Course Syllabus: Sport Finance and Business
SPORTMGT 424 – Section 1 – Fall 2007
Instructor: B. David Tyler
Class Time: T/R 8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Classroom: SOM 127
Phone: 413-461-2123
Email: btyler@som.umass.edu
Office: SOM 226 (in the back corner)
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 9:30 - 10:30 AM,
Wednesdays, 10:45 AM - 11:45 AM
Mail Box: SOM 230
Website: http://courses.umass.edu/spmgt424
Course Pre-requisite:
FINOPMGT 300 or 301 through the Isenberg School of Management.
Reading Materials:
Required  Fried, Shapiro, & DeSchriver (2003). Sport Finance. Human Kinetics Publishing:
Champaign, IL. Text available at the UMass Textbook Annex.
 Course Readings: Available online throughout the semester
 Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal. The Department of Sport Management has
negotiated a special discount rate for the semester (16 weeks). Order forms that will be
distributed in class must be returned to Maureen Kocot in the Sport Management Office,
Room 236, with proper payment.
 Stay up to date on sports news by reading sport business blogs. RSS feeds to some of my
favorites are below:
o CNN Money: http://rss.cnn.com/rss/money_commentary_columnsportsbiz.rss
o Sports Economist: http://www.thesportseconomist.com/atom.xml
o Darren Rovell (CNBC): http://www.cnbc.com/id/17490692/device/rss/rss.xml
o SportsBiz: http://thesportsbizblog.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
o Sports Law blog: http://sports-law.blogspot.com/atom.xml (not sport finance related,
but still a good source of information and worth reading)
o Deadspin: http://www.deadspin.com/index.xml (if you’re reading all the serious sites
above, you deserve to have a fun one thrown in there too)
Course Catalogue Description
Basic theory in finance and accounting applied to managerial control of sport organizations. Includes forms of
ownership, taxation, financial analysis, feasibility studies, and economic impact studies.
Course Objective
The objective of this course is to introduce students to the concepts of financial management as applied to the unique
world of sports. Students will:
- learn core financial theory as related to sports organizations
- apply analytical techniques to financial decision making in the context of a sports business
- explore the unique features of sports finance that distinguish it from other fields of study, including the
relationships of tax and legal issues
- discuss current financial issues as they relate to facility construction, professional and collegiate sports, the
Olympics, and other sports related businesses.
Course Method
The course material will be presented through lectures and class discussions. Each student is expected to have the
assigned readings completed BEFORE each class. This will enhance the understanding of the lecture and will also
allow maximum participation in class discussions.
Attendance
Attendance is expected of all students at EVERY class session. Students are also expected to arrive to class on time.
Students must notify the instructor of any known absences prior to the day of the absence.
UMass Amherst
Isenberg School of Management
Page 1
v2007.09.04
Course Syllabus: Sport Finance and Business
SPORTMGT 424 – Section 1 – Fall 2007
Evaluation
Students’ achievement will be evaluated through a midterm exam, a final exam, a project, and six quizzes.
Exams:
Exams will offer a mix of financial calculations, multiple-choice questions, short answer essays, and other question
types that test the material presented in class and in the readings.
The midterm exam will take place on Thursday, October 25. The final exam will take place during finals week at a
specific date and time to be announced.
Quizzes:
Six quizzes will be given throughout the semester. The best five scores will count towards your final grade. There
will be NO MAKE UPS for missed quizzes. A missed quiz will simply count as your lowest score. Quiz dates are:
September 13, 25, October 4, November 8, 20, and December 4.
Homework:
Multiple optional homework assignments will be assigned throughout the semester. There will also be some
homework assignments that are collected for credit, which will be identified as for-credit assignments when they are
distributed.
Extra Credit:
No extra credit is available for this course. All students have every possibility to do each class assignment to the
best of their ability.
Grade Breakdown:
Final Exam
Midterm Exam
Quizzes
30%
25%
35%
Homework assignments
Class Participation
5%
5%
Grading Scale:
A
AB+
B
100 - 92.5%
92.49 - 89.5%
89.49 - 86.5%
86.49 - 82.5%
BC+
C
C-
82.49 - 79.5%
79.49 - 76.5%
76.49 - 72.5%
72.49 - 69.5%
D+
D
F
69.49 - 66.5%
66.49 - 59.5%
less than 59.5%
Course Policies
- Students are expected to have read all assigned readings prior to each class. Participation in class discussions is
necessary and is augmented by proper preparation.
- Assignments are expected to be submitted on the assigned due date. Work is due at the beginning of class on the
assigned day. Anything handed in after the beginning of class will be considered late. Late work will face a
deduction of 10% per day until completed, unless otherwise excused.
- Cell phones should be off or on vibrate during class.
- Bring a calculator to class each day.
Plagiarism and Cheating
It is expected that ideas taken from articles, books, journals, etc. will be properly noted in all papers, homework, and
assignments submitted. It is important to remember that to copy or to paraphrase someone else’s work without
proper reference is plagiarism. Please read and become familiar with the proper guidelines for referencing any
material used in your work (Publication Manual of the APA, call number BF76.7.P83 2001).
Cheating off of someone else’s work is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The purpose of college
courses is to help expand how you think about problems and to prepare you for your future career. Copying from a
classmate’s paper achieves neither of those goals - it only hinders the development of the student doing the cheating.
Anyone caught cheating will receive an “F” and be dismissed from the class.
UMass Amherst
Isenberg School of Management
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v2007.09.04