A Good Science must be Applicable in Practice
International Scientific Conference “Transformation Processes in Sport – Sport Achievements”, organised by the Faculty for Sport and Physical Education of the University of Montenegro and Montenegrin Sport Academy, is an exquisite and successful event for diversity of topics and participants and because of transfer of knowledge – as Goran Šašić from Euroleague estimates.
Šašić, who manages master program for communication and sport management within Euroleague, thinks that it is good that sport science and science in general have the opportunity to be interdisciplinary and international.
He said that Euroleague makes high investments into education, reminding that there are master studies for sport business.
“We believe that is the way that we, as a company, bring something back to sport. That’s not, so to say, a one-way street, but a two-way benefit, since we as an organisation learn. Not only do we get potential sport managers, who can enter the system of Euroleague, but also we often have scientific papers of students which we develop as business concepts”, Šašić explains.
He said that in organisation they do not transfer only knowledge from Euroleague to students, but also experience of partners from business as well, such as Turkish Airlines or Nike.
“All business leaders who come to final four, and who are important are invited to teach our students”, he said.
Šašić explained that exchange of knowledge at master in Euroleague lies on four pillars – knowledge gained from Euroleague, academic knowledge transfer at the faculty, knowledge from industrial leaders and final exchange of knowledge among students who come from all over the world and from various professions.
“These four fundamental parts of exchange of knowledge at master studies result in competence of students to work in sport business knowing all about that job in European basketball. Moreover, for us in Euroleague this is non-profit. We do not make money on this, nor do we want to. Benefit for us is expressed in a very good final papers of students”, he explained.
Šašić says that it is good that the University of Montenegro insists on mobility and internationalisation, stating that “there is no more local business, national or regional. There is only international business”.
“What does it mean? We cannot thinks locally anymore in any of the strategies. That does not exist anymore”, he said.
Šašić also says that sport science develops fast. If sports sciences are not followed for a year, it is already your loss. It is good that a sport science has the opportunity to be interdisciplinary and international. This is very positive.”
Commenting on that sport sciences are often observed in public with suspicion, Šašić says it depends on what sport is in question.
“If we talk about football, there is certainly science. There are grounds for being a sport science. Sport science does not have fundamental core in sports that are non-profit and hardly financially sustainable. It has more Olympic sense. I admire all scientists who work with this kind of sports, since it is a sound and social obligation – I always rather see a child training, than being on the street. It is good to have such scientists, but in the world everything has become business”, he said.
Šašić thinks that “if you want a good science, you must find a good implementation”.
“Only when in sport management we reach the point of harmonisation, when clubs realize the relevance of sport science, then we shall find balance with benefit. You must understand that sport has changed. Earlier it was a mean of diplomacy and states invested in it. That money no longer exists, now everything has business level. I think science also has to be transformed into business, it must start making money”, he said.