Breaking Down Barriers in Sport Management Internships Using the Universal Design for Learning

Abstract

Sitting at the intersection of the sport management workplace and educational setting, internships are both an important curricular component within undergraduate sport management programs and a common entry point for people beginning careers in sport. Drawing from the literature on diversity and inclusion pertaining to the sport industry, sport management education, and internships, we discuss existing pedagogical and systemic barriers to student learning and professional development within internships. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of the Universal Design for Learning framework for addressing the pedagogical barriers and how it can help to improve sport management policies and practices.