Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Global Immersion Elective

Every two years or so, the Sport Management Program offers a unique elective that requires world travel. 2015 Destination? South Africa. Students within the program were given the ability to travel to South Africa for 10 days in replace of a 6 week elective class. Flights and expenses were not included within tuition, this was extra.

I was originally scheduled to go, but the move to Florida hindered that. Fortunately for me, I lived vicariously through my classmates as the updated their social media platforms daily! After the trip, I asked a few that went on the trip a few questions.

1. What was the most interesting part of the trip?

Amanda - The most interesting part would be learning about the people, the culture and the traditions of South Africa. Getting to experience it through everything from volunteering with orphans to watching our first cricket match in the SA Cricket Associations luxury box. Living what we learn is so beneficial!

Nate - The most interesting part of the trip was not sports related. It was seeing how South Africa is moving forward as a very new country that includes all races "equally". The prevailing income disparity and the juxtaposition of rich (mainly white) neighborhoods within a few miles of extremely (mainly black) poor townships was incredibly eye-opening to witness first hand.

Alyssa - The most interesting part of the trip was spending time with some of the orphans from an orphanage in Soweto. We took them to a local park and played soccer, cricket, and had a picnic. It was fascinating to be able to get to know some of these kids. They are all full of life and so appreciative of the little things in life. I think it was a special experience for us all.

Maddie - The trip was very interesting from day one till we left. But seeing how different South Africa is compared to other countries with cultures, race, economy was very interesting. Seeing how the apartheid has formed the country was extremely interesting.

2. What differs in sport in South Africa compared to USA?

Amanda - Sports differ quite a bit in South Africa. There are only really three main sports and they are separated sometimes by race and or economic differences. Also, the business side of things differs because some areas have less advancement or infrastructure/regulations than the United States so people are challenged to be more creative. 

Nate - The main difference in sport in my opinion is the older technology in South Africa, and the problems they continue to have with filling stadium attendance. Attendance is not as much of a problem in the US, and our technology is on the forefront of the world.

Alyssa - Sport in South Africa is much more behind in development than in the USA. For example, Loftus Field will soon be adding WiFi into their stadium--making them the only sporting venue in the country to have WiFi. At the Witswatersrand (WITS) College, the athletic department personnel we spoke with were taking notes from us and our experiences on how to develop the sport teams and interest around their athletic programs. At SuperSport, there was a man in the production area of the company running about 3 different things at once during their show. Compared to ESPN here in the States, their employee count is far much lower at SuperSport. Social media is also now just making a stride into the sport world in South Africa.

Maddie - They are so many years behind in sport,the infrastructure is not getting utilize enough after the World Cup. And there is many people (especially children) that are never going to get the same opportunities as us in the states. 

3. How do you hope to use your international knowledge with future sport endeavors

Amanda - I won't assume things. I guess I thought that business was the same all around the world, but i learned there are big differences so moving forward I might not just assume things are a certain way - I will take the time to challenge the norm and do something different. 

NateWhat this trip helped to teach me is how sport and education can be related on a much needed level. Working with non profits in South Africa that intertwined soccer and HIV Aids education, for example, or soccer with messages of a strong community and the need to stay in school, it was really inspiring. Although those types of job will probably pay significantly less than an average job in the sport industry, it would be so fulfilling to help make a difference like that.

Alyssa - This experience definitely opened my eyes to a much more broader spectrum of the sport world. I hope to be able to spend more time traveling outside of the US and working on development projects for certain industries within sport in these other countries. We learned a lot about the mega-event impacts to a country, specifically South Africa hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2010--so I hope to be able to expand on that knowledge in the future if I ever get a chance to work for a mega-event such as FIFA or the Olympics.

Maddie - Getting to understand how the sport there will be very beneficial, South Africa is a big country with huge potential. And with them being part of the British take over for several decades ago, they have many of the same sports as Europe, so for me that is a plus.

Here's a link to all the pictures the group took during their trip! https://www.flickr.com/groups/2787192@N23/pool/