Sports Pyschology website developed by Brian Haney as a project for a Senior Seminar in Psychology (PSY400) class taught by Dr. Arvid J. Bloom at West Chester University in Spring 2000 provides an overview of the topic for anyone that is new to this field. Haney first gives an introduction to the topic, including a definition as well as a brief history, including the founder of the field, the rationale and the first journal that covered academic reports.
Every new subject area has its own lexicon, and Haney also covers some terminology that needs to be known to better understand the Psychology of Sports. He only includes half a dozen of these terms, which more than likely are just the main ones. From here, he goes more in depth into the types of tracks or subfields that exist under the main Psychology heading, where opportunities are available in this subfield and the education needed.
Since this is such a new field, such detail is helpful. It does not exist in many website locations.
His section, "A typical day in the life of a Sports Psychologist" is one of his weaker areas. It would be helpful to have more detail here, especially since such case studies are not often found. Interviewing others in this field would have been beneficial, especially because Haney more than likely had contact with some individuals who have a career in this new field.
The pros and cons of going into this field, however, are more informative and give readers a better indication if this is something they would like to pursue. The website lists a few links for further information, but unfortunately, only one is still viable six years later. This is one of the drawbacks of websites in general and Haney's in specific. They need to be continually updated to have ongoing informative value. All in all, then, this is a good one page summary of the field. However, the reader needs to be leery about the relevance of the information so many years later. After reviewing this site, the reader should definitely find something that is more recent and compare the two sites in their information. These are the topics covered on this site.
Introduction Education
Brief History Employment
Important Terms Learning More
Subfields Outlook
A Typical Day Summary
Pros and Cons Acknowledgments
The Association for the Advancement of Applied Sports Psychology, on the other hand, is a regularly updated website for professionals in this field. It covers a number of different types of information, including an overview of what is Applied Sports Psychology and the different areas of specialization within the field, common questions and answers, and terminology.
Another area covered is learning about certified consultants and how to find one. There is also a list of suggested consultants' websites, and they are still up and running when linking to them. Since this is an organization for Sports Psychologists, the emphasis is on the conferences and services that the organization provides for members. What is missing here that was helpful on the previous website was more information about attaining a degree in the field and some of the pros and cons of getting into this field. Apparently, the assumption is made that anyone going to this website is already either in the field or knows enough about it and only needs a brief overview.
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