Plans are moving ahead for the University of Colorado’s proposed Center for Sports Governance, including a class launching this week that delves into issues related to college athletics, doping, gender and the economics of sports.
Roger Pielke Jr., an environmental studies professor, and Rick George, CU’s athletic director, hope to launch the center this year and are awaiting approval from the university’s vice chancellor for research.
The center, announced in August, would live in the athletic department and focus on research into major issues in the sports world today.
“It will be really helpful to a lot of people,” George said in August. “I don’t have to research them and people on my staff don’t have time to research a lot of the different issues, but if we have a tool to do that it could be great for us and other people.”
Pielke said there’s currently no static budget for the center and all activities — teaching, research, public outreach — are scalable, depending on how much money comes in through fundraising.
Pielke has suggested a first-year fundraising target of $150,000, but added that the center is meant to be financially flexible. Sources of funding are expected to include grant programs, companies, individual gifts and money from foundations.
If the center moves forward, Pielke and George could then seek approval for the 18-credit undergraduate certificate, which would serve students interested in politics, nonprofit work, research, medicine and other fields, Pielke said.
For some, sports may be the vehicle for learning about public policy, decision-making and other topics.
“There are people interested in the big world of sports, but also if you’re really interested in the messy world of decision-making, I can’t think of a better student laboratory for exploring that,” Pielke said.
Pielke’s course, titled “Introduction to Sports Governance,” is proposed to be the centerpiece for the undergraduate certificate, with a list of approved electives in business, history, physiology, sociology, ethnic studies and other departments to fill out the remaining credits.
The class has drawn interest from some 60 students with more than 20 different majors.
As a way of explaining what the concept of sports governance is all about, Pielke often points to Folsom Field.
“Let’s talk about that, because who pays for the stadium and where does it come from and who plays there?” Pielke said. “And all of a sudden that opens up all sorts of questions. What’s the role of the public in supporting athletic facilities in public universities? What are the policies and procedures in place for people who play games in there?”
That starting point opens the door to coaches’ salaries, concussions and the not-well-known policy that dictates college football gets played on Saturdays, Pielke said.
Those concepts will literally surround students — the class is being taught in the new Champion’s Center, part of the $160 million renovation and expansion of CU’s athletic facilities wrapping up this year.
Pielke said he plans to bring to class Ceal Barry, the senior associate athletic director; Tad Boyle, men’s basketball coach; Linda Lappe, women’s basketball coach; Mike MacIntyre, football coach; and George, the athletic director.
He’s also hoping student athletes will speak to the class about their experiences.
“This is one of the huge advantages of locating this program in athletics,” he said. “The stuff we’re going to talk about is not going to be some abstract, pointy headed professor up there talking. It’s real people who are doing it.”
Sarah Kuta: 303-473-1106, kutas@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/sarahkuta
