'Professional' sport management education and practice in Australia

Despite the assumption that students are being prepared as 'professionals', little debate has been undertaken concerning the composition of 'professional' sport management education in Australia. This paper comments upon this absence of serious debate and seeks first of all, to review accepted perspectives of professions and professionals, and secondly, to consider the changes that may need to be applied in the contemporary setting, and finally, to reflect upon the implications of this definition for sport management education in Australia. The paper concludes that a definition which encompasses occupation, competency and behaviour also reveals several weaknesses in the conventional Australian curriculum, including limited common standards and an almost complete absence of ethical codes.