Digital Commons Network^™

Opportunity And Oversight: The Nil And College Football Through The Lens Of Ole Miss, Emma Harrington

Honors Theses

Since 2021, student-athletes have been reaping financial benefits of the commercialized use of their name, image, and likenesses (NIL). In addition to engaging in direct endorsement contracts with third party businesses, student-athletes are likewise working with NIL collectives to secure novel forms of funding opportunities. In this thesis, the current system of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) utilized in collegiate athletics will be examined. While NIL can be a beneficial source of income and exposure to student athletes across the country, the set of rules, or lack thereof, in effect is not substantial enough to maintain a safe and healthy …

Understanding Para-Athlete Inclusion In Post-Secondary Athletics, Rayven J. Sample

Honors Theses

This qualitative study utilized thematic analysis of six interviews with elite Para-athletes who were currently enrolled at a four-year undergraduate institution and were actively competing or training in any Para-sport to understand inclusion of Para-athletes within the NCAA. This investigatory research sought to identify barriers present in the NCAA’s structure and advocate for positive change as more Para-athletes desire to access collegiate athletic resources due to increasingly higher standards of performance within Para-sport. Para-athletes discussed five key themes during interviews; “Disability Mindset” or the way athletes conceptualized their presence within the athletic environment; sources of education available to athletics staff …

The 2015 Ncaa Cost-Of-Attendance Stipend And Its Effects On Institutional Financial Aid Packages, Sara Greene

Honors Theses

In 2015, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) allowed “Cost of Attendance” (COA) stipends to be offered to athletic recruits for Division I schools. These stipends are intended to allow schools to grant aid to student-athletes beyond a full-ride scholarship to cover additional costs imposed on student-athletes. These stipends created an opportunity for the “Autonomy” Power 5 programs to utilize a competitive tactic to try to win over the top recruits. There is evidence that these COA stipends have caused an increase in the estimated cost of attendance reported by the university. This paper examines if the COA stipends have …

Season Pass: Southern Miss Sports Report, Mackenzie Hamilton

Honors Theses

Season Pass: Southern Miss Sports Report is a creative activity investigating the process of producing and releasing a weekly sports report. The series is composed of twenty-four two-to-three-minute episodes that recap the highlights, scores, and performances of Southern Miss Athletic teams. In addition to the sports reports, the show includes feature stories that provide insight into the lives of Southern Miss Athletes and Athletic Staff outside of the sports world.

Season Pass aired weekly on Southern Miss Athletics’ Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts from the beginning of September 2020 through mid-March 2021. In this manuscript, I detail the pre-production, production, …

Identifying Metabolites As Markers Of Fatigue In Athletes, Christopher D. George

Honors Theses

Fatigue in athletes caused by inadequate rest and other stressors can be severely detrimental to their health, and yet there is no reliable way to measure and track fatigue. Many classical measures of fatigue like body mass and resting heart rate are not reliable ways to track the physical fatigue of an athlete because they can change with many factors. In addition, it is not known how academic stress on top of physical stress affects fatigue. Metabolomics is a relatively new area of study and tracking metabolites offers the possibility to produce biomarkers to assess fatigue. This study collected saliva …

Title Ix And The Responsibility Of Leadership In Collegiate Athletics, Regan J. Mccomb, Chelsea Kaunert

Honors Theses

Typically, when we hear about Title IX, we think of scholarship dollars, ratio of men’s and women’s sports, and equal funding, but in the past several years we have seen a shift in focus to sexual misconduct. Studies have repeatedly shown that sexual assault rates on college campuses are not on the decline. With one in five college students graduating a victim of sexual misconduct, we must now demand more of those we consider leadership in the university setting. Recently we have seen a trend of prominent women, including female athletes, speaking out about their experience with sexual assault. We …

Nevertheless, She Persisted: Title Ix And The Fight For Gender Equity In Athletics In The Twentieth Century, Gillian O'Dowd

Honors Theses

During the first half of the twentieth century, the field of athletics in the United States was dominated by a culture of masculinity. Due to this inherent link with masculinity, American women were kept from participating in sports to protect their feminine nature. As the years passed of continuous oppression, only a small handful of women were able to fight back and make a name for themselves as prominent and successful athletes. To combat the larger issue of gender discrimination in America, a women’s movement was launched in the 1960s and 1970s. This movement would in turn spur the creation …

American Athletics And The Law : The Sports Triangle, Brian M. Sheahan

Honors Theses

Colleges and universities regularly award scholarships to outstanding young athletes. The standard financial aid agreement between the institution and the athlete is that in return for the athlete's active participation in the particular sport, he or she receives free tuition, room, board and books.

In addition to the education and athletic involvements, the giving of financial aid has numerous implications on the relationship between the college or university and the athlete. Foremost among those implications is the potential legal entanglement under the law of workmen's compensation.

The major questions which are in front of the courts today in conjunction with …