Sports Management Commons^™

Participation Motivation Of Diverse Pickleball Participants: With A Marketing Implication, Mark Lifang Zhang, Steve S. Chen, Scott Thorton, Eric Street

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Pickleball has been widely reported as one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States. Prior research has largely attributed this growth to the psychosocial benefits that pickleball provides to older adults, including increased social interaction and enhanced overall well-being. However, limited attention has been given to participation motivations and perceived benefits among other participant groups. The purpose of this study was to examine pickleball participants’ motivations, interests, and intentions for continued involvement across diverse demographic groups.

Participants included 431 individuals (54% male, 46% female) representing four age groups, with 67% aged 55 and older. Participants were recruited from two …

Coaching One's Own Child: An Ethnographic Study Of Parent-Coach Experiences In Youth Sport, Dr. Sandra Alspach, Dr. Jon Coles

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Over 27 million children in the United States are playing youth sports.  Many of those youth are being coached by their own parent. Although this phenomenon is commonplace, little research has been done to study how parent-coaches balance their dual roles.  To better understand communication, roles, and relationship dynamics in youth sports environments, this study examined the experiences of parent-coaches and their athlete children. There were two ethnographic investigations. In the first, 76 participants (34 parent-coaches and 42 child-athletes) ranging from age 8 to age 80 participated in semi-structured Zoom interviews. Personal networks and snowball sampling were used to invite …

“What Is Our Brand?” Examining The Indiana State University Athletics Rebrand, Matt Blaszka, Patrick T. Walsh, Craig Morehead

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Rebranding in sports has become commonplace as teams try to modernize their brand. Often, rebrands are viewed negatively by fans, particularly immediately following the rebrand. However, less is known about the impact of rebranding over time. In this case study, the Indiana State University athletics rebrand was explored three years after the initial launch. A total of 189 participants representing student-athletes, alumni, donors, faculty, and staff were asked open-ended questions on their feelings toward the rebrand. Four different themes emerged. The two positive themes were: modern logo, wordmark, and font, as well as public perception. The two negative themes were …

Nil And Contract Law: Advising A Prospective College Athlete Through Competing Name, Image, And Likeness Agreements, Jason Kight, Marcy Faircloth, Lori Mikl, Rachel Silverman

The COSMA Journal

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements have created significant financial opportunities for amateur and collegiate athletes while also introducing complex legal, ethical, and strategic decision-making challenges. This decision-focused teaching case places students in the role of trusted advisors to Archie Stafford, a highly recruited high school athlete who must evaluate and compare multiple NIL contract offers connected to his preferred college options. By analyzing NIL agreements, students assess contract enforceability, identify key legal and business risks, weigh legal, contractual, ethical, and reputational disclosure obligations, and formulate a reasoned recommendation aligned with Archie’s academic, athletic, financial, and long-term career goals. The …

Can Ungrading Make Sport Management Education More Practical And Engaging?, Michael A. Odio

The COSMA Journal

In this essay I take on the subject of grades in sport management education. While grades are used as a measure of success across higher education, they are an imperfect measure of achievement and learning and have major limitations in terms of student employability. The ungrading movement brings attention to the ways grades can harm learning by shifting attention away from students’ development, and instructor or peer feedback, and intrinsic motivation, while incentivizing compliance and risk-aversion. These harms directly affect what are arguably some of the most important aspects of sport management education, as when grades are the main incentive, …

On- And Off-Field Impacts Of Foreign Players On Peruvian Liga 1 Football Teams, Juan Victor Aranibar, Claudio Rocha

Global Sport Business Journal

Despite the growing globalisation of football, little research has examined how foreign players create competitive advantage in non-traditional leagues. Using the Resource-Based View (RBV), this study explores the on- and off-field impact of foreign players in Peruvian Liga 1 clubs. Semi-structured interviews with 12 sporting directors, commercial managers, scouts, and coaches were analysed thematically, revealing five themes: physical characteristics, leadership and mental strength, cultural barriers, competitive salaries, and commercial blindness. Findings suggest that although foreign players provide valuable physical and psychological attributes, these are rarely sufficient to create sustained competitive advantage. More notably, clubs fail to capitalize on foreign players' …

How Gyms Should Use Commitment Devices: The Role Of Deposit Contracts In Attracting Consumers, Zehua Hei, Alan Morse

Global Sport Business Journal

Amid growing health concerns, increased competition among fitness centers, and declining staff-to-customer ratios, gym operators are seeking effective ways to reduce customer attrition. Drawing on Prospect Theory, this study examines how commitment devices in gym promotions (e.g., deposit contracts and transformation challenges) influence consumers’ intentions to join a gym. Two experiments with 609 participants (Study 1 = 204; Study 2 = 405) investigated the mediating role of perceived attractiveness and the moderating role of contractual flexibility. Results indicate that membership options incorporating a commitment device were perceived as more attractive, leading to stronger registration intentions. However, this effect was observed …

Legacy Vs. Luxury: Generational Stadium Design And Fan Perceptions In Professional Sport, Joshua Greer, Tim Wilson

Global Sport Business Journal

This study examines whether generational differences in National Football League (NFL) stadium design influence fans' evaluations of venue quality, addressing a gap in the sport management literature on the relative importance of modernization versus heritage in shaping spectator satisfaction. Drawing on the sportscape framework and environmental psychology, the study analyzes 539,660 fan-generated online reviews from across 30 NFL stadiums. Composite satisfaction scores were calculated and used to assess relationships among stadium age, capacity, and perceived quality.

Results indicate no statistically significant difference in satisfaction between legacy stadiums (opened before 2000) and new-generation venues (opened in 2000 or later). Although legacy …

A Qualitative Analysis Of The Financial Issues Facing Division Ii And Division Iii Intercollegiate Athletics, Michael G. Fraina Iii, Tyler J. Ratts, Eric Forsyth, Lana Huberty, Madison Demaio

Global Sport Business Journal

With increasing costs and decreasing funding (Zvosec & Baer, 2022), the evolution of college athletics has altered the financial realities facing athletic departments (Elliott et al., 2026). To maintain operations, athletic directors are now tasked with identifying new revenue streams and becoming creative in how they manage their budgets. Research in intercollegiate sport has traditionally focused on Division I athletics. However, given the role of Division II and Division III programs, especially in driving enrollment at their institutions, further understanding of the current financial environment facing these schools is needed. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the …

Patterns In Emotional Labor Outcomes: Assessing Seasonal Cycles Of Burnout In Minor League Sport Employees, Mandy Barefoot, Mike Martinez

Global Sport Business Journal

Burnout, characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Kristensen et al., 2005), is a growing concern among sport employees, with research documenting high levels of emotional strain, role conflict, and turnover intentions in collegiate and professional sport settings (Taylor et al., 2019; Weight et al., 2021). Although burnout is often examined as a stable condition, little attention has been given to how the cyclical nature of the sport calendar may shape its development over time.

This study examines burnout among middle managers in minor league baseball and hockey through the lens of Affective Events Theory, exploring how seasonal …

Influences Of Transformational Leadership Mixed With Contemporary Practices Among High School Coaches: A Qualitative Exploratory Study, Kylene M. Brewton

Student Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined factors influencing transformational leadership (TL) among high school coaches. Although previous research shows that TL improves athlete performance, emotional development, and team cohesion, little attention has been paid to how TL skills develop in secondary school sports, specifically to be used by coaching staff. Using Bass and Avolio’s four “I’s” framework—idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration—the study explored the impact of gender, coaching experience, sport coached, and mentorship on TL practices. Ten high school coaches from the mid-southern United States participated in three rounds of interviews using the Differentiated Transformational Leadership Inventory (DTLI). …

Impact Of Ncaa Football Bowl Subdivision Reclassification On Universities, Kyle Shaffer

Student Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly universities are leaving the lower Football Championship Series (FCS) for the potentially greener pastures of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), but are they really greener? Is bigger always better? Since 2008, there have been 17 universities that have reclassified to the NCAA FBS subdivision. The purpose of this study was to study NCAA FCS to FBS reclassification from 2008 to 2023 to research the athletics and non-athletics related impacts that occurred and what factors most influenced the universities in the sample to choose to pursue reclassification. The study used a quantitative approach to more holistically research the impact of …

Aligning Sport Management Programs With The Evolving Needs Of Hopeful Intercollegiate Athletic Administrators., Kelly P. Elliott, Don Rockey

The COSMA Journal

Pathways to becoming an Athletic Director (AD) vary considerably across intercollegiate athletics, highlighting the need for sport management programs to better align academic preparation with evolving professional expectations. While prior research has explored AD roles across NCAA divisions, limited attention has been given to how academic curricula and experiential learning opportunities support students pursuing these careers. This study examines differences in sport management curricula and experiential offerings across programs affiliated with Division I FBS, Division I FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA institutions. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What differences exist in required coursework across divisions? and …

Book Review - Violent Impacts: How Power And Inequality Shape The Concussion Crisis, Samuel M. Clevenger

Global Sport Business Journal

Kathryn Henne and Matt Ventresca’s Violent Impacts critically examines how narratives surrounding CTE, TBI, and the concussion crisis are constructed across sport, the military, law, media, and science. Drawing on intersectional feminism and science and technology studies, the authors show how dominant concussion discourses privilege the experiences of White male athletes while marginalizing other groups. Based on extensive fieldwork, the book makes an important contribution by exposing representational inequalities and highlighting the intersectional gender politics of concussion research and public debate.

Book Review - California And The Making Of Modern Sport, Sean Burke

Global Sport Business Journal

Joel S. Franks’s California and the Making of Modern Sport argues that California helped shape modern sport as spectacle, consumer culture, and civic branding. review highlights the strengths in linking iconic sites such as the Rose Bowl, Muscle Beach, Fresno baseball, Billie Jean King, and the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics to broader themes of commercialization, diversity, and inequality. Drawing on historical sources, Franks demonstrates how sport in California produced modern sporting culture and its contradictions.

Beyond The Classroom: Leveraging Community Engaged Learning To Teach Corporate Social Responsibility In Sport Management, Amanda Greene Dr., Charles Jones, Natalie Smith

The COSMA Journal

This manuscript presents a case study exploring the use of community engaged learning (CEL) to teach corporate social responsibility (CSR) in an upper-level sport management course. The purpose of this study is to examine how participation in a semester long community engaged learning experience influences student understanding of corporate social responsibility, civic identity, and theory-to-practice application. Students partnered with a local nonprofit affiliated with a professional sport organization to design and execute a donor engagement event addressing youth needs in the community. Guided by experiential learning theory, the course emphasized out-of-classroom learning, industry mentorship, and reflective practice. A longitudinal qualitative …

Narrative, Identity, And Liminality Of Player Development Personnel In Ncaa Power 4 Conferences: Supporting Athlete Identity Development And Navigating Role Evolution In The Nil Implementation Era, Joseph L. Herman Ii

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Derived from a larger study, this article examines Player Development Personnel (PDPs) in NCAA Power 4 (P4) conferences as they support athlete identity development and navigate role evolution during the NIL implementation era. Although academic advisors and support staff have long contributed to athlete development, limited scholarship has examined how PDPs understand their professional identities, responsibilities, and institutional constraints in NIL-era athletics. Guided by the Narrative, Identity, and Liminality Model (NILM), MNF, and institutional logics, this study situates PDP work within an ecosystem shaped by commercialization, racialized narratives, and organizational expectations (McLean & Syed, 2015; Southall et al., 2008). Semi-structured …

Educating Ncaa Student-Athletes To Mitigate Social Media Risks: Results From An Intervention Pilot Program, Ksenia Power, Nataliya Bredikhina, Bomin Paek

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

With the introduction of the NCAA’s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy in July 2021, student-athletes have become increasingly reliant on social media for personal branding and monetization. However, prior research suggests that excessive social media use can negatively impact student-athletes’ well-being, highlighting the need for targeted digital literacy education. Addressing these concerns, this study designed and evaluated an online intervention, “Student-Athlete Training for Online Resilience Management” (STORM), aimed at improving student-athletes’ perceived knowledge and confidence in navigating social media-related risks. Using two waves of survey data (N = 117), the study assessed changes in perceived knowledge of social …

Online Harassment And Mental Health Among Collegiate Student-Athletes: Findings From An Ncaa Division I Conference Survey, M. Courtney Hughes, Michelle K. Demaray, Emily A. Skiba, Sarah E. Warriner

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Social media is central to college athletics, yet public visibility can expose collegiate student-athletes to online harassment, a risk the NCAA has recently highlighted by documenting sizable volumes of abusive, discriminatory, and betting-related content directed at athletes and officials. This study surveyed 85 NCAA Division I student-athletes from ten universities across the Mid-American Conference and assessed social-media behaviors, online harassment exposure, depression, and anxiety. Most athletes used social media 1–3 hours/day, 78% enabled name-mention alerts, and platforms commonly used included Instagram (98.8%) and X (65.9%). Online harassment was reported via social posts (9.4%), direct messages (4.7%), and texts (3.5%), with …

“Where’S This Energy When They’Re Killing Us!?”: Black Sport Media, Disruptions Of Linked Fate, And The Plantation Politics Of Protection, Sayvon Jl Foster

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Following the viral interaction between Nyck Harbor and the Texas State Trooper, Black sport media figures dominated the discourse surrounding the incident. By centering Black sport media figures as sources of discursive authority, this study illuminates the role of (Black) sport media in shaping the understanding and response to experiences of Black college athletes. Using Thompson’s (2022) abductive thematic content analysis, commentary from eight prominent Black sport media voices - Bomani Jones, Stephen A. Smith, Ryan Clark, Cam Newton, Von Miller, Marcellus Wiley, Jason Whitlock, and Etan Thomas - was analyzed. With Dawson's (1994) Linked Fate Theory (LFT) as the …