Sports Management Commons^™

Sport Leadership Summit Summary, Liberty University

Sport Leadership Summit

Monday, October 27, 2025

8:45 – 9:10 a.m. – Check-In

9:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Panel Discussions

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch & Keynote

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. – Research: Oral Presentations

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Panel Discussions

4:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Wrap-Up

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

8:45 – 9:10 a.m. – Check-In

9:15 – 11:45 a.m. – Panel Discussions

12:00 – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch & Keynote

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. – Research: Poster Presentations

2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Panel Discussions

4:00 – 4:30 p.m. – Wrap-Up

Games Played In The Off-Season: A Teaching Case Study On Major League Baseball Arbitration And Game Theory, Rebekah Ansbro

The COSMA Journal

Each January and February, professional baseball players with three to six years of Major League service time endure a process exclusive to Major League Baseball (MLB): arbitration. Though arbitration itself is not an unfamiliar form of dispute resolution, the structure MLB employs in contract arbitration is unlike any other industry, as it incorporates an all-or-nothing result that does not allow arbitrators to “split the pie” between parties. Because of this, teams and players are not only responsible for preparation of their own arguments and filed salary, but also for anticipation of their opponent’s filed salary. The hurdle of needing to …

Managing User Conflicts In A Water Aerobics Program On Behalf Of A Veteran’S Group: A Short Case Study, Hadley Blankenship, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Jason L. Scott

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This article captures an experience in conflict management that happened during the summer of 2024 as a recreational therapy intern with an adaptive sport and recreation organization located in the Southeastern United States. The backdrop to the case is that a recreational therapy intern worked with various special needs populations – mainly with paraplegic (adult and youth) athletes and veterans. In many organizations, user conflicts and poor communication regarding service provision and scheduling hinder the implementation of programs for special populations, such as veteran groups. In this case, a problem occurred with the scheduling of a water aerobics program for …

Diversity In Aquatics:4th Special Issue, Tiffany M. Quash Ph.D., Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq, Steven N. Waller Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The theme of this special issue is “Building a Community of Champions.” The purpose of this theme is to highlight and promote a civic engagement perspective that engages, advocates, and supports communities of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in addressing the national, regional, and local evolving health-related issue of drowning. Aquatic Settings have been a pivotal focal point of social justice, water safety, and public health, not only in the past but also in our present day (Beale-Tawfeeq, Quash, et al, 2023 and Waller and Bemiller, 2023). Diversity In Aquatics (DIA) strives to positively impact the field of aquatics …

If We Tear It Down, We Might Build You A New One: The Troublesome Use Of Eminent Domain And Urban Neighborhood Swimming Pools, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., James H. Bemiller

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Public swimming pools are a vital part of America’s recreation and sport culture since the early 1900’s. Municipal swimming pools were initially built to provide recreation and hygiene to urban communities, regardless of race or class. However, a complex history of segregation, civil unrest, suburbanization, and funding challenges has resulted in a significant decline in public pools, depriving many communities of vital recreational spaces. In many communities, options for sustaining the operation of swimming pools have resulted in pool closures. Unfortunately, once swimming pools close, especially those in aging neighborhoods in central city areas, they are seldom resurrected. They quickly …

Promising Practices For Increasing The Number Of Equity-Owed Lifeguards In Canada And The United States Of America, Sofia Pantano, Audrey R. Giles

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Currently a shortage of lifeguards exists in Canada and the United States (US) (Frommer, 2023; Santucci, 2024), and those who are working as lifeguards often do not reflect the diversity of the communities they serve (Martinez, 2020). Increasing the number of lifeguards from equity-owed groups is a potential way of increasing the lifeguard workforce and decreasing the shortage of workers in these important roles, as well as a moral imperative. In this paper I explore challenges to and promising practices aimed at increasing the representation of members equity-owed groups in lifeguarding. I begin with an overview of lifeguarding in Canada …

Adopting Stuart Hall’S “Race, The Floating Signifier” As A Conceptual Framework Within Aquatic Research And Education, Kurt J. Cordice

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

During his 1997 lecture at Goldsmiths College in London, Stuart Hall, renowned for his contributions to sociology and cultural studies, offered his argument that the concept of race functions as a Floating Signifier. In this essay, Stuart Hall’s Race, the Floating Signifier is presented as a strong conceptual framework to support more accurate and effective positioning of race as an important consideration within aquatic research and education. Evidence from a range of disciplines, including historical research, is presented to establish both the importance and challenge of race within aquatic research and education. This evidence is also used to demonstrate …

Building Swimming Skills In A Community Based Program For Black Youth: An Evaluation, Tyler Lennon Md, Mph, Ashley Hayes Mph, Leonardo Barrera Mph, Amy Hill Ms, Mph, Andy Miner, Michelle Macy Md, Ms

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Black youth in the United States disproportionately experience fatal drowning at rates up to five times higher than their white peers. Eliminating these inequities requires new approaches that address historical and structural barriers of learning to swim. The objective of this study was to evaluate the three-week long swimming component of a community-based discovery program to empower Black youth in Evanston, IL. Participants were Black youth ages 8-10 years enrolled in summer 2023 and 2024. Swim skills were assessed by instructors using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Water Competence (PSPWC). Caregiver surveys, collected post-intervention, also assessed perceived changes in swim …

An Innovative Approach Addressing Childhood Drowning: Making Use Of Collegiate Aquatic Facilities And Expertise, Gennette Cordova, Natasha Lloyd, Chezik Tsunoda

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The silent epidemic of childhood drowning, and the racial disparities associated with it require scalable and innovative approaches that both break cycles of exclusion and circumvent our societal tendency to overlook drowning as a matter in need of urgent resolution. No More Under, a Seattle-based water safety organization whose mission is to eradicate childhood drowning, has launched the Swim Safely Series. The series is a national program uniquely poised to overcome the various barriers associated with racial and socioeconomic drowning disparities by tapping into underutilized collegiate aquatic spaces and merging water safety with mentorship and social intervention.

An Examination Of The Experiences Of An African American Male Diver On A Power Four Swim Team: An Elite Interview, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Tiffany M. Quash Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Despite the incremental increase in the number of Black people who are learning to swim, the number of Black divers has not kept pace. In the NCAA Database, swimmers and divers were not segmented; thus, they all appear in the category of “swimming” by race and sex. When viewing the 2024 Division I NCAA Demographics Database, 89 (.02%) of 4307 student-athletes participating in swimming were Black women. For men, the data is equally dismal, revealing that 81 (.03%) of 2,608 student-athletes who were identified as swimmers were Black. The purpose of this research note is to examine the developmental experiences …

Taxes And Tournaments, Alex Raskolnikov

Faculty Scholarship

What is the best way to reduce economic inequality? Economists, lawyers, political philosophers, and politicians have pondered this question for decades. Yet there is another group of savvy and highly motivated individuals who have been thinking about redistribution for just as long. Commissioners of the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball, together with team owners and player unions, have been inventing and reinventing ways to redistribute resources, and they continue to do so today. The same is true of the President of National Collegiate Athletic Association, along with the heads of …

Navigating Leadership: A Qualitative Exploration Of Challenges And Coping Strategies For Women In Sport Management Education, Rachel Silverman, Shanon Kempt, Nita Unruh

The COSMA Journal

Abstract

Women remain significantly underrepresented in senior leadership roles in higher education, a disparity that is particularly pronounced in male-dominated disciplines, such as sport management (Chance, 2023; Lozano et al., 2023). This qualitative study examines the challenges faced by women in leadership positions within sport management education and the strategies they employ to overcome these barriers. Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with biological females holding leadership roles at both teaching- and research-focused institutions. Participants ranged in age from 32 to 74 and had between one and twenty-four years of leadership experience. Using thematic analysis, key challenges identified included male-dominated work …

Artificial Intelligence, Age, And Dynamic Ticket Pricing: A Mixed-Methods Study In Professional Sports, Joshua Greer, Nicholas Zoroya

Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract

This study investigates how age moderates fan perceptions of artificial intelligence (AI) and dynamic ticket pricing (DTP) in professional sports. Using a mixed-method design, data was collected from a self-administered online survey (N = 57) and triangulated with secondary sources, including industry reports and academic literature. Survey participants were divided into four generational cohorts and responses were analyzed across three constructs: perceived fairness, accessibility, and willingness to pay. A one-way ANOVA revealed a statistically significant difference in willingness to pay across age groups, F(3, 53) = 3.41, p = .015, with the most pronounced disparity between the youngest and …

Cricket, Capitalism And Class: From The Village Green To The Cricket Industry, Martin Barrett

Global Sport Business Journal

Author Chris McMillan, through Cricket, Capitalism and Class: From the Village Green to the Cricket Industry, provides a definitive and compelling critical sociological investigation of modern cricket’s rise from an English leisure pursuit and role in the expanding capitalism of Empire to today’s multi-billion-dollar cricket industry. This account is constructed through a largely Marxist reading of the sport’s entwining with the processes of capitalism and class. Specifically, class and the class structures reproduced by and through cricket are seen as critical in reproducing a system favorable to both historical and contemporary exploitation and expropriation. As the book transitions from exploring …

Book Review: Interrogating Integration: Sport, Celebrity, And Scandal In The Making Of New Germany, Sangchul Park

Global Sport Business Journal

This review discusses Interrogating Integration: Sport, Celebrity, and Scandal in the Making of New Germany by Kate Zambon. Through discourse analysis of media narratives, Zambon demonstrates that athletes and celebrities of immigrant or minority backgrounds become symbolic figures whose successes and failures test the nation’s integration project, with case studies including the 2006 World Cup, the Sarrazin debate, and the Integration Bambi Awards. The book’s originality lies in moving beyond legal or policy frameworks to foreground mediated narratives, offering clear and coherent arguments supported by a logically organized structure. While the absence of comparative perspectives and audience reception studies leaves …

Ditch Tradition...And Move To Case-Based Learning, Emily Dane-Staples

The COSMA Journal

Recent criticisms of higher education include a lack of relevance and alignment with what employers are seeking in new hires. A lecture-based approach to teaching has proved less effective than other active learning strategies and does not adequately mimic the working environment sport professionals face. To better align the classroom and the workplace, a case-based learning approach can be used. This pedagogy blends high impact practices that have been demonstrated to assist students in knowledge acquisition and soft skill development by replacing traditional lecture and chapter readings with real-life scenarios that require student engagement with concepts in application. The technique …

Book Review: The Sports Revolution: How Texas Changed The Culture Of American Athletics, Zachary Beldon

Global Sport Business Journal

This manuscript reviews the book The Sports Revolution: How Texas Changed the Culture of American Athletics by Frank Guridy. The book dives into the state of Texas’s role in changing the sports landscape through the 1960s and 1980s. Guridy does so by focusing on five overarching themes: (1) desegregation and racial progress, (2) commercialization of sports and infrastructure, (3) gender dynamics in sports, (4) influence of media, and (5) community engagement. The book dives into various events that highlight each one of the themes to illustrate how Texas influenced changes to form the modern sports system. Overall, the book provides …

Football Spending For Success: Analyzing Investment And Team Performance In Ncaa Fbs Programs, Keunsu Han, Jin Dong Park, Kyungeun (Karry) Kwon

Journal of Applied Sport Management

This study examines the relationship between financial investment and team performance in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football programs from 2010 to 2023. Key variables include total football spending, head coach salaries and bonuses, and win-loss records. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression models were used to examine these associations, controlling for conference affiliation by distinguishing between the so-called power and non-power conferences. The results indicate that greater investment in football operations and coaching compensation is significantly associated with higher win percentages, particularly within power conference programs. However, the impact of financial investment on final rankings differs by conference …

A Content Analysis Of The Journal Of Applied Sport Management From 2009 To 2024, Jeffrey Petersen, Marshall Magnusen

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The Journal of Applied Sport Management (JASM), originally launched as the Journal of Sport Administration and Supervision in 2009, has published a total of 231 peer-reviewed manuscripts during its first 16 years. While many other journals within this field have been studied to better understand research topics, types, and impact, JASM has yet to be examined. This content analysis study explored 19 variables related to the research topics, methods, authorship, and impact of these articles, and provided important insights from both descriptive and inferential statistics regarding existing trends and opportunities for development for both the journal as a …

From Coping Strategies To Fan Well-Being: Resource Dynamics Of Team Identification, Impulse Control, And Psychological Capital In Negative Experiences, Hyun-Woo Lee, Yelim Yoo, Kun Chang, Jun-Phil Uhm

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Guided by conservation of resources theory, the authors examine how team identification, impulse control difficulties, coping strategies, and psychological capital shape fans’ well-being in negative fan experiences. Survey from 300 sport fans were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results showed that identification promoted adaptive coping and reduced cutting off reflected failure, whereas impulse control difficulties increased denial and cutting off reflected failure. Denial unexpectedly enhanced psychological capital while reducing well-being, and venting functioned as a double-edged mediator across positive/negative pathways. Psychological capital was the strongest predictor of well-being, underscoring its role as a central resource linking coping to outcomes.