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?