Marketing and Promoting Intramurals: A Comparison of Four University Approaches

Abstract

Intramurals has a long history in recreational sports. In managing intramural sports programs, the programmer needs a variety of methods to “get the word out. “It is important to consider promotion, publicity, advertising, sponsorship, and public relations. While these are important to all aspects of recreational sports, intramurals is typically the “backbone” of programming. With this in mind, it is essential that the intramural programmer be concerned with reaching all the students possible. This article discusses and compares the methods utilized by four different universities. They are Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia. It is believed that these four universities represent a variety of types of institutions including a small private university in a medium sized town, a combination of traditional and commuter on the edge of a metropolitan area, a traditional private institution in a major metropolitan area, and a traditional state university in a smaller community. It is very important to get the word out, regardless of the type of institution. The greater the variety of approaches used the better the chances to reach all students.