Literature review and academic analysis with integrated references

¶ … minimum academic references, text. Integrate literature essay. Remember introduction a conclusion. Avoid casual language, informal language, biased language. Write academic style.

Leadership in sports

Professional sport has experienced much progress across time, as individuals involved in the domain got actively engaged in implementing reform processes meant to improve it in general. Many people are likely to think about one thing when coming across the idea of leadership in sport: coach. Coaches have been traditionally accustomed to performing all sorts of activities related to sport, regardless of their complexity. Even with this, as the world of sport also experienced advancements, society came to observe the need for a series of other professionals that would deal with leadership in sport.

Taking into account the magnitude of the contemporary sport industry, it would be safe to say it is one of the most successful domains. In the past sports were provided with lesser attention and people were gradually inclined to invest less resources in sports. Ranging from sponsors to the determination associated with financial benefits coming from sports, a lot of things have changed in recent decades regarding sports. Sports is one of the fastest-growing industries today, with the finances involved in it being much larger than one would expect and much larger than a series of other industries. "Today, sport is a top-10 industry, and some have even placed it in the top 5. Even though $213 billion figure noted previously is missing several components that would make it much larger, it is still four times the figure noted in 1987." (Pedersen et. al., p. 6)

Kenesaw Mountain Landis was the first Commissioner of baseball from the moment when he got the position in 1920 and until the moment he died, in 1944. His background as a jurist played an important role in his understanding of the role and in his ability to put across great dedication toward it. The fact that the was a passionate baseball fan also contributed to his interest in making the sport as fair as possible.

Having been provided with the opportunity to implement legal ideas in his role as Commissioner, Landis rapidly proved that his passion for the game was not stronger than his logic. As a consequence, he banned a series of players on account of their attempt to fix several games. The judge was unhesitant about banning some of the biggest names in the sport at the time, as he considered fairness to be more important than talent.

In spite of the fact that he came across less significant scandal in comparison to Landis, the Commissioner of Baseball between 1998 and 2015, Bud Selig, is notable for his involvement in improving the game's general condition. Selig acknowledged the critical condition the game was during the 1990s and considered that it would be effective for him to take a business-oriented approach. In spite of the fact that Selig did not have a legal background as complex as Landis', it would be safe to say that his attitude played a more important role in improving the game.

Baseball experienced significant progress throughout the twentieth century and Selig was the right person to step in and assist the sport. He realized the complexity associated with it and considered it would be best for him to address the financial issue regarding the game. It is largely believed that his involvement in the sport encouraged society as a whole to support it more than it did during the early 1990s.

There are several types of leaders, with traditional leaders being more inclined to concentrate on the task rather than on the relationship they have with sportsmen. In contrast, present-day leadership in professional sports is focused both on the task it involves and on the relationship between the leader and the individuals he or she is in charge of. "The team leadership approach is considered the most effective because work is accomplished through relationships that are built on trust and respect, which are the result of interdependence and a push for a common objective in the sport organization." (Pedersen et. al., p. 143) Through implementing these respective ideas in the leader-sportsman relationship, one is more likely to experience increased productivity and profitability.