The Pacific Northwest is one the most active regions in the world of the athletics. It not only holds great training opportunities for sports management students but also excellent openings for future career prospects. You can join any of the athletics teams in the region, some with a great history of victory and glory going back for more than a century.
Keep in mind that sports is one of the first growing industries. The U.S government predicts a great growth, with continuously increasing earnings of more than $200 billion every year. To reap the great rewards, you need to be highly qualified with an accompanying knack for business. Much of the knowledge and skills will be derived from working with some of the greatest athletics teams in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Pacific University
Known as the Falcons, the university’s athletic team is recognized for its participation in the Division II’s level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) under the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The various disciplines include Cross Country, Track and Field, Rowing, Soccer and Basketball. Women participate in additional discipline—gymnastics—which has seen them sail through to the nationals 33 times in 34 years and bring home two consecutive trophies for third place.
As a whole, the team has carted home nine national championships. The men have won five trophies in soccer while women have made away with three trophies in gymnastics and one in soccer. In addition, the men have won the conference tournament titles in basketball while the women have won similar trophies in soccer.
Concordia University – Oregon
Nicknamed the Cavaliers, the university’steam competes in the GNAC as part of the NCAA. The team has shown excellent skills in cross country, track and field, basketball, baseball, soccer and golf. Women also play softball and volleyball.
The universities dedication to the growth of sports is evidenced by its building of Hilken Community Stadium, an athletic complex that cost $7.5 million. The Cavaliers, both men and women, have won many titles in the soccer programs in the last few decades. Further, they were noted for their domination at the NAIA level of their former conference where men lost only 3 of the 13 titles in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). The women lost only 2 of a total of 18 titles in CCC together with the 2013 NAIA National Championship.
Western Washington University
The university’s athletic team is christened the Vikings. It joined NCAA Division II in 1988. It was first ranked 7 out of 310 in the Sports Directors Cup before earning the 6th position in 2009-2010.
In every of its first 13 seasons after becoming the NCAA Division II member, the Vikings was among the Top 100. It has also taken home both men and women league titles in golf as well as volleyball. In addition, the team has been crowned champions in the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference as well as second place in both men and women’s outdoor track, cross country, indoor track for men and softball.
Northwest Nazarene University
Located in Idaho, Northwest Nazarene University is home to the Crusaders. The team is comprised of 13 smaller teams representing various disciplines. They include cross-country, track and field, soccer, basketball, golf and baseball. Softball and volleyball are extra disciplines for women.
The Crusaders participate in athletics as members of the GNAC in the NCAA Division II sports which bring together many different colleges. It is one of the two Nazarene colleges competing in the NCAA. The other is Eastern Nazarene College. While the other six compete in the NAIA, the main adversary for the school is NAIA College of Idaho. Former India’s national basketball team coach, Scott Flemming, is closely related with the school.
Western Oregon University
The university’s team is famously known as the Wolves. There are a total of 13 intercollegiate sports sponsored by the university. The Wolves participate in the NCAA under the GNAC at the level of Division II.
The Wolves has made the Western Oregon University proud on many occasions. Before transferring to NCAA, the university won several national women’s basketball titles under NAIA. When playing in the GNAC games, the baseball team continuously won ten titles. Moreover, the men’s track and field team has won several consecutive titles in GNAC Indoor Track competitions. The men and women cross country teams were placed in positions 20 and 21 respectively in the 2010 NCAA National Championships.
Conclusion
Whether your career aspirations are focused on collegiate, high school or professional teams, the highest level of skills and experience will be required for success. Remember that most of your work will involve designing, implementing and evaluation of the sports programs with the aim of strengthening the team as well as ensuring effective organization and maximization of profits. One of the most efficient ways of gaining the required skills and experience is picking a great athletic team in the Pacific Northwest to work with.
Related:
20 Great Small Colleges for a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management
