Program Evaluation in the Field of Recreation and Sports Management
Around the world, the field of sports and recreation is deep-rooted to societal requirements, community expectations, and individual needs. Such communal conditions originated from the advancement of the Industrial Revolution. It was further informed by the constant rural-urban migration that then necessitated the need to have recreational parks and centers for children to play and socialize. The scope later expanded to other facilities and services that came to include public parks and instructional classes. The purpose of such an expansion was not only to provide safe places for play but also to offer educational programs. Such facilities like parks and recreational centers are therefore challenged by and exist to address not only social concerns but also the community requirements. For instance, in modern American society, inhabitants are concerned with the issues of gang violence, drug and substance abuse, single parenting, and the growing need for space for sports and other public areas. Other social concerns include obesity, which can be addressed through recreational programs and sporting activities. The epidemic is common within children, adults, and teenager (Cryan 127). Therefore, there is need to continuously evaluate such programs and spaces to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of such facilities. This paper therefore highlights the various importance that is attributed to evaluation of such programs.
According to American president Winston Churchill, true genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, conflicting and hazardous information. Tonny Robbins further adds, “For changes to be of any value, they have got to be lasting and consistent. “Program evaluation is a very crucial part in any project that one sets out to partake. Careful study, research and analysis must be done by experts in the sector or field in which the program will focus on. In program evaluation in the recreation and sports management industry requires planning, designing, implementation and evaluation of any type of recreation, sport or event program. Recreation refers to leisure activities that one does to relax. Leisure time in this case refers to free time that one is free from work. Every individual needs to do something recreational as its psychologically helpful and important to their body as well. The main purpose fir recreation activities are for enjoyment, pleasure and amusement. These recreational activities may include; hiking, camping, cycling, rock climbing, sky diving, surfing and many more.
Earlier in traditional era, recreation activities were completely different from the modern ones. Most were conducted only during special occasions or during different aspects and stages of life. This life stages included celebration of birth, circumcision, traditional weddings and even death. This activity brought the whole community together at large to meet and mingle. All activities included everyone and put everyone into consideration.
Recreational activities can be classified as both indoor and outdoor activities. Outdoor activities refer to activities that ate engaged out of doors or in a natural setting. They may include hunting and fishing, sailing and motor boating, biking, rock climbing and horseback riding. Indoor activities refer to activities performed inside a room e.g. playing cards and chess.
Recreation can also be referred to as leisure. This is referring to time when one is not working or occupied. This activity mostly take part during evenings or weekends. These activities are neither work oriented nor household related. Sleeping is not considered a leisure activity. Despite leisure being universal most people still have a lot of trouble recognizing whenever they engage in it because even the most commonly thought as leisure activities have an obligatory aspect in them. Leisure is consequently not actually freely chosen but its shaped by one’s background.
There are several advantages that come with taking part in recreation activities. Participating in recreation activities helps one manage stress. Individuals who take part in activities like walking or skiing are often looking healthy and fit because they maintain low fat and hence they are not susceptible to illnesses related to fat and cholesterol e.g. diabetes. Recreation activities can play role on mental health. Games such as chess and playing cards require high intelligence and quick brain thinking in order to play. They are however disadvantageous as they are bound to create a social exclusion for those who do not understand them as well as a self-aimed delusion for mistakes made. Taking time to participate in recreation activities helps one to nature themselves and provides a sense of balance and self-esteem which enables one reduce depression and anxiety. Physical benefits of recreation can greatly improve physical health. Recreation activities of life finding a way to balance the pressure of family and work with physical and mental stability of an individual is crucial.
Some recreation activities may be disadvantageous as they may lead to acts of bullying or even refusing to go to the activities by some individuals. Some rigorous activities such as rock climbing may cause injury like in cases where a sport is rarely practiced. There are many ways in which recreation can positively impact a society. This ranges from social, health and economic value. Environmental benefits include the creation and improvement of public parks and recreation facilities can improve an individual and the general community health. Socially recreation facilities create a place for children and families to bond and connect together. Mentally they allow one to rejuvenate, calm the mind and improve their general outlook on life thus improving positivity on lives. Economically public parks contribute in terms of creating jobs and also they are responsible for annual economic activity. Parks improve the local tax base and increase property values.
Recreation activities can classified into several types e: g; Physical activities which include sports, games, fitness etc., Social activities including picnics and parties, Art and craft activities e;g painting, camping and outdoor activities. For successful recreation to take place, proper project evaluation must take place.
Project evaluation refers to a systematic and objective assessment of an ongoing or complete project. The main aim is to ensure the relevance and level of achievement of project goals and objectives, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Evaluation of recreation activities ensures all activities related to the recreational facilities are taken care of. This includes accessibility, cost, affordability.
Recreation facilities must be easily accessible to the public. The general location where they are situated should be in a place where the people it’s meant to access will be able to access with ease. The cost of constructing recreational centers such as parks should be realistic (DeLuca 10). If the facility is being constructed by either a private organization, government or an NGO, it has to be of quality from the material used to services offered. In cases where use of recreation facilities is not free, they should be affordable.
Effective sports program evaluation can reap long term results in both short term and long-term. Sports plays a major role in the development of both youth and children. Its most sports that keep the youth busy and productive members of society. In most cases very talented youths take sports such as football and basketball as their lifetime careers and source of income. This is why managers seek to strengthen the quality of their programs and make them as appealing as possible in order to reap maximum outcome from the youth and children participants. In the process they aim to attract new players into the sports.
For a sports program to be effectively evaluated the one in charge of the process must ensure the collects useful information from reliable sources. An insider’s opinion is very beneficial such as that of a coach as he’s the one who has one on one contact with the sports and the players. Information from fan’s comments and criticism may also be of benefit in evaluation.
Sports marketing is an important aspect of sports evaluation. It gives fans the opportunity to interact with their fans through promotional events. The whole process ensures there is interaction between players and their supporters. The viewers of sports get an advantage of gaining awareness of the sporting activities and may even want to have interest and even develop an interest to participate.
Sports creates a basis for interaction especially among the youth. They may interact as players or even as fans. It is a way of promoting social inclusion of every individual in that community. Social inclusion improves interrelationships between individuals living in the same community. It can also lead to multi-cultural interactions in that people from different cultures, race and even speaking different languages are brought together by their love for sports. There are medical conditions that have been successfully treated using sports. Sports has played a major role in therapy of drug addicts and other diseases such as stroke. It requires special evaluation by qualified personnel to identify a sport that most flexible and advantageous to a patient. Once it’s been identified, its regularly applied for it to get effective and achieve results.
Factors that must be evaluated in sports include; coaches, players and other facilities such as the playgrounds, stadiums and basketball courts. Coaches must be those who are qualified to offer training in that particular sport to ensure great results from the players. Players must be vetted very well before joining teams. Coaches are able to group each according to their capabilities. Sports facilities must be well equipped with necessary equipment to facilitate sports activities. Evaluation of sports also includes looking at the cost aspect. Every sport requires money to run and manage hence a clear source of funding has to be identified and known. Sponsors who are mostly fascinated by the sports often invest in the teams and in return earn dividends (Grandisson 1250). Some companies also support the sports activities as a way of promoting themselves and also as a way of giving back to society.
There are numerous advantages that arise from when a sports program is succesful. It provides a great opportunity to access talent regularly. It gives an opportunity to apply skills and experience for coaches especially. The sports industry provides access to equipment and training facilities. Wide range mental benefits occur to individuals who take part in sports.
In conclusion, in both sports and recreation industry, projects are different and challenging in their own ways. Completing a project takes time, money and effort. Keeping the end goal in mind is essential to create a project that lasts now and for years to come. Sports further has numerous advantages towards children’s growth and health. This benefits include; it teaches the concept and importance of teamwork which enables them to live well with everyone in society make friends and develop social skills, it promotes regular physical activity which keeps them fit, it fosters a healthy relationship with exercise in the long run and finally it develops and improves motor and cognitive skills.
Work Cited
Cryan, Mark, and Thomas Martinek. “Youth sport development through soccer: An evaluation of an after-school program using the TPSR model.” Physical Educator 74.1 (2017): 127.
DeLuca, Jaime R., and Jessica Braunstein-Minkove. “An evaluation of sport management student preparedness: Recommendations for adapting curriculum to meet industry needs.” Sport Management Education Journal 10.1 (2016): 1-12.
Grandisson, Marie, Michèle Hébert, and Rachel Thibeault. “Practice guidelines for program evaluation in community-based rehabilitation.” Disability and rehabilitation 39.12 (2017): 1243-1251.