Over 3,000 boxes of records from IMG Worldwide document Mark McCormack’s visionary growth of the sport marketing industry in the Mark H. McCormack Papers. McCormack revolutionized the sporting world by establishing athlete representation as a distinct business discipline and by demonstrating the value of sports as a cost-effective marketing tool. Researchers have an inside look at memos, contracts, reports, and marketing materials from the first 45 years of the company across a wide range of athletes, companies, and sports. While over 50,000 letters and memos have been digitized and made available online for researchers around the world, this represents only a very small fraction of the paper documents available for research on-site in the collection. Documentation of IMG Worldwide is especially strong from 1960 through the early 1990s but includes up to 2003.
Research strengths:
- Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and the expansion of golf
- Corporate relationships with Wimbledon and the R&A
- International expansion of professional sport
- Growth of sports in television; creation of made-for-television athletic events
- Marketing campaigns, corporate sponsorships, and endorsements
- CEO leadership
- Corporate governance
Award (two will be awarded):
- Stipend of $3000
- Travel allowance of $500, depending on need
- Fellows are expected to spend a total of one month in residence during the period of the fellowship year: June 1 through May 31 of the following year.
Application process:
Applications are due by Please submit applications via email. A complete applicant’s packet will include:
- A brief biographical statement of not more than 350 words with a description of your larger research agenda to be used for publicity purposes.
- An overview of the proposed project not to exceed three pages.
- A current resume or CV.
- One confidential letter of reference.
Selection process:
Fellows are selected on a competitive basis from applicants interested in conducting original research in the Mark H. McCormack Papers. In addition to the one-month residency, McCormack Scholars will be invited back to campus to give a public talk to the “Five College Community,” involving UMass Faculty and graduate student fellows. The criteria for selection will include the potential of the proposal to contribute to scholarship; the need for the use of SCUA’s collections; and a letter of support.
Eligibility:
Graduate students and early career professionals (within five years of receipt of a PhD) are highly encouraged to apply, however, we will also consider established scholars, independent scholars, and those outside academia. Fellows may come from any field and any perspective and they may work on any topic.
For more information, contact Kirstin Kay, Mark H. McCormack Sport Innovation Archivist, by email (kay@library.umass.edu) or phone 413-545-6843.