Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Signing Bonuses, Age, And Country On Mlb Success: Evaluating Investment Returns In The Mlb International Amateur Free Agent Market, Elliot Wolf

Honors Theses

MLB’s International Amateur Free Agent Market provides teenagers across the world opportunities to sign, develop, and potentially fulfill their dreams of playing in the MLB. It also allows teams to sign players at young ages, increasing the amount of time players can develop within a team’s minor league system. While signing bonus decision-making is backed up by a team’s scouts and data, the signing bonus a player receives is rarely a reflection of their future value. I argue that teams are not spending this money optimally. However, in an environment where players have low acquisition costs and volatile performance outcomes, …

The Impact Of International Baseball Players On Mlb Organizations: An Analysis Of Performance, Attendance, Revenue, And Valuation, 2012-2022, Aidan Booth

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigates the impact of international baseball players on MLB organizations. The paper uses the Sean Lahman Database focusing on team-wide statistics including performance metrics, winning percentage, and attendance. Using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Regression model, the paper examines the effect of share of foreign-born players on team success, attendance, revenue, and valuation. The dataset controls for a number of variables throughout these regressions including payroll, population, stadium capacity, number of all stars on each team, and the number of competing professional sports teams in the metropolitan area in order to isolate the effect of foreign-born players on …

Beyond The Game: Gamification, Sports Betting, And Fantasy Sports In Modern Sports, Kyler A. Ripley

Soaring: A Journal of Undergraduate Research

The gamification of fantasy sports and sports betting is real in our society today and has become incredibly useful, but policymakers need to create laws to protect consumers.

A New Industry For Student- Athletes: An Analysis Of Nil Implications On Well-Being And Team Dynamics, Jamison W. White

Honors Theses and Capstones

As of June 2021, college athletes are allowed to benefit from selling their name, image, and likeness (NIL) by engaging in contracts with sponsors and businesses. Even though this law was passed to allow athletes to earn a fair pay for their hard work though utilizing their popularity and engaging with fans, its potential effect on athletes remains uncertain. This research examines the effects of NIL agreements on student-athletes’ well-being and team perceptions. More specifically, does the adoption of NIL place additional stress on student- athletes or disrupt their team dynamics? If so, what support can be granted to allow …

Impact Of Training On Employee Motivation And Performance In The Sports Industry, Alyssa Macur

Honors College Theses

This study explores the crucial relationship between employee training and its influence on motivation and performance within the sports industry, focusing on insights from Athletic Directors within the Pace University Athletic Department. Through three comprehensive, in-depth interviews with these key stakeholders, the study aims to discern the effects of targeted, effective training and clear goal setting on employee motivation and performance outcomes. The insights gathered from the Athletics Directors at Pace University reveal a strong correlation between well-designed, efficient training programs and heightened motivation. When training initiatives are aligned with clear objectives and goals, employees exhibit increased levels of enthusiasm, …

Muslim Collegiate Student-Athletes' Experience With Fasting During Ramadan While Participating In Sport, Mishaal Amjad, Julie M. Cavallario, Nicolette A. Harris, Cailee E. Welch Bacon

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: As colleges and universities continue to focus on creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments, it is important to gain more knowledge on the experiences that Muslim student-athletes have while fasting during the month of Ramadan. While previous researchers have investigated the physical effects of fasting on the body, little is known about the challenges or support Muslim student athletes experience while fasting and participating in sport during Ramadan.

Objective: To explore the experiences of Muslim collegiate student-athletes regarding fasting during Ramadan while participating in sports.

Design: Consensual qualitative research.

Setting: Individual video interviews.

Participants: 12 Muslim collegiate student-athletes (4 …

Optimizing Sports Outcome Prediction Through Feature Engineering And Machine Learning, Vitor S. Freitas

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The challenge of predicting the outcome of a team game lies in the high complexity and dynamics of the sports data. This thesis focuses on the aspect of using feature engineering and the genetic algorithm to predict the winner and the score of various sports events. Generally, it deals with how machine learning algorithms are combined with state-of-the-art feature engineering techniques in sports datasets derived from various sports disciplines. In this thesis, five different machine learning models have been applied, classification and regression trees (CART), random forest (RF), stochastic gradient boosting (SGB), eXtreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and extreme learning machine …

Objective.Gg: Uniting Scholastic Esports, Martin D. Beirne Iv

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

Objective.gg is a startup online recruitment platform within the scholastic esports scene that seeks to unite esports prospects with collegiate esports programs in an effective manner. Currently, there is a large divide that high school and transfer esports prospects must navigate through, and it is Objective.GG’s mission to build a bridge over that gap. Objective.gg seeks to accomplish its mission by operating an online platform that allows prospects and collegiate coaches to create their own profiles and connect with one another, building a community around the platform in the process. This platform will be accessible to both prospects and coaches …

Product Elimination Decision And Its Impact On Consumers: The Special Case Of A Local Speedway, Mark Mitchell, Jacob Voegel, Michael Smith

Atlantic Marketing Journal

After 60+ years of operation, Myrtle Beach Speedway was closed and the property sold. The new owners will redevelop the property for commercial and residential purposes. Businesses routinely eliminate products for a variety of reasons, including under-performance and/or a desire to redeploy those resources elsewhere. What is often overlooked is the impact on consumers. In addition to reducing fan access to racing, a closed race track removes a racing opportunity for aspiring race car drivers and crew members. It can also mean shuttering tracks that once had historical significance. The history of raceway closures in the Myrtle Beach, SC area …

Showcasing Leximancer In Tourism And Hospitality Research: A Review Of Leximancer-Based Research Published In Tourism And Hospitality Journals During 2014–2020, Edmund Goh, Violetta Wilk

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study showcases how the Leximancer program can be used to review Leximancer-based research published in tourism and hospitality journals during 2014-2020. Along with a Leximancer-generated concept map, a new tags' association visual analysis was also performed. This innovative method of analysis is a key contribution, as past Leximancer studies in hospitality and tourism have predominantly relied on thematic analysis only. An Insight Dashboard report that is based on Bayesian algebra algorithm in calculating Prominence Scores (PS) for key concepts and compound concepts emergent from the data, supplemented the visual analyses. Thirty-three (33) tourism and three (3) hospitality papers were …

Innovation Diffusion In The Sustainable Design Of Sport Venues, Timothy Kellison, Sungil Hong

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Herein, the authors contribute to the sport facilities literatures by discussing the current state of innovation diffusion in sustainable design among sport’s professional arenas, ballparks, and stadiums. Diffusion of innovation theory is reviewed before the authors explore how this theory can be applied to sport facility design and operation.

Modernization And The Contemporary Sport Stadium, Benjamin Downs, Chad Seifried

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The authors add to the conversation about sport facility construction by discussing the U.S. political economy that led to the contemporary standing of sport facilities. They use modernization theory as a lens or sample guide for sport facility managers to consider when attempting to position their facilities to maximize profits while satisfying consumers and partners.

Environmental Sustainability Research And Future Directions For Events And Facilities: An Assessment Of The Field, Brian Mccullough, Anne Dietrich, Rafael Rocha, Yongjoon Bae

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Environmental sustainability among sport facilities and events is the focus of this piece. The authors focus on three areas: (1) the environmental impacts of sport facilities and events, (2) the progress that can be made through strategic initiatives, and (3) how these entities engage fans and the surrounding communities to be more environmentally sustainable. The authors stress how these three aspects must be considered in tandem rather than in isolation as ways to advance the environmental sustainability movement among sport facilities and events.

The Past Informing The Future: An Interview With Earl Santee, Populous, Rachel Hickey

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The facility expert in focus is Earl Santee, a senior principal, global chair, and founder at Populous. Populous is the leading architectural and design firm in the sport facility sector. Santee, having been has been recognized for numerous awards, including the Sports Business Journal’s 2019 Class of the Champions: Pioneers & Innovators in Sports Business, is excellently positioned to offer an expert perspective on the past, present, and future of sport facility design

Venue Safety Strategies: Guardrails And The Line-Of-Sight Exemption, Gil Fried, Aneurin Grant

Journal of Applied Sport Management

This piece represents a focused article on safety issues connected to railings at sporting events and why there needs to be considerable action taken to protect fans. Specifically, the authors believe the current line-of-sight exception (minimum 26") allows for railings that are dangerously inadequate to protect fans. It is argued that if sport facility managers and or venues do not proactively address this railing height issue, then architects, building inspectors, and others should seek to change the building code to eliminate the fans continued exposure to unnecessary hazards.

Sport Facilities Planning, Design, Operation, And Management Trends: An Introduction To The Special Issue, Jeffrey Petersen, Lawrence W. Judge

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The focus of this special issue is to grow the existing academic literature on sport facilities. This is done by presenting a variety of perspectives from established and emerging scholars in the field. The aim of this special issues aligns with the mission of the Journal of Applied Sport Management, which is to publish research and conceptual contributions that bridge the gap between scholarly work and professional practice in sport business. In all, the special issue includes five thought-provoking pieces contributed by 12 authors as well as a practitioner interview with Earl Santee, one of the most acclaimed sport …

A New Secret Of The Youth Olympic Games: A Model For Olympic Facilities Reform, Jeffrey Petersen, Lawrence W. Judge

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The authors center their attention on Olympic venues and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), arguing that a new reform model for Olympic venues should be based on the model of the YOG. Although the focus of the proposed reform model remains on venue reform, the authors also considers all four elements from Müller’s (2015) mega-events definitional model. These elements include visitor attractiveness (tickets sold), mediated reach (broadcast rights fees), cost (total cost), and transformation (capital investment). The reform model is argued to improve the overall cost and long-term impact of Olympic Games infrastructure, making it more manageable and sustainable.

From Andy’S Room To Big City And Nickelodeon: Extending The Brand To New Consumers Through Alternate Broadcasts Of Live Sports Entertainment, Cody T. Havard, Timothy D. Ryan

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The Walt Disney Company aired the Toy Story Football Funday on Sunday, October 1^st, 2023. A live game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons played in London, England aired on ESPN+ while the Toy Story-themed alternate broadcast aired on Disney+. This game followed multiple alternate broadcasts of NFL games by Nickelodeon and an NHL game themed after Big City Greens on the Disney Channel, Disney XD, and Disney+. This analysis paper discusses the use of these alternate broadcasts in an attempt to attract younger viewers and expand consumers for leagues and live sports entertainment. A brief …

The Effect Of Factors And Constraints On Sporting Attendance, Joshua D. Whitlow

Honors Theses

21,625 fans packed the confines of Brooks stadium on September 3, 2022, for a clash between the Army Black Knights football team and the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team. This was a new record at Brooks stadium, and was followed with just 12,261 the next week vs. Gardner Webb. Meanwhile, a 2022 Coastal Carolina Women’s Soccer game draws in less than 200 spectators. On the surface level, the disparity of these numbers appears confusing and unconnected to one another, however there are a multitude of factors that go into the number of people who show up to a particular sporting …

College Student Attitudes Toward Student-Athlete's Ability To Profit From Name, Image, And Likeness (Nil), Daniel G. Panzano

Honors Theses

Since the recent passing of legislation allowing student-athletes to profit from their own personal brands and sponsorships (Name, Image, and Likeness; NIL), there has been very little research. The purpose of this study was to measure the attitudes and support students have towards the financial compensation of their student-athlete counterparts. The researchers surveyed 67 Coastal Carolina University students. Using a quantitative study, data was gathered pertaining to the opinions toward NIL, feelings of team affiliation, and demographic information. Statistically significant differences were found toward some elements of NIL and gender, major, and academic year. A statistically significant correlation was also …

“Once That Ball Goes Flat, What Are You Gonna Do?” How Being A Student-Athlete Uniquely Affects Black Men, Amaya S. Mcdonald

Capstones

With less experience in the world outside of sports as compared to their non-athlete peers, student-athletes are often left to find careers in other fields where they may be unprepared after college.This trend disproportionately affects Black male college-athletes, who make up a majority of the student-athletes on revenue sports teams, like basketball and football, which generate billions of dollars for academic institutions.

Interviews with former student-athletes, activists and educators reveal the source of this disparity and how the student-athlete role can affect a student's college experience, their own self-perception and their transition into a life without sports post-graduation. https://medium.com/@amayamcd24/once-that-ball-goes-flat-what-are-you-gonna-do-1f0baaa14cf4

Refereed Research - Breaking The Shackles Of Poverty: How Bridging Ties Enable Subsistence Entrepreneurs To Upgrade Their Businesses To A Prosperous Level, Asifa Ilyas, Ralf Wagner

Subsistence Marketplaces

Subsistence entrepreneurs establish and run their business ventures under harsh economic and social conditions. These survival-driven businesses are impoverished and generate insufficient income for entrepreneurs and their families. Subsistence entrepreneurs can break this vicious poverty cycle by upscaling their ventures into more sustainable and profitable businesses. However, it is not clear what prevents these entrepreneurs from developing more prosperous and sustainable business ventures.

This study fills the gap by investigating the effect of bridging social ties on subsistence businesses' performance. Further, the study examines the impact of group identity, jealousy, gender, and power on subsistence entrepreneurs' efforts to build bridging …

Diver Perceived Value And Satisfaction On The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Ka'lon Duncanson

Honors Theses

The Mississippi Gulf Coast is known for its coastal beauty and the tourism that comes from the recreational activities associated with the water. However, there appears to be an underserved segment of the tourism industry. The coast provides opportunities for local scuba divers to take part in a range of diving activities, but there is minimal support for this tourism activity in Mississippi. There is a need for greater understanding about what local divers value in their diving experiences and how this might lead to greater satisfaction with this activity. Along with overall perceived value, the argument is made that …

The Strength Of Community: The Role Of Social Support Networks In Sport Officials’ Retention, Jacob K. Tingle, Brittany L. Jacobs, Matthew Katz, Stacy Warner

School of Business Faculty Research

Previous researchers have indicated that a sense of community and social support are vital to referee retention; however, little is known about the connection between specific characteristics of sports officials’ networks and retention. To better understand the sports officiating shortage, researchers explored the social support networks of 116 referees utilizing egocentric network analysis. The authors suggest that retention of sports officials depends on the interpersonal ties and network structures within which the referees are embedded. Specifically, resulting hierarchical models confirmed that retention relationships among officials are a multilevel phenomenon, and that outside communication and community were vital network characteristics that …

Customer Service Brand Engagement Among International Students: The Roles Of Preferred University Brand Attainment, Thuy Nguyen, Qin Sun, Gopala Ganesh

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This research is motivated by the industry and academic needs to corroborate a holistic understanding of preferred service brand status and customer service brand engagement (CSBE). The study investigates the impact of achieving preferred university brand status and how different touchpoints in higher education influence the CSBE outcomes of host universities, as seen from the perspective of international students. Data was collected from 22 American Universities with at least 1,000 international student enrollments using an online survey. The study systematically defines and identifies appropriate touchpoints within the higher education decision-making journey. Second, the findings indicate variations in the experiences of …

The Impact Of Covid-19 Pandemic On Fan Attendance In Major League Soccer (Mls) 2018-2022, Benjamin Appiah

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This culminating experience project investigates the impact of the COVID-19- on Major League Soccer (MLS). The research questions are: (Q1) How did the pandemic impact the trend of fan attendance in the MLS during the COVID-19 pandemic? (Q2) What factors impacted fan attendance in MLS games before the COVID-19 pandemic? (Q3) What factors impact fan attendance in MLS games after COVID-19 pandemic? The findings were: (Q1) Average annual fan attendance declined by 93.61% in 2019 and 2020, and an annua l increase of 49.47% between the year of 2020 and 2021. (Q2) The study revealed that 72.9% of the …

Student Perceptions And Preferences Of University-Affiliated Athletic Merchandise And Logos, Robin Hardin, Michelle L. Childs, Kirby D. Simpson

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

College sports are certainly ingrained in the fabric of American society, and a significant aspect of this phenomena is the pageantry associated with college sports. This pageantry includes team logos and official team colors, and both are important aspects of fandom and team identification. Utilizing social identify theory as the theoretical framework for this research, the purpose of this study was to examine students’ university-affiliated athletic merchandise and logo preferences and related behaviors. Two focus groups were conducted with results showing three major themes, where students demonstrated polarizing views and opinions. These themes were (a) fashion and function, (b) orientation …

Psychosocial Factors Affecting Intention To Play Esports, Soojung K. Park, Jennifer Y. Mak, Lei Ouyang

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

According to a report by Newzoo (2023), global e-sports revenue will reach US$187.7 billion in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 2.6%. By understanding the motivations of esports players, marketers can tailor their strategies, messages, and products better to meet the needs and desires of the esports community, ultimately enabling more effective marketing campaigns and increased brand success. This study explored the psychosocial factors that influenced esports participation and attempted to identify the most influential motivational factor among these three factors: enjoyment, escapism, and social interaction. The data for analysis is based on reliable responses from 200 eSports players gathered through …

2023-November-21-Etsu Presents 2023 Alumni Awards.Pdf, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

Nine East Tennessee State University alumni and friends were recently honored with 2023 Alumni Awards on Friday, Nov. 17.

The George L. Carter Award was presented to Lt. Gen. Ronald V. Hite, a member of the Class of 1964. Hite led a decorated career in the military that spans more than three decades, commanding at every level and holding many unique positions during assignments throughout the United States, Germany, Vietnam and Korea.

These assignments included leadership and command positions in two infantry divisions, including commanding a battalion in the 7th Infantry Division. He also held a battalion staff position and …

The Curious Case Of Conference Realignment: A Call To Action For Research, Cody T. Havard, Timothy D. Ryan, Michael Hutchinson, Rhema D. Fuller

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

This topical essay addresses the need for increased research related to the 2022-2023 iteration of conference realignment in college athletics. Namely, the essay provides a brief background on the massive shifts in major conferences beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. It suggests possible areas of inquiry for interested researchers that would provide benefit to academics, practitioners, and stakeholders of college athletics.