Sport and leisure management at PUC Minas: a report on the development of the Study Group on the Management of Body Practices

Abstract

The aim of this text is to present the emergence and development of the Study Group on the Management
of Body Practices (GESPRAC) of the Department of Physical Education (DEF) at the Pontifical Catholic
University of Minas Gerais (PUC MINAS). This is an experience report organized into three parts. The
introduction presents the process of creating and setting up the group, as well as historical data and the
approach adopted in relation to sports management as an object of study. From the management of the
university's Sports Complex (EC), through to the creation of the DEF and the Bachelor's and Bachelor's
degrees, the emergence of the Center for Studies in Physical Education, Sport and Leisure (CEEFEL) and the
establishment of GESPRAC. In terms of approach, the group's object of study is the management of bodily
practices and its important, but not exclusive, link to Physical Education as an area of knowledge and a
regulated profession. It also assumes management as a dimension of the profession's work, in accordance
with Law 9696 of 1998. In People and achievements, reference researchers for the development of the group
and some of the most relevant actions are presented, highlighting the curricularization of Sport and Leisure
Management at the university, with departmentalization, disciplines, internships, extension projects, the
specialization course, research and publications. The most important research projects are divided into three
groups. Those developed within CEEFEL, those shared with other study groups and those developed
exclusively by GESPRAC. It also discusses its inclusion in the Brazilian Sports Management Association
(ABRAGESP) and its participation in the Brazilian Sports Management Congress (CBGE) from the 2017 edition
onwards. Looking to the future, broad challenges are identified in relation to the field of sport and leisure
management in the country, such as the growth of ABRAGESP and the CBGE, as well as the training of new
researchers and the qualification of managers in the area. At the institutional level, the challenges are to
increase the participation of undergraduate students, especially women, to better systematize internship
opportunities and extension projects, as well as to get closer to other departments that also study or can
contribute to studies on sports and leisure management, such as Administration, Law, Computing and
Communication. These are the challenges that the group should focus on in the coming years.