McCormack Initiatives
The extraordinary McCormack Collection gift comprises McCormack's writings, photographs and client-related memorabilia, dating to 1960 when a handshake with legendary golfer Arnold Palmer launched what would become IMG International. The McCormack family gifted $1.5M to endow educational initiatives including the Executive-in-Residence program and an international travel and exchange program. The McCormack Department and the campus library are also making many of the papers available for study online, and using them as an integral part of the curriculum.
This Month from the Archives
LIV Golf Tour Triggers Memories of McCormack’s Creation of Official World Golf Rankings System
Among the controversial issues surrounding the recent launch of the LIV Golf tour is whether those who defected from the PGA Tour to the LIV will be able to accumulate points in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) system. And, if it has to do with golf, we know the odds are high that a backstory can be found in the Mark H. McCormack archives housed within the Special Collections and University Archives department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst library system.
Mark H. McCormack
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. This system has given economic health to the players and tennis institutions and the industry as a whole.
Mark H. McCormack is widely credited with inventing the field of sports marketing as the founder, chairman and CEO of International Management Group (IMG). From representing the majority of top players in tennis for over four decades, to pioneering television coverage globally, to expanding the scope, size, and reach of the world’s foremost events, to his ability in raising millions of dollars annually for charitable organizations, to today’s online innovations which enable fans to follow every match point, McCormack’s influence on tennis will be felt for decades to come.
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. This system has given economic health to the players and tennis institutions and the industry as a whole.
IMG’s licensing agency, the largest in the world, its literary agency, and its affiliation with recreational amenities and world-class destination venues have further contributed to the sport. McCormack shaped the way all sports are marketed around the world. He was first in the marketplace and his influence on the world of sports, particularly his ability to combine athlete representation and television broadcasting, will forever be a standard within the tennis industry.
