Good Topics for a Presentation in Sports

Let your sports enthusiasm come through in your presentation.

Even if you are not a sports fan, you can use a topic related to sports that will give your fodder an attention-grabbing presentation. Within the trove of available topics, you can find something that will capture the interest of varied audiences, from weekend soccer moms to fantasy football fanatics. When selecting a topic, talk about what interests you so that this comes through as you give your presentation.

1 Head Injuries and Protective Headgear

Head injuries can happen in many sports to participants of all ages.

The potential for head injuries exists in many sports, from the obvious, such as football, to the less obvious, such as golf. Even if your presentation audience is not made up of die-hard NFL fans, you can make this topic relevant to a large cross-section of the population. Many parents have children who are involved in childhood sports activities; football might be one of them, but so might Little League baseball, equestrian activities, dirt bike or motocross, recreational bicycle riding, or boxing.

2 College Student Athletes

Families in your community may be unaware of college sports scholarship opportunities.

Any fan of college sports may know that several of the players on the court, field, arena, track or other competitive venue also excel in the classroom. Your audience may not know, or may not be aware of rules, eligibility or scholarship opportunities available for the prospective student-athlete. College athletes can make an impact both in and out of their sport comfort zone. If you live in a college town, the community already may be benefiting from such an impact. Many student-athletes also eagerly volunteer their time to local charities; call a local university's athletics media relations department for examples to highlight in your presentation.

3 Title IX

Young female athletes were not always allowed to participate in sports programs.

Title IX refers to educational amendments passed in 1972 that allows for some athletic parity for girls in schools or education programs that receive federal funding. Enough time has passed to research whether measurable -- and expected -- changes occurred, and whether Title IX to continue to remain in effect. According to a New York Times/CBS News Poll conducted in March 2011, most men and women approve of the law's intent, but very few are actually familiar with the details. A concern that schools cut some men's programs to provide funding for women's sports also exists; in your presentation, you might explore the veracity of this claim and particularly in college sports, whether any men's programs that were cut were chosen because they did not generate enough revenue.

4 Professional Athletes and Performance-Enhancing Drugs

A professional's use of banned substances may impact children who that athlete as a role model.

Performance-enhancing drugs in professional sports is not a new topic, but only since 2005 has Congress become involved. Arguments persist on whether putting banned substances under the purview of federal regulation holds any public benefit, or whether it should remain a tool of professional sports organizations through drug testing and rules set by the organizations. Laws aside, you can present other societal components, such as role models for children and long-term health impacts for the athletes, which could have a larger societal impact.

Based in Central Texas, Karen S. Johnson is a marketing professional with more than 30 years' experience and specializes in business and equestrian topics. Her articles have appeared in several trade and business publications such as the Houston Chronicle. Johnson also co-authored a series of communications publications for the U.S. Agency for International Development. She holds a Bachelor of Science in speech from UT-Austin.

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