Honors Study Abroad Scholarship SPM 399 – Global Sport Management
Over spring break, I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland as a part of SPM 399: Global Sport Management. This was a great experience to explore and learn about the culture of Ireland as well as how the sports industry functions abroad.
We started the trip in the town of Donegal. There, we saw beautiful countryside and Arranmore Island. My favorite part of the first half of the trip was surfing in Bundoran, the surf capital of Ireland. I never imagined I would be able to say I’ve been surfing in Ireland, but here we are, and although it was freezing, it ended up being so much fun! It was great to experience the nation outside of Dublin to get a real feel of what life is like there.
While in Dublin, we were exposed to many athletic facilities, such as Sport Ireland Campus, which is home to Ireland’s national teams and Croke Park, which is a historic landmark of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). Being able to immerse myself in the Irish culture and sports scene was fascinating. I want to work in football (soccer) in the future, so this was a great opportunity to learn about and immerse myself in a country where the sport is more popular. In addition to football, the nation prides itself with the GAA and rugby, which we got to experience both games. In Donegal, we went to a Gaelic football match. This was a unique experience compared to American sporting events – especially considering it is an amateur league and the athletes are unpaid. As for the rugby game, we watched Ireland face off against their rivals to the east, England. We watched this at a pub, since it is far more common than house viewing parties that we might see during the Super Bowl, for example. The atmosphere during the game was like nothing else I have seen before – everyone was so passionate and invested.
Overall, this was an eye-opening experience about what sport is like outside of the US. It was a great chance to see athletics abroad and the various international career options. I would like to thank the UT Honors Program for aiding this opportunity. It is something I will never forget!