College of Education and Human Development
Craig Esherick Tapped for the University's Next Vision Series Lecture
October 29, 2013
Craig Esherick, assistant professor of sport management, will give the university's next Vision Series lecture on November 4.
Craig Esherick
The lecture, called “College Athletics: Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going?”, takes place on Monday, November 4, 2013, at 7 p.m. in the Hylton Performing Art Center’s Merchant Hall on George Mason’s Science and Technology Campus. Tickets are not required to Vision Series lectures. An informal reception with light refreshments will follow the lecture.
With big changes to the college football Bowl Championship Series planned for the near future, huge shifts among conference members, big-name scandals and the continuing arguments about paying players, college sports are in a period of great change. Craig Esherick will discuss what some of these changes mean for the cultural institution and big business. He will also talk about what other changes he believes would benefit the collegiate sports environment and discuss the history of college sports, comparing and contrasting them to the European club systems.
Other controversial topics Esherick may discuss include whether there will ever be a collegiate secession from the National Collegiate Athletics Association, whether scholarships for athletes work and whether athletes should be paid.
Esherick has been involved with intercollegiate athletics for 30 years. He played basketball, received his law degree, worked as an assistant coach in the basketball program for more than 17 years and won more than 100 games as a head coach, all at Georgetown University. In 1988 he was an assistant coach for the bronze medal U.S. Olympic team that competed in Seoul. After coaching, he worked for AOL Sports as a columnist and on-air commentator and worked with the network that eventually became CBS College Sports. He taught at New York University before coming to Mason.
Previous Vision Series lectures by faculty from the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism are available on YouTube:
- Shane Caswell: Concussion in Youth and Scholastic Sport
- Maggie Daniels: Strategic Tourism Development: Dollars and (Dis)Repair
- David Wiggins: Strange Mix of Entitlement and Exploitation
About CEHD
George Mason University's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) includes two schools: the Graduate School of Education, one of the largest teacher preparation and education schools in Virginia, and the School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism. CEHD offers a comprehensive range of degrees, certificates, courses, and licensure programs on campus, online, and on site. The college is distinguished by faculty who encourage new ways of thinking and pioneering research supported by more than $75 million in funding over the past five years.
For additional information:
- CEHD Communications: cehdnews@gmu.edu
- School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism: rht.gmu.edu
- Sport Management program: rht.gmu.edu/spmt
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