed many
of the remarkable advances in science and technology. The
Olympic movement was not immune from the political and social
problems in the twentieth century and ultimately became a
microcosm of global politics. As the dawn of the new millennium
approached, many people reflected on past events and envisioned
a new world, dare I say a New World Order, where peace, progress,
character development and prosperity would become a reality
and not simply a dream. This vision was not a new one. Early
guardians of the modern Olympic Games such as Pierre de Coubertin,
William Sloane, Jules Simon, and Fredrick Le Play must have
shared this same optimism and hope for a renewal of moral
character and a lasting peace as they rang in 1900. How could
they have known that the twentieth century would be among
the most tumultuous and deadly periods in the history of the
human race? The turmoil of the early part of the last century
had a profound impact on Coubertin. He became a tireless crusader
for peace and social change. The question that begs asking
is to what extent will the new leadership of the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) continue Coubertin's Crusade for peace
and social change via sport?