Welcome
Sports Management Resources (SMR) consultants look forward to helping you take pride in the development of model educational sports programs. The SMR consulting group focuses on helping educational institutions manage change in the increasingly complex and litigious environment of scholastic and collegiate athletics programs. We emphasize embracing the highest standards of integrity, solving the challenges of remedying race and gender inequities and building the revenue streams necessary to the achievement of athletics department goals. SMR consultants are former athletics directors and respected researchers, all of whom have also served as college professors and been recognized for their leadership and administrative excellence. We have management experience in all competitive divisions as well as scholastic sports and sport-related non-profit organizations. We believe that the excellence of athletics teams and programs can and must be compatible with academic and ethical integrity. We’re excited about sharing this knowledge and experience.
Sports Injury and the Pain Principle – Time for Reform
January 1, 2010 - Don Sabo, Ph.D.Senior Associate
Adages that evoke the pain principle in sport include “No pain, no gain,” “Push yourself to the limit,”“Sacrifice your body,” “Suck it up,” “Perform in spite of pain,” or “Work through the pain.” Toughness is considered a prerequisite for success in sport and young athletes are often encouraged to “pay the price for victory.” Major league baseball manager Sparky Anderson reportedly explained to a player, “Pain don’t hurt.” In western culture sport has long been equated to masculinity (McKay, Messner & Sabo, 2000). The denial of pain in sport was seen as a masculine attribute, an earmark of toughness and masculine adequacy.
Read MoreSMR Management Thought
The success of the athletics director lies in five important areas:
(1) informed, ethical and fair decision-making,
(2) hiring and retaining the most competent, passionate and committed employees,
(3) fulfilling the educational, funding and inspirational needs of employees and student-athletes,
(4) by example and action, inspiring excellence in the performance and behavior of employees and student-athletes, and
(5) creating policies and procedures that enable employees to work efficiently and effectively and mitigate the occurrence or repetition of problems.