Digital Commons Network^™

Professional Sporting Events Increase Seasonal Influenza Mortality In Us Cities, Alexander Cardazzi, Brad Humphreys, Jane E. Ruseski, Brian P. Soebbing, Nicholas Watanabe

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

The COVID-19 pandemic shut down sporting events worldwide. Local policy makers and league officials face important decisions about restarting play, especially in professional leagues that draw large numbers of spectators to games. We analyze the impact of professional sporting events on local seasonal influenza mortality to develop evidence that will help inform sports league reopening policy decisions. Results from a difference-in-differences model applied to data from a sample of US cities that gained new professional sports teams over the period 1962-2016 show that the presence of games in these cities increased local influenza mortality by between 4% and 24%, depending …

Star Rating Factors For Umrah Services: The Perspectives Of Umrah Operators And Consumers, Amran Harun, Aini Khalida Muslim, Dzunnur Dzail, Bestoon Abdulmaged Othman

International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage

The star rating system is widely used in the hotel industry to classify hotels according to their quality. However, the Umrah industry in Malaysia has yet to adopt the system. Thus, their services are not monitored by a controlled and reliable rating system. The star rating is deemed important to Umrah consumers as the system would provide the consumers with information about basic facilities or services that can be expected. Hence, the purpose of this study is to explore the key elements of a star rating that would suit the Umrah industry in Malaysia and to accomplish this, perspectives of …

Exploring The Role Of Engagement Among Sport Volunteers At College Football Bowl Games, Marcella Otto

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent scholars noted the need for an engaged workforce to achieve optimal performance in various institutional fields. Within the sports industry, organizations often rely heavily on volunteers as a vital resource to accomplish goals and missions (Cuskelly, 2004; Doherty, 2009). The sport volunteer literature demonstrates the broadness of the field but also shows the increased demand for volunteers to aid staging events, even as the recruitment pool of volunteers is generally decreasing. Relatedly, it is in the best interest of organizations to maintain and manage volunteers to stay efficient (Chelladurai, 2006) because the need for this human resource continues to …

The Ocean Lifeguard Intervention Continuum: A Cognitive Aid For Surf Lifeguard Education, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Shane Scoggins, Paul Andrus, Jack A. Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards are constantly engaged in beach risk analysis, required to efficiently evaluate a variety of environmental and other factors quickly in order to triage and prioritize who needs help. Teaching these skills is a challenge for introductory training programs. We sought to improve new lifeguards’ understanding of the interaction of various risk components in the beach environment and aid decision-making related to when a lifeguard should intervene in a situation. We developed a two-part cognitive aid for introductory ocean lifeguard education depicting individual and interacting elements of a beach goer’s risk of drowning or injury and the process by …

Swimming Pool Environment And Respiratory Health Issues Experienced By Masters Swimmers: Results From A Literature Review And Survey Of United States Masters Swimming Clubs, Jody C. Gan, Julia Snegg, William Harder

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

After three members of a Masters adult swim club died of lung cancer, both a literature review and survey were conducted with representatives from 746 United States Masters Swimming clubs to explore a possible relationship between swimming and cancers of the respiratory tract. Six other clubs reported known cancers of the respiratory tract among club members, but none of the other 740 clubs reported a similar cluster of lung cancer. More clubs reported cases of chronic respiratory infections and widespread complaints about air quality. While no studies exploring a relationship between swimming and lung cancer could be found in the …

The Data Revolution: An Examination Of The Use Of Scouting And Analytics In Major League Baseball Front Offices, Eleanor Weller

Honors Theses

The area of study for this thesis is the use and optimization of the sub-departments within the larger baseball operations department in Major League Baseball front offices. The research is divided into the history of the two major units—scouting and analytics. This background is followed by an investigation of the balance between them. Information for this analysis was obtained through secondary research, primarily articles for online journals and previously conducted interviews with front office personnel. I have also included some of my own work, which was completed during the summer of 2019. The findings of the analysis are that the …

Get A Bang For Your Puck: Hockey, Statistics, And Betting, Kathleen Capozello

Honors Projects

An exploration into the analytics of hockey and the business of sports betting. The goal of this project was to determine whether an equation could be created to predict the number of goals an NHL forward or defenseman will score in a future season based on a previous season’s data. Additionally, this paper explores the potential monetary values of such an equation, as well as the parties that may find it useful.

Staff Training In Aquatics For Individuals With Disabilities: The Quest, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Trained instructors in general programs have the ability and resources to initiate and follow through with developing water safe individuals who are capable swimmers. Specific staff training to prepare individuals to facilitate aquatic participation for individuals with disabilities is currently extremely limited. The purpose of this article is to examine the barriers to specialized staff training in aquatics for individuals with disabilities, to suggest necessary staff training content, and to propose topics for further research in the area of staff training. Seeking development of quality staff training programs for those working in aquatics for individuals with disabilities is the quest.

2020-May-04-Studying Esports, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY –  (May 4, 2020) This fall, East Tennessee State University will offer a new graduate certificate in esports management.

The program will be offered through the Clemmer College and coincides with the launching of ETSU’s new esports varsity team which was announced last December.

According to Dr. Natalie Smith, the esports industry is booming, yet there are only 20 or less academic programs in the country.

“This program will differentiate our graduates in the job market,” said Smith, an assistant professor of sport, exercise, recreation and kinesiology.  “As the industry grows, the need will continue to rise for …

Unanticipated Stressful And Rewarding Experiences Engage The Same Prefrontal Cortex And Ventral Tegmental Area Neuronal Populations, Alberto Del Arco, Junchol Park, Bita Moghaddam

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 Del Arco et al. Brain networks that mediate motivated behavior in the context of aversive and rewarding experiences involve the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). Neurons in both regions are activated by stress and reward, and by learned cues that predict aversive or appetitive outcomes. Recent studies have proposed that separate neuronal populations and circuits in these regions encode learned aversive versus appetitive contexts. But how about the actual experience? Do the same or different PFC and VTA neurons encode unanticipated aversive and appetitive experiences? To address this, we recorded unit activity and local field …

The Relationship Between Locus Of Control And Athletic Performance, Allyson Mccorison

Honors Projects in Management

The purpose of this study was to expand the conversation of locus of control through quantitative research. A hypothetical model was tested to determine if there is a significant relationship between an athlete's locus of control and their athletic performance. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were posited as mediators in the relationship. To test the hypothesized model, data was collected for Division 1 athletes (n=136). The data was analyzed using Preacher and Hayes (4) macro, with results indicating no significant relationship between locus of control and athletic perofrmance. Intrinsic motivation was found to be a predictor of athletic performance. Limitations, discussion, …

Leadership Strategies: Developing Millennial Entrepreneurs For Start-Up Micro-Gyms, Esdeina Gonzalez

Leadership Education Capstones

The purpose for this study is to explore the experiences of small business owner’s best practice strategies leading to successful business operations. Learning about these experiences will permit the millennial generation to understand what is needed for their business to start up their micro-gym. This study may be used as an introduction to millennial entrepreneurs for the survival of their own micro-gym setting a priority of importance in leadership development since research have explored the lack of development in the leadership area.

Contrapower Sexual Harassment In Collegiate Athletic Administration, Nikki Coutsouros

Transformations: Presentation Slides

With the current climate of the #MeToo movement on Twitter, more and more individuals are speaking out about their experiences with sexual harassment. Given the male dominant culture of college athletics, there is a need now more than ever to examine how sexual harassment is occurring within collegiate athletic organizations. This study focuses specifically on contrapower sexual harassment, a type of harassment that occurs when a superior in an organizational hierarchy experiences sexual harassment by a subordinate. An online qualitative survey was sent out via email in a nationwide population study involving all NCAA, NJCAA and NAIA college athletic leagues. …

"It's Personal": A Case Study Analysis Of The Strategic Management Of Resources In A Historically Black University Athletic Department., Brigitte M. Burpo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a qualitative case study examination of the strategic management of critical resources in an HBCU athletic program. It begins with a historical overview of HBCUs and HBCU athletic departments focusing on the systemic and societal influences that contributed to the current state of HBCU athletic programs. This dissertation later discusses the influence of a lack of financial resources on HBCU athletic departments further depletes the ability to operate with a competitive advantage. Chapter One focuses on the historic background of HBCUs and their formation as well as the societal influences that depleted critical resources. Chapter Two covers …

Analyzing Competitive Balance In Professional Sport, Kevin Alwell

Honors Scholar Theses

In this paper we review several measures to statistically analyze competitive balance and report which leagues have a wider variance of performance amongst its competitors. Each league seeks to maintain high levels of parity, making matches and overall season more unpredictable and appealing to the general audience. Here we quantify competitive advantage across major sports leagues in numbers using several statistical methods in order for leagues to optimize their revenue.

Exploring The Relationships Between Collegiate Sport Coaches’ Creative Productivity And Factors Of Creative Potential, Sean Flanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sport coaches are perceived as problem solvers who engage in creativity to handle the spontaneity of competitive activity and generate winning results. However, while creativity in athletes has been researched, little has been investigated regarding coaches. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine different aspects of creativity – person, process, press, and product – among collegiate team sport coaches in the United States. Specifically, how personality traits, ideational fluency, remote association ability, years of coaching experience, and work climate related to creative product impact and frequency. A modified creativity personality test was found to be positively …

An Empirical Analysis On Major League Soccer Player Earnings, Aaron Michael Anderson Iehl

Honors Program Theses

Application of economic and statistical techniques to the sports world has been on the rise for some time. The major sports in the United States (football, basketball, baseball, and hockey) have been thoroughly studied. However, professional soccer in the United States has emerged as a strong sports market in the last 20 years. This paper applies a statistical technique used by Lucifora and Simmons (2003) on an Italian professional soccer league to examine determinants of professional soccer player wages and assess the overall value added. The model is applied to Major League Soccer to determine how the different league structure …

The Effect Of Competition In The Sports Market On The Popularity Of Baseball, Noah Winslow

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This paper will discuss why Major League Baseball (MLB) has declined in popularity in the United States since the 1998. Issues regarding the increased competition with the development of different sports leagues along with antitrust in payroll drew the most interest. Various forms of marketing, including media and competitive marketing, will be covered along with different variations of economics in the sports world. The research will follow the development of Major League Baseball through the second half of the 20th century, along with an analysis between the MLB, National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) in the 21st …

Golf Director Competencies, Human Resource Management Practices And Customer Retention Within The Malaysian Golf Clubs, Partanian Samira

Student Works (2020-2029)

Golf is a popular sport worldwide. Many studies have described management competencies in several sport contexts and have revealed that human resource is the most common denominator for successful sports club practice. However, little work has been done to identify and explain contemporary Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of staff, including directors of golf clubs related to member retention. The purpose of this study was to examine the current level and the participants' quality perceptions in the relationship among competencies of directors, HRM practices of staff, and member retention within the Malaysian Golf Clubs to advance the causal relationships among …

Satisfaction Of High-Level Athlete Management In Universities In Sichuan Province, China, Yudong Tang

Student Works (2020-2029)

With ongoing development in the construction of high-level sports teams in Chinese universities, the Chinese Ministry of Education is paying more and more attention to the running quality of high-level sports teams in universities. Evaluation of the construction quality of high-level sports teams in universities has received extensive attention from universities and society. However, for various reasons, the main body of high-level sports team evaluation comprises government agencies and universities, and, there is a lack of research on management systems of high-level athletes from the perspective of high-level athletes themselves. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to …

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership And Job Satisfaction On Commitment To Organisational Change: A Three-Component Model Extension Approach, Luu Tien Dung, Phan Van Hai

The South East Asian Journal of Management

Research Aims: The present study aimed to examine the relationship between transformational leadership, job satisfaction and employee commitment to organisational change. Design/Methodology/Approach: Extension of a three-component model was employed. The study sample consisted of 474 employees in organisations undergoing a significant organisational change in Vietnam. The data were analysed using a structural equation model (SEM). Research Findings: The study results show that transformational leadership has a positive and significant influence on job satisfaction and organisational commitment to change (affective commitment, normative commitment, continuance commitment). Job satisfaction is found to be positively and significantly related to employee affective commitment and normative …

Belleville Student Academic Awards Announced For 2020, Lindenwood University

Archived Lindenwood Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Economic Impact Of The Carolina Panthers Training Facility On Rock Hill, Jeremiah Hart

Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

In June 2019, the construction of both a new training facility and headquarters for Charlotte’s largest sports franchise was announced. Rock Hill, South Carolina, was selected as the new site for the facilities. This decision was notable for a number of reasons: foremost, the number of new residents that would be drawn into the region via jobs created by the construction of the new facilities. In order to better understand the outcomes of the Panthers’ investment, this paper will examine similar investments in other locales by other professional sports teams. These include “The Star,” a facility constructed by the Dallas …

Payroll Disparity Among Major League Baseball Teams: Building A Competitive Team Despite Limited Resources, Sarah Holtschneider

Senior Honors Theses

There has been an inequality in payroll among Major League Baseball teams for many years that became increasingly evident in the late 1990s. Revenue disparities among teams cause a competitive imbalance for the league and make it harder for small-market teams to compete with large-market teams with much higher payrolls. MLB has attempted to alleviate this disparity, but the implementation of revenue sharing and the competitive balance tax alone is not enough for small-market clubs to build a competitive team. There are a number of ways that small-market clubs can build a competitive team despite limited resources, including employing the …

Training Evaluation For Introductory Ocean Lifeguard Instruction: A Practical Example From California, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Jack Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards have several responsibilities that require precise training. California State Parks is one of the largest providers of open water lifeguard services in the United States, and trains approximately 200 new lifeguards per year. As part of our lifeguard training section’s quality improvement efforts, we conducted a training needs assessment to help determine how well our introductory ocean lifeguard training curriculum prepared lifeguards to perform job related tasks upon successful completion of the training program. We surveyed both first year and seasoned lead lifeguards on operational needs, training gaps, and specific subject areas. We identified several areas where our …

Citizen Engagement In Aquatics Equity: The Case Of Winston Waterworks, Steven N. Waller Phd, James H. Bemiller Jd, Emliy J. Johnson, Chermaine D. Cole, Jason Scott Phd, Angela Wozencroft, Phd

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Historically, swimming pools have been a source of inequity when it comes to the distribution of recreation services in the United States. Many of the problems that correlate with the inequitable allocation of recreation resources including public swimming pools began with ideas about race, geography, poor planning practices and faulty policymaking (Rothstein, 2017). Moreover, one of the primary outcomes of engaged, inclusive planning is equity in the provision of recreation programs and facilities. In this essay, we offer a summary of key legal cases that help address questions related resource allocation related to public swimming pools. Finally, we present a …

Lgbtq Training For Aquatic Employees: Impact On Attitudes And Professional Competencies, Austin R. Anderson, Eric Knee, William D. Ramos

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This study examined the impact of a LGBTQ diversity training on the attitudes and professional competencies of aquatic employees within a campus recreational sports setting. While diversity training is often discussed as a key component of inclusive aquatic programming, little empirical research examining the outcomes associated with such trainings exists. As such, members of the research team developed, implemented, and evaluated a four-month long training program consisting of one in-person training session and monthly inclusion handouts discussing issues related to the inclusion of LGBTQ participants. A comparative quantitative research design was used to measure employee’s attitudes towards the LGBTQ population …

A Comprehensive Analysis Of Aquatic Programming At Historically Black Colleges And Universities (Hbcus), Tiffany Monique Quash, Knolan C. Rawlins, Shaun M. Anderson

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This article provides a comprehensive examination of aquatic programming at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCUs consist of public, private, 2-year, and 4-year institutions (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). Historically, HBCUs provided descendants of the enslaved access to higher education opportunities (Brown, Donahoo, & Bertrand, 2001). HBCUs now serve a more diverse community and the core focus remains on inclusion, social justice, diversity, empowerment, leadership, and cultural competence (Kennedy, 2012; Rawlins, 2018). Consequently, HBCUs may provide an ideal environment to address aquatic activity and the drowning disparity in the African American community. In the current study, researchers sent a …

2020-April-07-Sport Management Students Zoom With Sports Legends, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY – (April 7, 2020) From their laptop computers, students in Dr. Natalie Smith’s “International Sport” course at East Tennessee State University have the opportunity to ask questions of sport legends and leaders from around the world.

This week is “Pro Athlete Week in International Sport” and students have already chatted via Zoom with Anita Asante, English professional soccer standout who currently plays for the Chelsea Football Club.  She played in the London 2012 Olympics and the 2011 World Cup.

Later this week, students will have a Q&A with French professional basketball player Axel Toupane, a current Euro League …

Collegiate Sports Fans Perceptions And Expectations Of Personal Seat License Programs, Steve Chen, Kenneth Henderson, Evan Worrell, William Salazar

Southern Business Review (Archived)

Steve Chen, DSM, is associate professor of management and marketing, School of Business Administration, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351.

Kenneth Henderson, PhD, is associate professor of management and marketing, School of Business Administration, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351.

Evan Worrell, BA, is recent graduate of management and marketing, School of Business Administration, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351.

William Salazar, MA, is grant coordinator of the Kentucky AHED program, Morehead State University, Morehead, KY 40351.