Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management

The Law of the Jungle & the Business of Fitness
Green T. Waggener, Ph.D., MPH

Abstract
Poetry can be an entertaining medium through which various issues in real life can be dissected and analyzed. Poetry can be reflective, creating understanding of various forces at work making things happen. Poetry can be motivational, creating a renewal in faith and generating energy and belief needed to overcome obstacles. Not surprisingly, poetry can be applied to the management issues in the fitness industry for any of the reasons listed previously. One notable classic, written in the 19th Century, may be particularly instructive for anyone involved in teaching personnel management. The Law of the Jungle, written by Rudyard Kipling in 1891, is such a poem. Contrary to being a children’s poem about animals, this poem is an allegory revealing forces involved in establishing and maintaining a viable business, particularly in an aggressive fitness business environment. This poem was used as a summary experience in a Health Promotion an undergraduate Fitness Management class. At first, the students were skeptical but as we progressed through the poem, they were surprised to see the management-nuances Kipling might have intended in this allegory on life ~ in a wolf-pack.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v3n1a3