Blog

  • March Member Showcase – Dr. Taylor McKee

    Thursday, March 31, 2022 | By

    Background

    I’ve been a sports editor for both the University of Calgary and the University of Victoria’s student newspapers. I’ve created podcasts, most notably Body Paragraphs which can be found on Spotify, I’ve blogged about, and been consumed by sport my entire life. My journey into sport scholarship came about purely by chance while working as a TA at the University of Victoria’s History department pursuing an MA in French history. I was able to apply the methodological and theoretical concepts I was learning in my Master’s degree to the study of sport, which was a revelation for me. After finishing a PhD, under the direction of my fantastic advisor Dr. Janice Forsyth, and teaching in British Columbia at Thompson Rivers University, I am so thrilled to be here at Brock and part of the CSC’s vibrant and growing community.

    Dr. Stevens introduced me to the Centre, and I remain grateful for her introduction to it. I am so looking forward to helping the Centre grow and to lending a helping hand wherever possible.

    Teaching

    So far at Brock, I have been fortunate to teach SPMA 1P93 – Diversity and Inclusion in Sport Management, SPMA 1P94 – Professional Engagement for the Sport Industry, SPMA 2P06 – Sport Policy, SPMA 3P05 – Management Concepts in Non-profit Sport Organizations, and SPMA 4P97 – Advanced Analysis of the Sport Industry: Hockey.

    Each of these courses has been an exciting opportunity for me, and I am fond of each for separate reasons. For some courses, it gives me the chance to have challenging discussions and allow students to consider sport from different perspectives. Others, like 3P05 for instance, allow students to be directly involved with the sporting community and forge lasting connections in the sport industry. In developing the 3P05 course I saw a great deal of wasted potential as we only focused on the conceptual side of non-profit sports. I felt that by having students work directly with non-profits they could gain valuable first-hand experience in a variety of areas that would help build skills for the future. For instance, with the North American Indigenous games, students are learning about how the governance model works of a non-profit. They’re meeting the people that fill the roles of Vice President, Secretary, director, they’re learning that those people are professionals in other fields. They’re learning these people are extremely committed, extremely capable and I think delivering the course in this way is a hell of a lot more interesting than listening to me blabber for three hours a week. Partnering with the CSC for this course seemed like a natural fit because they work with so many non-profits it allows for students to assist many sport organizations at once.

    One thing that has been true since arriving at Brock though: it’s still hard to shake the feeling of ‘I am so lucky to be talking about sport each and every day.’

    Research Work/Projects

    Journal of Emerging Sport Studies: In 2018, Andrew Pettit, Jared Walters, and I founded an open-access journal called the Journal of Emerging Sport Studies (JESS) with the goal of providing high-quality scholarship at no cost to authors. We accept submissions from established and emerging scholars and one of the JESS’s mandates is to help people just starting their academic careers through the gruelling publishing process. JESS helps to get research to the public free of charge at no cost to the researcher. Since initial publication, we have created an open-access, manuscript publishing imprint, hosted digital symposia, produced a public-facing series of discussions and interviews called “Emerging Discourses,” and published six volumes of sport scholarship from emerging and established scholars around the globe.

    Indigenous Hockey Research Network: I am so fortunate to be part of the IHRN. We are a collective of researchers dedicated to uncovering and engaging with hockey’s Indigenous past, present, and future. We aim to cultivate critical understanding of hockey’s role in Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada. Through archival research, personal interviews, data analysis, and Indigenous community-led approaches, we take up hockey as a site for community building and Indigenous empowerment, as well as a vehicle for the pursuit of reconciliation between Indigenous Peoples and other Canadians.

    Ice Breakers

    Are you involved in any clubs/associations?

      • The North American Society for Sport History
      • The North American Society for the Sociology of Sport
      • Indigenous Hockey Research Network
      • Society for International Hockey Research

    What’s your favourite TV show right now?

      • All time: The Wire
      • Right Now: Barry

    What are your current hobbies/interests?

      • Playing beer league hockey and collecting CDs

    What’s your favourite book?

      • Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese

    What’s your favourite sport or sports team?

      • Born and raised in Calgary: a tortured, devoted Calgary Flames Fan
      • Other sports: Stampeders, Jays, Raptors, TFC, Hyderabad Sun Risers

    Achievements/Memorable Moments

    My biggest brag is, honestly, getting a chance to be here at Brock, teaching sport every day.

    Also, one time I met most of the cast of Cool Runnings. My mom used to run a Film Festival in Calgary, and my last year there I thought we should do a 25th anniversary of Cool Runnings. I told my mom I will plan a reunion for them, and we’ll have a showing at Olympic Park where the bobsled track is and she said no, this will never work. So, I just did it anyway behind her back. And sure enough, we got Doug E. Doug, who plays Sanka, we got Derice who’s played by a guy named Leon Robinson. And we got the real life Derice Bannock, Dudley Stokes and we got them all there to watch the 25th anniversary of Cool Runnings. They watched the movie at the Bob Sled Track, and I watched the Super Bowl with the three of them, as the Film Festival just happened to be on Super Bowl Sunday.

     

    Categories: Blog, Member Showcases

  • Interview with Chris Charlebois – Innovation and Creativity in Sport Webinar

    Friday, March 18, 2022 | By

    We asked Chris Charlebois to answer some questions about the upcoming Innovation and Creativity in Sport Webinar taking place on Thursday, March 24th from 1:00pm – 2:30pm EST. 

    He spoke about his connection with sports innovation, why participants should attend the webinar, and what the format will look like.

    1) What is your connection with sports innovation, and why is this topic important to you?

    My connection to sports innovation stems from my professional life as an entrepreneur. From a young age, I have always had a curiosity and drive to find more efficient ways to execute simple or complex tasks. The topic is important to me because many sports organizations have recently been forced to become more innovative due to external influences (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic). Moreover, with a shifting amount of people working freelance or multiple jobs, being creative can lead young people to identify ways to provide a higher degree of value to sports organizations but understand how organizations and individuals can embrace innovation and creativity.

    From my professional experience, many sports organizations in Canada specifically have not always embraced change or innovation because it is seen as ‘scary’ or there is resistance within the organization or its leadership. I hope that for any sports leaders, we can start to educate them on the value of embracing innovation and creativity within their organizations as there are several ancillary benefits for the organization’s business and its people; which should lead to resources for the company/organization to drive more revenue or serve more members.

    2) Why should people attend this webinar?

    People should attend this webinar as it will demonstrate practical examples of how organizations embrace innovation and an entrepreneurial spirit, whether they are private, not-for-profit or another type of organization. It will also provide examples of how SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) can embrace these principles. Often we learn or hear through popular media about innovations being adopted at the pro-sports level by the “Big 4”. In Canada specifically, the majority of sports organizations are not-for-profit organizations that lack the same resources and must find alternative ways to be creative and innovative; as such, this will provide an invaluable way for students or other sports organization leaders to learn how to implement innovative practices in all areas of sport.

    3) What can participants expect this webinar to look like? 

    Panelists will be providing a 10-minute ‘case study’ outlining how their business or organization has embraced innovation/creativity. Following the presentations, there will be a moderated panel with questions for the panelists and then an opportunity for any attendees to ask questions of the presenters.

     

    Categories: Blog, Webinars/Forums

  • February Member Showcase – Dr. Ryan Clutterbuck

    Monday, February 28, 2022 | By

    Background

    I would say I identify as a football coach and that was my passion for a long time. Football coaching brought me back to academia to pursue a master’s degree in coaching and was the springboard for my subsequent PhD in sport management.

    My dissertation is titled ‘Capacity for Sport for Development’, so the idea that a place – the Centre for Sport Capacity – exists to support local sport organizations achieve their goals really aligns with my values and research interests. Dr. Weese said it best, “If we’re not serving practitioners, we’re not serving sport management”.

    Teaching

    I’m teaching Organizational Behaviour in Sport Organizations (SPMA 2P21) and Leadership in Sport Management (SPMA 4P09). I’ve also taught the Introduction to Sport Management course (SPMA 1P91) and Negotiation of Deals and Dispute Resolution (SPMA 4P96). They’re all great and offer unique challenges from the instructor’s perspective. I love the enthusiasm in the first-year class. And because I started at Brock in September 2018, I’m just now seeing students in SPMA 4P09 who I remember from SPMA 1P91. That’s a highlight for me.

    Research Work/Projects

    I’m most excited about research that impacts sport organizations. Action Research (AR) (or, participatory action research) in particular, where sport organization leaders/members and academic researchers collaborate (as co-researchers) to solve a problem.

    As an example, at the most recent North American Society for Sport Management (N.A.S.S.M.) conference, I and two CSC colleagues (Dr. Shannon Kerwin and Dr. Pat Reid) presented findings from an AR-inspired project titled Building Coaching Capacity at One Provincial Sport Organization. With that project, the P.S.O. was interested to learn more about their coaches/members experiences and expectations of the P.S.O..

    Accomplishments

    Earlier I mentioned I identify as a football coach. Well, the more you coach the more opportunities you have to be around some amazing people and amazing athletes. This year I enjoyed watching L.A. Chargers wide receiver Josh Palmer. I had the pleasure to coach Josh (and so many other great young men) as part of the 2015 Team Ontario at the International Bowl Series at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. To my knowledge, that may be the last Team Ontario to defeat Team U.S.A. at that event.

    And just this week, Tanya Walter was hired by the B.C. Lions. She’s the first full-time female coaching hire in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and was a great player with the 2017 Football Canada Women’s National Team that I was fortunate to coach.

     

    Categories: Blog, Member Showcases

  • Mandisa Lau – Breaking Down Barriers, One inning at a time: Reflections as a Community Researcher

    Thursday, February 03, 2022 | By

    Breaking Down Barriers, One inning at a time: Reflections as a Community Researcher 

    Up to 62% of Canadian adolescent girls are not participating in any kind of sport and one in three girls who have participated in sports drop out by late adolescence (Canadian Women & Sport, 2020). 

     Such statistics illustrate that gender inequality continues to be prevalent in sports. Therefore, I was thrilled to collaborate with Canadian Girls Baseball, Brock Centre for Sport Capacity and Community Researchers on a research project that was looking to understand female athletes and family satisfaction. Specifically, Canadian Girls Baseball (CGB) were looking to see if a female-owned, and led organization made an impact to young female athletes. As a result, I created survey questions that were then distributed and e-blasted to families to capture their satisfaction rate. In total, there were 50 respondents.  

    Our aim for the research project was to examine players’ satisfaction as well as understand the impact of a female-led sport organization upon female youth participants. This blog provides my reflections, key lessons, and valuable skills that I acquired as part of this project. I look forward to continuing to practice and improve such skills throughout my journey as a researcher.  

    Diamond, Surveys, and Self-reflection: Lessons Learned 

    I learned a lot from attending training modules, conducting needs assessments, creating, and analyzing research data. Below, I outline two skills that I learned through this process.  

    Lesson #1- “See Me, Be Me” 

    “See me, be me” I first heard this simple but profound quote during my initial needs assessment with Canadian Girls Baseball CEO, Dana Bookman. With multiple female leaders to look up to within the CGB, this quote was very fitting. The quote was also extremely inspirational as it encourages women to keep breaking down barriers, especially in male-dominated sports, like baseball. For instance, when one strong female leader overcomes a barrier, it inspires others to do the same. Through survey responses, parents also indicated that CGB was an excellent example of what women can achieve when they work together.  

    Lesson #2- Think Outside of the Diamond: Design your Research to be Impactful for a variety of stakeholders’  

    When I was designing my survey, I had focused on our main objectives: 

    • To measure/determine/analyze if organized baseball programs can result in a safe environment where female players can develop psychosocial skills and life skills  
    • To determine how CGB has influences the lives of female players 
    • To measure/determine what impact female players felt as CGB is a female-led, girls only organization. 

    I assumed that these results would only be used to tailor and improve CGB’s existing programs I did not realize that the results could be used beyond program improvement, such as, grant and funding applications. Therefore, I included questions where respondents self-reflected on the perceived importance of CGB being a female- run and all sports organization that aims at to break down barriers, especially in male-dominated sports.  

    Developing my Skills as a Community Researcher 

    By participating in this collaborative project, I was also able to reflect on my experience and how I can best apply the professional and life skills I developed. Below, I outline and discuss three professional and life skills.  

    Accountability  

    As a full-time student with two part-time jobs, I always hold myself accountable for everything I do.  However, I have never partaken in an independent study course where the majority of the course was done autonomously and self-directed. At first, I found it daunting, how was I supposed to hold myself accountable if there were no specific deadlines? In addition to the monthly training modules, it also served as a quick check-in to see where each student was at with their projects. Through monthly training modules and email check-ins with my academic supervisor, CBG and Community Researchers, I had the opportunity to enhance my accountability skills.  

    Written Communication  

    Due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, most of my communication with CGB was through email. It was important that I was able to draft well-written and clear emails to ensure that everyone was on the same page. Therefore, I further developed my writing skills through drafting weekly reports and emails to CGB, Community Researchers and my academic supervisors.  

    Flexibility 

    Conducting a research project remotely had its own challenges. Specifically, a prominent challenge encountered was the management of varying work schedules. Our initial meeting took place during my reading week when I visited New York, and despite being on a trip, I looked forward to our meeting and was prepared to work remotely. On the other hand, different work schedules also meant that there were delayed messages or missed email responses. Our course timeline was greatly affected by this, especially during the launch of the survey. However, with a new mindset and an extension to the course, we were ready to continue!  

    Conclusion  

    As a result of this collaborative project with Brock Centre for Sport Capacity, Community Researchers, and Canadian Girls Baseball, I learned important lessons about the value of having a strong female mentor and how to use survey results beyond the CGB program. In addition, I had the opportunity to gain and improve on my accountability, written communication, and flexibility skills. Overall, I hope that this meaningful collaboration as well as my research data will bring light to the persistent issue of gender inequality in sports.

    References  

    Canadian Women & Sport (2020). Canadian Girls are Dropping out of Sport According to National Study. Women and Sport. https://womenandsport.ca/canadian-girls-dropping-out-of-sport/ 

      

    Categories: Blog, Students

  • Interview with Dr. Naraine – Sport Gambling Webinar

    Wednesday, February 02, 2022 | By

    We sat down (virtually) with Dr. Naraine from the Sport Management Department to chat about the upcoming Sport Gambling Webinar. The webinar will be held on February 9th at 3:00 pm EST.

    In our interview, we had a chance to speak with Dr. Naraine about his connection to sport as well as what participants would gain from attending this event.

    1) What is your connection with sports gambling, and what excites you about it? 

    Being a researcher and seeing the advanced and mature environment of sports gambling in Australia, my interest was rejuvenated. While in Australia, the research I conducted consisted of looking at the way brands were connecting with consumers through the use of digital and social media. There were many different elements at play that had to be considered, such as what app or company to choose when betting.

    What really excites me about sports gambling is that it is truly new territory for North America. This is something Canada has been talking about implementing for years, and legislation has slowly come about. Now we are finally in a place where it is no longer illegal, although regulations are province by province, this market in Canada is just at the starting line.

    I am interested in seeing the dynamic going forward considering the development that sports betting has undergone in other countries. It can be the next big thing to help sports teams and leagues develop new fans and galvanize older fans. It is not only going to increase profits but will also help to create more awareness in the sports industry.

    2) Why should people attend this webinar?

    Everyone should attend this webinar, whether they, A) know nothing about sports gambling, or B) know lots about sports gambling. Both students and community members will hear from professionals to gain knowledge about the industry; contrasting their usual consumer perspective.

    This webinar will allow people to get a better sense of what’s about to happen and what we will be seeing within the next year from these brands in terms of job prospects. It will also allow people to simply get more familiar with the future of sport in Canada.

    Sports betting is going to have massive implications for the next generation in terms of ensuring responsible gambling and holding these brands to proper standards (giving back to their community.) All things considered, this webinar is about learning more from two high-profile individuals who are very knowledgeable about the sports betting space in Canada.

    3) What can participants expect this webinar to look like?

    The webinar is going to be an industry-focused conversation. Participants can expect the discussion to be insightful and provide a behind-the-scenes perspective. All too often, discussions hosted at the academic level tend to gravitate towards both the research and theoretical substances, but this webinar will focus on the practical implications.

    This webinar aims to be a fluid conversation that we would expect students, alumni, and community members to all be able to identify with, from both a research and scholarship standpoint, as well as the more practical implications in terms of finding a job, leveraging the opportunities to grow different sports properties, and much more.

     

    Categories: Blog, Webinars/Forums

  • January Member Showcase – Dr. Rob Millington

    Tuesday, February 01, 2022 | By

    Background

    I’ve been involved with the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC) for about a year now. I was eager to join the CSC because of the tremendous activities they’ve been engaged with, and because of the collaborative nature of the Centre. The people I get to work with are amazing and the webinars that they have hosted are such great resources for everyone.
    I am in my third year at Brock University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology. My focus is on the socio-cultural stream of Kinesiology, so I am interested in the role of sport as an agent of social change. In my research, I do a lot of historical and policy analysis of how sport contributes to international development goals. In recent years, we have seen an increasing formalization and institutionalization of the role of sport within the international development sector, whereby organizations like the United Nations (UN) and International Olympic Committee (IOC) have sought to use sport as a tool to promote a range of positive social outcomes, including HIV-AIDS education, gender equity, and employment skills, amongst others. In my most recent project, I have been interested in how sport can contribute to sustainable development, with a specific focus on the environmental side of sustainability. For example, sport is now connected to all 17 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which includes things like environmental protection, remediation, clean waterways, food security, and combatting climate change. However, the goals in these policy documents are quite ambitious and the sport sector doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to the environment. Sport has a profound environmental impact for its carbon footprint, food waste and impact on local ecosystems. I’m interested in exploring these types of disconnects further.

    Classes

    I currently teach KINE 2P91: Social History of Physical Education and Sport, KINE 4P61: Sport, Development and Sustainability, and a Graduate qualitative methods course.
    Kinesiology students are fortunate that they can take a range of courses including, Anatomy, Physiology, Psychology, Sociology, History, and Phys-ed courses. I think this variety in their coursework leads to well-rounded students. The second-year course I teach is an interesting way for students to get exposure to social history. The course helps in developing a critical toolkit to explore how sport both reproduces and challenges broader power dynamics, and ongoing histories of colonialism, race and racism, gender (in)equity, social class and commercialism.
    The fourth-year KINE 4P61 class that I teach has emerged out of the research interests I noted above. The course provides an opportunity to explore how sport is positioned as a tool to combat climate change, yet how it also needs to be accountable for its own deleterious environmental impacts – all while engaging students in the topic of sport and environmental action.

    Current Research

    My current research program is funded through an SSHRC Insight Grant in collaboration with my colleague, Dr. Simon Darnell (University of Toronto). Its goal is to try to explore how stakeholders in the “sport for development” sector view the role of sport in contributing to sustainable development objectives through interviews with policy-makers and practitioners that run sport for development programs, particularly in the global South. Through the project we hope to better understand sport’s potential and limitations in promoting environmental protection and remediation strategies.
    I am also now in the process of submitting a new SSHRC grant with Dr. Brad Millington (Department of Sport Management, here are Brock University) and Dr. Simon Darnell (University of Toronto), focused on sport and environmental action in Canada. We are interested in exploring if and how sport organizations in Canada (e.g., Hockey Canada, Aboriginal Sport Circle, Right to Play), are taking up the call from the UN to use sport as a positive force for the environment.

    Ice Breakers

    Favourite TV Show – This is a tough question, there’s so much good stuff out there these days, but I’d have to say Succession is up there for me.
    Hobbies – Sports is a big one. I’ve been enjoying watching this Raptors team and think they can make some noise in the playoffs, if they get in. I’m also trying to stay active (or at least saying that I am) by exploring the many nearby trails to run and hike.
    Favourite sport – Basketball is my favourite sport, it’s the sport I grew up playing the most. Although it is being rivaled these days by baseball: the Blue Jays are on a fun trajectory and I’m excited to see the team develop over the next few years.
    Clubs associations – I am helping out with a few different organizations focused on the connection between sport and the environment: the Canada Games Council, the Canadian signatories of the Sport for Climate Action Framework, Parks and Recreation Canada, have all been active in this area. I think there is momentum behind the idea that sport can be a positive force for environmental sustainability, so it’s an exciting time.
    Achievements – I’ve been helping to put together a new Seminar Series at the CSC titled: Sport and the Environment Webinars. The series is being led by Dr. Brad Millington and it speaks to the different sides of some of the issues we’ve talked about today. Our guest speakers include journalists, academics, policymakers, and more, who will be sharing their insights on how sport can drive sustainability initiatives forward. The first one is February 3rd and I encourage everyone to check it out.

    Categories: Blog, Member Showcases

  • Interview with Dr. Rob Millington and Dr. Brad Millington – Sport and the Environment Webinar

    Tuesday, January 25, 2022 | By

    We sat down (virtually) with Dr. Brad Millington and Dr. Rob Millington from the faculty of applied health science to chat about the Sport and the Environment Webinar series. A group of discussions on the topic of sport within the global climate crisis. The first webinar of the series will be held on February 3rd at 12:00pm. Dr. Brad Millington, a professor who studies sport and environmental sustainability at Brock University, will be moderating the first webinar in this exciting series and asking questions from the audience to facilitate a great conversation.

    In our interview, we had a chance to speak with both of the Millington brothers about their connection to sport and the environment as well as what participants will gain from attending the webinar series.

    What is your connection to sport & the environment, and why is this topic important to you?

    As is often said, the climate crisis is something that affects us all – though it’s important to remember it is having, and will continue to have, uneven impacts. The projections from entities such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are alarming, and increasingly so. The window is closing to enact meaningful changes across society. This is where sport comes in.

    On the one hand, sport itself is environmentally impactful. For example, our first speaker in the series – David Goldblatt – has estimated that the carbon emissions of global sport are on par with those of various countries, such as Denmark. On the other hand, sport at all levels of participation is certain to be impacted by the climate crisis in the years ahead. Indeed, it seems this is already happening. Sports fans will remember the Canada-Sweden soccer gold medal game at the 2020 Olympics being moved to an evening kick-off to avoid Tokyo’s sweltering daytime heat.

    In recent years, influential actors from the commercial, governmental, and non-profit sectors have taken interest in the role of sport in the context of climate change (e.g., the United Nations Sports for Climate Action initiative). Sport is important: the most optimistic accounts imagine not just climate mitigation and adaptation in sport, but a leadership role for sport in modelling ideal environmental changes and outcomes.

    Why should people attend this webinar series?

    We are fortunate to have wonderful and influential expert speakers leading us through this timely topic of discussion. Furthermore, with multiple webinars, the series aims to cover an array of sub-topics under the broad heading of sport and the environment. The full series title is, ‘Sport and the Environment: Politics, Practices, and Preferred Futures’, meaning speakers might address sport in different forms, politics in different ways (e.g., environmental policies, power dynamics, or theoretical perspectives), practices of different kinds (e.g., people’s everyday practices or organizational strategies), and/or preferred futures at different scales (e.g., small-scale changes or larger-scale transitions).

    The webinars might therefore be of interest to those studying sport and the environment, to those working in the sport sector (e.g., in sport organizations, in policy-making roles, etc.), and to a general audience interested in sport and/or environmental sustainability.

    What will this webinar look like for the average participant?

    Each webinar will feature a presentation by the invited speaker (25-30 minutes or so), followed by a moderated Q&A (another 20 minutes or so). This means a blend of dialogue and expert-informed insight. Indeed, the intention of the series is to create a forum for accessible, thought-provoking, and constructive discussion to help in realizing sport’s potential in relation to the climate crisis.

    Categories: Blog, Webinars/Forums

  • Jason Corry – Communications, Marketing and Business Development Coordinator (Intern)

    Monday, January 24, 2022 | By

    When I think about the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC), I think about the projects the CSC has hosted and longing to be apart of them. I think about how my own experiences with sport have been influenced by programs like the Centre. As I look ahead, to the projects I will oversee and deliver I know that I will positively impact others’ lives as the new Communications, Marketing and Business Development Coordinator Intern at the CSC.

    My name is Jason Corry, and I am a fourth year Sport Management (honours) student at Brock University. I am extremely excited to complete my internship at the Centre for Sport Capacity where I can continue to engage and build strong relationships with many different people. I hope that in my new role I can be a part of providing experiences and interactions that I was lucky enough to enjoy during my undergraduate experience.

    While at Brock I volunteered with many great organizations in the Niagara region. I volunteered as a station coordinator at the Niagara Barrelman Triathlon, and as a coach for youth hockey organizations to help grow the sport. Most recently I have worked as writer and editor of the Brock University (BU) law Review. This role appealed to me because it offered me a chance to improve my verbal and written communication skills while also providing other students with assistance in pursuing their own career goals. I collaborated with others to alter the format of the BU Law Review, making the review more appealing to readers, and providing more learning opportunities to help others achieve their law school dreams. Through these experiences I have developed skills that will help me succeed in this role and provide meaningful interactions with sport to children across Canada.

    What intrigues me the most about the CSC is the wide array of functional areas they are responsible for. The CSC works with a wide range of researchers who conduct both academic and applied projects to identify ways in which sport organizations across the country can improve. They host events to disseminate information regarding the best practices in sport and are at the forefront of developing new ways that society thinks about sport and recreation. When the opportunity to join this organization presented itself through the Sport Management internship program, I knew that the meaningful work done within this organization aligned with my future aspirations to assist sport organizations across Canada in creating a positive experience for all.

    I am excited to get in at the ground floor and help introduce new services and programs that will transform the sport industry. At the Centre I will be given the ability to use my problem-solving skills and communication skills to connect with others in the sport industry and develop new ways of using groundbreaking research to successfully assist sport organizations across the country. I am very excited about this opportunity because I will help many people on a regular basis while at the same time developing skills that will assist me in the future.

    In this role I will be given the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects. From complimentary informational webinars to corporate training programs, I will build experience working in many functional areas of sport management. Regardless of where my career takes me, these skills are essential to succeeding in almost all roles. Building communication and problem-solving skills early on is key to becoming the best version of myself. Through this internship, I will be afforded an opportunity to work with experienced people in the communications and marketing field and improve my skills within the social media sphere. I have been tasked with creating social media content for the Centre for Sport Capacity on various content creation platforms. This is something that I have not yet done for an organization. I am very excited about the opportunity to improve the organization’s reach through social media.

    The Centre for Sport Capacity offers a unique experience for students to learn important skills and work with others in a collaborative fashion that will aid them in developing both transferable skills and real-world experience in a variety of sport related industries. I am proud to be a member of the CSC team and am excited for the opportunities that await me in my new role.

    Categories: Blog, Students

  • Ryan Hyndman – The Importance of Data Management and Information Literacy Skills

    Friday, December 17, 2021 | By

    Do you want to learn hard skills that could provide a comfortable lifestyle and a productive attitude? My experience with data management and information literacy throughout my independent study has not only been a complete culmination of my studies at Brock, but it has also taught me practical skills. I was able to learn hard skills such as spreadsheet analysis with crosstabs and gain knowledge of industry standards for economic impact assessments from both professionals in the field and academic supervisors. I found developing these skills to be rewarding in the short-term while also providing a financially comfortable path for the future. This combination of exposure has led me to a newfound confidence to join the work force and pursue what I am passionate about.

    Hello! My name is Ryan Hyndman, and I am currently a fourth-year Sport Management student with a minor in Economics here at Brock University! During my last term here at Brock, I had the opportunity to conduct an independent study (SPMA 4P99) under the supervision of Dr. Julie Stevens. A major component of this individual study revolved around a research project in partnership with non-profit organization, Community Researchers (CR).

    The Centre has a Memorandum of Understanding with CR where students work on projects to support sport and recreation organizations. CR pairs student researchers with organizations who are looking to have a complementary research study done. Because of my love of sports and my involvement with the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC), I was paired with non-profit organization, Play On! Canada.

    Play On! Canada organizes and stages large-scale street hockey tournaments across Canada and claim to be the largest experiential sports festival in Canadian history. To back this up, they hold the world record for the largest street hockey tournament in terms of participants! My first step was to meet with Play On! and determine what they wanted to have studied about their organization with a needs assessment meeting.

    Once, this was completed we came out of the meeting with three objectives for this study: Quantify the economic impact of their events, quantify the social impact of their events, and determine if there is interest in an attendee online portal. From there I worked with the partners to create a survey that effectively asked questions about these three topics. Dr. Stevens provided great guidance here as she helped with the structure of questions, wording of answers, and introduced me to resources that made the survey writing process much smoother.

    When the survey was released to the public, it was open for 10 days and closed with over 600 responses! Now came the hard work. I mapped my analysis and the relationships I wanted to examine. This was an important step because with such a long project, it was crucial to have a plan to stay on track and make sure deadlines were met. In addition to the objective questions, we also asked demographics-based questions of respondents. This gave me a baseline to conduct analysis and develop crosstabs to demonstrate the relationship between two or more variables. For example, when asking attendees what their interest level was in an online portal, I was able to dissect the data and report the demographics for the various answers (i.e., 20% of respondents that answered “significant interest” in an online portal identified as a woman).

    The economic impact section was a little more difficult. Play On! was interested in studying how much additional spending was brought to communities because of their events. For this, I sat down with Michael Harker, Executive Director of CR, to develop a plan of how to report this. Next, we gathered feedback from Play On! and I gathered feedback from Dr. Stevens on how to move forward.

    It was from here that Mr. Harker introduced me to the Province of Ontario’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model (TREIM). TRIEM is a program that generates economic impact information such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), jobs created, and taxes generated based on detailed visitor spending data. Because we had asked spending related questions, we had this information and were able to generate these values for an average Play On! event.

    Specifically, this part of the project was interesting to me because having a minor in economics, this was one of the first times I was able to combine the knowledge I was able to learn from my Economics courses and combine it with the knowledge I had gained from Sport Management courses!

    Mr. Harker throughout the process repeated to me that some of the work I had been doing for this report, some organizations would pay thousands of dollars to have done. Upon some basic research, I found this to be true as Americans for the Arts, a non-profit arts advocacy organization, begins their prices for customized economic impact assessments at $3,500 USD. So, not only was I working on a project that combined my two academic interests, but this project also taught me data management and information literacy hard skills that could one day lead to a good paying job.

    Building spreadsheets, analyzing data, writing reports, does not sound like interesting work, and I’ll be the first one to admit that, but there is something about the whole process that feels very rewarding. From watching the responses come in one by one, to making charts, to identifying relationships, there is a sense of completion and productiveness that made me feel like an industry professional. I still have a long way to go to get to that point, but I feel that this project and the skills I learned throughout the process helped effectively prepare myself for careers that I hope to pursue.

    If I could leave one piece of advice for students moving forward, it is to seek opportunities to gain exposure to elements of an industry that you are passionate about and pursue them. Plain and simple, without this independent study, my data management and information literacy skills would not be as developed as they are today. Learning how to use TREIM and practicing crosstabs are just a couple of the many practical skills I used, and I can say without a doubt, this experience has opened the door for me to be able to develop applicable capabilities to bring value to potential employers. Although I hope to apply this experience to the sports industry, these skills are highly transferable to almost all industries and I highly recommend that anyone looking to gain a competitive advantage expose themselves to similar professional development opportunities!

    If you are interested in connecting with the CSC, visit the CSC website for any placement/volunteer positions or directly reach out by submitting an. A CSC team member will be happy to follow up with you.

    Categories: Blog, Students

  • November Member Showcase – Cullum Brownbridge

    Tuesday, November 30, 2021 | By

    Background:

    I have lived in Niagara for over 12 years now. In 2017, I graduated from McMaster with a Bachelor of Science in their Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior (PNB) program. Following that, I began my masters here at Brock, where I worked with Dr. Curtis Fogel on looking at risk literature in football and rugby, in terms of the use of protective equipment and the risk compensation effect. I played both rugby and football when I was in high school. I know I was not as confident when it came to engaging in contact in rugby, but when I was playing football and had the equipment on, I felt more protected. So, I wanted to see if this was a shared phenomenon with others and see if there were consequences for this increased sense of safety (for example, engaging in riskier behaviour such as a bigger, more forceful hit).

    In terms of esports, it was something that I’d been following since my first year at McMaster, mostly just watching it as a fan. It was only towards the end of my master’s and the start of my Ph.D. that I was thinking about where I wanted to go in terms of my research goals and objectives. Esports is still quite young, it’s in its infancy, and so I figured I might as well jump at this opportunity to learn more about the industry. I want to see if I can add to the literature and discourse around various topics in esports.

    Current Projects:

    The esports webinar with the Centre for Sport Capacity was one of the big projects that we up a couple weeks ago, and I’m looking to do another webinar next semester in March or April around a specific topic within esports. For my doctoral thesis, I am looking at how esports teams and programs are structured and governed in Canadian colleges and universities, whether they’re run by students at the club level, merged into university athletic and recreation departments, or some other model. I hope to talk to relevant stakeholders who are involved in these esports programs to ask them about their programs and how they are structured and organized. Hopefully, the research can act as a blueprint for Canadian colleges and universities to integrate esports into their athletic, recreational, and/or academic programming.

    Additionally, I’m working with my supervisor, Dr. Curtis Fogel, where we’re looking at gender-based virtual violence in live gaming and live streaming. We will be presenting some of our preliminary findings at the inaugural Esports Research Network Conference from December 9-10, which we’re both looking forward to as an opportunity to not only present our research, but also to see what research projects are currently being conducted in esports. I am also collaborating with Dr. Nathan Hall from the Kinesiology Department at Brock on a project looking at leisure time physical activity and its correlation to video games. It’s a lot of projects on the go, but it keeps me busy and allows me to jump between projects whenever I hit a mental wall.

    Ice Breakers:

    – What clubs/organizations are you involved with?

    Well, the first, would be the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC) and where we worked together to put on the esports webinar. The other major group I’m a part of it is the Esports Research Network (ERN). They are having their inaugural conference in December, which I’m going to help present at with Dr. Fogel. There are currently just over 200 members from across the world, I’m one of the few Canadians that is a part of it. It is a growing group of scholars and I am thrilled to be a part of this network.

    – What is your favorite TV show right now?

    I just finished Arcane on Netflix, which was produced by Riot Games who developed popular games like League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, and Valorant. I thought they did a great job introducing characters and environments from the lore, and will hopefully get people interested in trying out their games. The next show that I want to watch is Loki on Disney Plus, just haven’t gotten around to that yet. I’m also excited for the second season of The Witcher to come out in December.

    – What are your current hobbies?

    If it wasn’t obvious already, I enjoy playing video games. I tend to jump between games, but I’ve been playing a lot of Halo: Infinite and I’m looking forward to playing more during the holiday season. I also like to cook a lot. I’m starting to make more vegetarian meals because my girlfriend is vegetarian, so I’ve been experimenting with dishes that contain things like tofu, beyond meats, lentils, and anything else I can get my hands on. I also like going to the gym, even if it doesn’t look like it! Being able to workout in a gym again after being put on hold during the pandemic has been something I look forward to each week and adds some stability to my life.

    Future Desires:

    It’s kind of hard to think about the future to be honest with you because I’ve got so much going on, which is kind of a good thing! I have multiple projects that I have an interest in learning more about and it’s allowing me to stay in the present and diversify my workload. So, I haven’t thought all too much about where specifically I want to go in the future.

    I’m just kind of working on the research and these projects, trusting in myself and the people I’m working with. Then see where the dominoes fall from there, whether I stay in academics or work elsewhere in the esports industry. I’m leaving myself open to everything. I don’t want to channel myself directly into one avenue right now. Attending conferences, doing multiple projects, and continuing my professional development will allow me to keep my options open and allow me to explore multiple career pathways.

    Categories: Blog, Member Showcases

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