
Qureshi3
The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) over views many different facets of the athletic program on the campus of the University of Illinois. This is a photo of the Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building which houses many of the athletic operations on the University of Illinois campus. Some of these operations include corporate relations, I-FUND (University of Illinois Athletic Department donation service), marketing, sports information, and video services. In addition to housing many offices the Bielfeldt Athletic Administration Building contains a recruiting lounge, a professional development and seminar room, and also houses the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Library. Although this building contains most of the University of Illinois athletic operations, sports such as men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, and football have their own facilities (“Fighting”).
On March 31, 1906 the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS) was formed, which would later be known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). This was in response to then President Theodore Roosevelt’s concern to eliminate the violence in college football. The formation of the NCAA had a huge impact on the growth and development of athletic departments around the country. Two of the most influential figures in the history of the University of Illinois Athletic program were Robert Zuppke and George Huff. Robert Zuppke served as the University of Illinois football coach from 1913 to 1941, and helped lead the Fighting Illini to five national titles. In his commemoration the field in Memorial Stadium is named Zuppke Field. George Huff served as the University of Illinois athletic director from 1901 to 1935; he served as the driving force behind the construction of Memorial Stadium (Raycraft). This is a picture Memorial Stadium shortly after it was built in 1923.

There are many different employment opportunities available at the University of Illinois DIA. One can choose to work for the inner workings of the athletic department or work in more of a business role. Some of these jobs include working in the compliance department, in the marketing department, or in a public relations role. In order to get a job in compliance one would have to go to law school to understand the inner workings of NCAA rules. For one to go into the field of marketing for the DIA they would have to either have a degree in Business or Sport Management. In order to go into public relations, one would have to major in journalism or public relations. According to a current DIA employee, one way to get your foot in the door for any of these jobs would be to begin working in the athletic department while you are in school, this way people at the DIA get to know you and you get some hands on experience as well.

There are many different current trends in the field; however none may be bigger than the renovations many athletic departments are making to their facilities. This is a picture of the newly remodeled Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois. Many universities are adding luxury boxes and additional press boxes to their football and basketball stadiums in order to increase revenues. In addition, many universities are also adding personal seating licenses (PSL’s) in order to increase revenue. Now one must purchase a PSL which grants them the right to purchase season tickets for that particular seat. It seems as though the main trend in the field today is to maximize revenue in the revenue generating sports, which are football and men’s basketball.

It seems as though the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics’ definition of leisure is a great atmosphere in which the students and public can cheer on their beloved university while being able to focus on the event at hand without any distraction. The University of Illinois’ official mission statement is: “To have the highest quality athletic program in all sports that allows the University of Illinois teams to compete for championships in the Big Ten Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association” (“Mission”). The University of Illinois DIA feels as though it provides a great amount of benefits to the community on and off campus. They feel that they are able to provide quality entertainment and competitive teams for the students on campus as well as the surrounding community. This is shown in the picture above which depicts the Assembly Hall filled to capacity with spectators for a basketball game.

According to the people I was able to speak with at the University of Illinois DIA; their advice to me was in order to get a job in this field one must start early. They said to get involved as much as you can while you are still in school. According to one person in their marketing department, there are many jobs available for students ranging from helping out at games as a ticket taker, to helping out around the DIA offices, to becoming a student manager on one of the athletic teams on campus. They told me that there are plenty of opportunities on campus to get involved with athletics and with the DIA. I am currently a student manager on the University of Illinois Men’s Basketball team, which is why I included a picture of the Ubben Basketball Complex where the team practices.
Overall, I was able to learn many valuable things from visiting the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics office. I found that there are many pros and cons to working for University of Illinois DIA, or any DIA for that matter. Some of the pros of working at a DIA office are that you get to work in a college environment, where people are much more passionate and closely tied to their athletic program, which makes ones job much more enjoyable. Secondly, there are many jobs available in the field of collegiate athletics because there are so many schools with athletic departments. However, with the pros come cons as well. One downside of working in college athletics is that there is not a lot of room for advancement. One source I spoke with, who works for a professional sports marketing firm, stated that a lot of times one will get stuck doing the same job for years because many of the higher level jobs are taken by people with direct ties to the university or direct experience as an athlete at that university. Another downside of working at a DIA is that one’s hours are very long, and sometimes you are forced to work holidays because of how the athletic events are scheduled. All in all, a university DIA department fits into the leisure delivery system very well because the athletic events that they help put on and promote bring many people leisurely activities to attend. Many people who attend University of Illinois sporting events are able to escape from their everyday troubles during those two to three hours that they are attending that particular sporting event. Therefore, events put on by the DIA are able to put people in a relaxed or leisurely state of mind while they are there. As one can see, the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics department fits in very well to the leisure delivery system.
Works Cited
“Fighting Illini Facilities.” FightingIllini.com. N.p., 2009. Web. 8 Sept. 2009.
“Mission Statement.” FightingIllini.com. University of Illinois, 2009. Web. 9 Sept. 2009.
Raycraft, Michael, Dr. “The History of Collegiate Sports.” 2009. File last modified on 2009. TS.
Nisar,
ReplyDeleteYou put a good amount of thought into your post! I hope it was a great experience.
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