Success of an Organization in Sport

Success of an Organization in Sport

In the world of organizations as they pertain to sport, there are different ways to attain success. In the category of professional organizations the New England Patriots are the leaders. In the amateur organizations category it is the leadership and instruction of the JR. NBA Ð'- JR. WNBA that is successful. In the category of collegiate organizations it is The University of Connecticut with the overall success their sports program. The final category to look at focuses on a business organization associated with sports and Nike is the most successful. Each of these categories represents a different aspect in today's world of sports.

The New England Patriots are classified as the leaders in professional sports because they have won three out of the past four Super Bowls. In this day and age of free agency this is unheard of. What makes this accomplishment even more special is the team's lack of superstars. They do have a number of players that people can name without much thought, but in 2004 they had no Pro Bowlers. They label themselves as a blue-collar football team and statistically they show their dominance. In 2004, the Patriots went 14-2, were fourth in the league in scoring and second in the league in points allowed. As a team they ranked seventh in total offense and ninth in total defense. This is a team that takes average players and once in this system they tend to form a great cohesive unit. An advantage that this team has over any of its opponents is with its overall dominating success. Success breeds success. These players have won so much over the past years that they have a strong belief in winning every game they play.

The only team in recent history that comes anywhere close to the success level of the Patriots is the Philadelphia Eagles. In those past four years that the Patriots have won the Super Bowl the Eagles have found themselves in the NFC championship game three times and in 2004 in the Super Bowl were the opponents of the eventual repeat champions, the Patriots. The major difference between these two teams is not that the Patriots have won all those Super Bowls, but the fact that both teams have a totally different strategy in attaining this ultimate prize. The Patriots have a team effort with every player playing a significant role without any superstars. The Eagles on the other hand have several key superstars. No one can really say which strategy is better, but the team that wins the big game is going to get that vote the majority of the time.

The greatest amateur organization is a difficult category, because of the lack of publicity. An easy way to avoid this difficulty would be to use an obvious choice such as a local or area high school sports team. The final choice does not fit into this criteria, but after viewing its website the choice is the Jr. NBA Ð'- Jr. WNBA. This organization is associated with many leagues throughout the state including the local Biddy Basketball and Wichita Parks & Recreation league. The Jr. NBA Ð'- Jr. WNBA uses its website as a comprehensive training aid for those youths involved in all sports not just basketball. It focuses on such topics for the kids as how to play hard and still have fun, how to interact with coaches, and dealing with parents' expectations. It also guides them on the importance of practice, exercise, sportsmanship, and how to play as a team. In today's world of superstars it is great to have an organization headed by former and current NBA and WNBA players, coaches, and officials that encourage these ideals.

In the collegiate organizations category The University of Connecticut, UConn is the sports program enjoying a ton of success. Their sports teams won a total of six Big East Conference Championships in 2004. This a season after both their men and women's basketball teams won NCAA Championships. Of the six championships they won two were won by the field hockey team that went 20-2, won the regular season and conference tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA Championship for the seventh time in nine years. One from the men's soccer team, who went 12-8-3, won the conference tournament championship and played in the NCAA Championship for the seventh straight year. The women's soccer team accounted for another one by going 18-7-1 and winning the conference tournament championship and advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament. The men's basketball team also won one by posting a 23-8 record, winning the regular season title and then advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.