How Students Master Strategic Thinking in Our Sports Management Pre-College Summer Programs

With our 2023 application out now, Summer Discovery invites all students and families to explore our wide range of course options to find the best fit for next summer. The Sports Management pre-college summer program introduces students to the world of sports while developing strategies off the field that promote success on the field.

Students gain insight into this billion-dollar industry while attending top universities around the country. Whether they enter a Summer Discovery Sports Management program at UCLA, the University of Michigan, or the University of Texas at Austin, they’ll have an unforgettable experience and gain a competitive edge over their peers with such an advanced and interactive program. Continue reading to learn more about Sports Management and how it promotes strategic thinking.

While many may already be familiar with sports, our pre-college summer program will introduce students, often for the first time, to the business side of the sports industry. In Sports Management, students will explore the principles, practices, and possibilities that this exciting industry offers. Through classroom engagement as well as a number of mandatory off-campus field trips, students gain foundational knowledge on sports organization management, sports finances, stadium construction and administration, legal issues in sports, and marketing and event management. This is where students learn that even if they aren’t starting players themselves, they can still lead lives immersed in the sporting world with their passion for sports at the forefront of their careers. 

Preparing for college, students may have a number of friends and peers that are going on to play sports in university. Our Sports in Society course, a popular option at the University of Michigan, sheds light on the impact of both collegiate and professional sports on society in America. Discussing key topics such as race and sports, women in sports, violence in sports, drug use and abuse, recruitment ethics, and higher education and the college athlete, students explore the various factors involved in sports at different levels. Another course option, Key Issues In Sports, explores similar topics at the University of Texas at Austin and is taught by a top-teaching UT Sport Management instructor. Getting an idea of the issues that the sports industry faces today in these college prep programs helps students gain a better overall understanding of the big picture when it comes to considering sports management, sports business, and other roles in the industry.

Overall, students at Summer Discovery finally get to make the connection between the business side of sports and what happens on the field. In our Strategy for Sports Organizations course, lessons define game theory and behavioral economics, which ultimately affect the decisions that management makes within their organizations. With hands-on scenarios, case studies, and simulation exercises, students get to practice their critical thinking skills. They begin to understand that, ultimately, the involvement of sports management teams has a lot to do with the reasoning for why some teams win while others fail. While further developing their decision-making, creativity, communication, and presentation skills during these Sports Management courses, students also begin to form a more critical, well-reasoned perspective on sports in America and globally. 

Interested in enrolling in a high school summer program?

Contact Summer Discovery for more information!