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2023 Sport Science Forum Abstracts

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The Sport Science Forum is hosted by Dr. Frederick G. Grieve and Western Kentucky University. This is a collection of abstracts from the Forum in order of presentation.

Ace! How The Waste Management Phoenix Open Rose From The Ash Heap To Become A Sponsorship Exemplar, Lee P. Mcginnis, Keevan Statz

Journal of Applied Sport Management

Waste Management leverages the PGA TOUR’s so-called “People’s Open” in a manner that is unparalleled in the sport industry. The Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) is not only a zero-waste event but also utilizes activation tactics that maximize this value proposition for consumers through sponsored activities that engage fans of all ages, backgrounds, and motivations. After an extensive analysis of the event and what makes it distinct, we propose a framework that we term ACE (Activation optimization, Cohesive value propositions, and Experientially focused programs), which can serve as a three-pronged test that event/property owners and sponsors alike can use to …

Industry Interactions And Their Influence On Dreams, Goals, Work Interests, And Vocational Attitude Of Sport Industry Job Seekers, Jiayao C. Qi, Samuel Y. Todd

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The sport industry is filled with passionate job seekers (e.g., Todd & Andrew, 2008) who often craft lofty future work desires and idyllic dreams (Odio et al., 2014). But little is known about how these are shaped over time. Previous studies noted how plans of sport job seekers often change after encountering realistic information about the actual work in sport (Koo et al., 2016; Todd & Magnusen, 2014). This urges a closer examination of the way in which sport job seekers interact with the industry in a continuous, iterative way, and how that impacts vocational attitude and imaginations. Findings …

Building Upon The Foundation: Mentoring And Service In The Applied Sport Management Association, Jeffrey C. Petersen

Journal of Applied Sport Management

The Applied Sport Management Association’s Distinguished Service & Mentorship Award was initiated in 2022 as a renaming and repurposing of the ASMA Scholar Lifetime Achievement Award presented from 2009 to 2020. This service and mentorship award recognizes an ASMA member who has exhibited continued, exemplary service to ASMA, who connects sport management research with practitioners in an applied manner, and who demonstrates dedication to students and mentorship within the ASMA. Recipients of this award provide a keynote address to the ASMA membership at the annual conference. The content of this address is published in the Journal of Applied Sport Management …

The Real-Time Classification Of Competency Swimming Activity Through Machine Learning, Larry Powell, Seth Polsley, Drew Casey, Tracy Hammond

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Every year, an average of 3,536 people die from drowning in America. The significant factors that cause unintentional drowning are people’s lack of water safety awareness and swimming proficiency. Current industry and research trends regarding swimming activity recognition and commercial motion sensors focus more on lap swimming utilized by expert swimmers and do not account for freeform activities. Enhancing swimming education through wearable technology can aid people in learning efficient and effective swimming techniques and water safety. We developed a novel wearable system capable of storing and processing sensor data to categorize competitive and survival swimming activities on a mobile …

The University Look: How Sun Belt Conference Athletic Officials View Their Standing In The Collegiate Sports World, Jake Williamson

Student Theses and Dissertations

It is a beautiful Saturday morning in October. You wake up and turn on your television to ESPN. It’s football season, and you have on your team’s gear, knowing that kickoff is just a couple hours away. As you begin to search for your team’s channel, you discover that your team won’t be airing on television today. Your team has been off to a great start, and today’s game might push you into the Associated Poll (AP) top 25 rankings. You then go to the team’s official website to figure out what channel is airing their game. The website says …

Ua80/1 Meeting Agenda & Minutes, W Club

University Organizations

Agenda and minutes of the February 2023 W Club Board of Directors meeting.

Causes Of Burnout And Job Dissatisfaction Among Marketing And Communications Intercollegiate Athletics Employees, Ricky L. Ray

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to better understand the role burnout plays in turnover intention and job dissatisfaction among marketing and communications employees in intercollegiate athletics. A secondary aim was to identify to what extent were job requirements, compensation, and expectations of administrators and coaches driving burnout in these employees. Study participants came from those currently working in marketing and/or communications at various levels of intercollegiate competition. The study used the Oldenberg Burnout Inventory, as well as specific questions related to the profession to uncover major causes of burnout in this particular occupation. Findings from this study supported the …

Analyzing The Correlation Between Offensive And Defensive Efficiency In The Nba, Elijah Mckim, Jax Werner, Kade Werner

Sport Management Student Projects

Throughout the paper, the authors investigate the correlation between offensive and defensive efficiency in the NBA over the past 20 years. This includes things such as shooting percentages, new rules implemented into the league, and advances in technology.

Is There A Relationship Between Sport Gambling And Fandom?, Jacob Stonick, Sean Callahan, Caleb Terry

Sport Management Student Projects

Our group looked into the relatioship between sport gambling and the impact it has on the experience of viewing an event.

Does Technology Have A Relationship In The Number Of Injuries Within Youth Sport?, Javan Johnson, Danny Walter, Jack Mulkey

Sport Management Student Projects

This research paper sought to answer if the improvement of technology in sports equipment is helping to reduce injuries in youth sports.

Ua19/16/2 Football Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU football team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Tennis Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and match statistics for WKU tennis team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Track & Field Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and match statistics for WKU track & field team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Golf Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and statistics for WKU golf teams in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Softball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU softball team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Athletics Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases regarding general activities of the WKU Athletics Department for 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Volleyball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU volleyball team in 2023.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2023.

Adaptation To Sport Retirement In Division I Student-Athletes, Andrea Cota Powell

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation utilizes a mixed-methods design to explore adaptation to sport retirement among Division I student-athletes. Sport retirement is a major life transition that can elicit changes in support systems, identity crises, and feelings of loss, failure, and grief. Transitioning out of sport is a phenomenon that over 90% of collegiate student-athletes experience when their four years of NCAA eligibility expires. It is a phenomenon that all athletes experience at some point in their lives. To transition out of sports, one must adapt to post-sport life. Study one of this dissertation explored the phenomenon of occupational retirement through concept analysis …

Nba Tean Valuation: What Drives Value?, Jackson Cleary

Honors Theses and Capstones

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has slowly become one of the most popular professional sports leagues in the United States as well as growing its reach in European and Chinese ties. With this growth, we have seen the value of NBA teams climb significantly. Mark Cuban, a well-known entrepreneur and Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank, purchased the Dallas Mavericks for $285 million in 2000. They are now worth a staggering $2.5 billion (as of 2021). In 20 years since Cuban bought the Dallas Mavericks, they have seen close to ten times increase in their value. This begs the question, what …

An Analysis Of Salary Difference For Left-Handed Pitchers, Jarrett Korson

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis examines whether there is a difference in salary for left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball. I review prior research regarding the valuation of MLB pitchers, salary discrimination in baseball, and left-handed pitchers to shape my methodology. Using Sean Lahman’s Baseball Database, I utilize various regression models to analyze effects on salary. Variables are transformed into cumulative, per 9- inning values and left-handed interaction variables are created to observe any difference in salary experienced only by left-handers. The models show that for variables with a statistically significant effect on salary, left-handers experience a statistically significant effect on salary above …

Modeling The Performance-Based Compensation Of Mlb Catchers, William Deforest

CMC Senior Theses

How professional baseball players are compensated for their on-field performance and contribution to winning baseball games has been studied many times by baseball analysts, yet no real attempt has been made to focus solely on the catcher position. As one of the most demanding and specialized positions in the game, a talented catcher is vital to a team’s success. This paper attempts to utilize Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and Offensive Runs Above Average (OFF), leading statistics that use Statcast data to measure defensive and offensive productivity, to determine which area of catcher defense is the greatest differentiator between elite defensive …

Redesigning Athlete Leadership, Derek Hunsberger

Full-Text Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the critical role of team captains in fostering effective leadership within athletic teams, utilizing a novel approach that integrates systems thinking and design thinking principles. It challenges the prevailing practice of coaches selecting team captains based solely on athletic prowess or popularity, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive and strategic approach to leadership identification and development.

The research employed an Idealized Design session as a unique methodology to gather insights and perspectives from key stakeholders, including coaches, athletes, and support staff. This approach seeks to uncover latent needs and systemic factors influencing team dynamics, leadership effectiveness, …

Evaluating The Effect Of Nil Laws On College Athletic Department Revenue, Dylan C. Cherullo

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

This paper examines the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) laws on revenue for public Division I universities' athletic departments, challenging the long-standing debate within the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). Utilizing panel data from the Knight Commission on College Athletics, which encompasses over 350 public Division I universities from 2002 to 2021, this study employs a difference-in-differences model. The model investigates state-level changes in university athletic department revenue from sponsorships (sponsrev), with special focus on the post-NIL law era. The analysis is bolstered by controls for various factors including ESPN’s FPI data, coach and equipment expenditures, and COVID-19 …

Factors Influencing Hard Running Distances In Ncaa Division I Female Soccer Players, Isaac A. Sam

Dissertations and Theses

As the total distances covered in soccer games have remained relatively constant, the hard running distances covered by players have shown varying changes due to the higher physical demands and dynamics of team running performances. Although factors affecting the total distances covered in a match are multifactorial, no study has specifically examined match performance indicators (MPI) that impact hard running distances (HRD). Consequently, the purpose of this study was to better understand how MPI (hard running efforts, turnovers, minutes played, duels won, duels lost, and pass completions) are associated with HRDs and to investigate how each variable contributes to HRDs …

Sexual Misconduct Against Female Athletes: Knowledge, Training, And Readiness To Act Of Future Sport Leaders, Mackenzie B. Luikart

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to understand the comprehensiveness and effectiveness of current education in sport related degree programs and the impact that has on future and current sport leaders to confront and report sexual misconduct in sport.

A total of 15 participants were selected to participate in this study. The participants for this study include current graduate students pursuing degree programs in either coaching studies or sport management, and graduates of these two programs (within the last five years) who are currently in the workforce in their respective fields. Most participants were white, female, and currently served a …

Investigating Name, Image, And Likeness Through Project-Based Learning, Brendan O'Hallarn, Craig A. Morehead, Michelle Carpenter, Jay O'Toole

Communication & Theatre Arts Faculty Publications

The 2021 Supreme Court ruling granting college athletes the right to monetize their name, image, and likeness (NIL) was greeted in equal measure by enthusiasm and confusion by college athletes and the institutions for which they compete. This paper suggests an approach whereby college classes can provide guidance for college athletes to navigate the nascent, evolving NIL rules and provide an opportunity for current, relevant project-based learning. The Old Dominion University Name, Image, and Likeness Knowledge Hub had limitations in its deliverable—a guide for college athletes seeking to leverage their NIL rights—but it represents a novel learning opportunity because of …

Level Of Customer Satisfaction On The Service Quality Personal Trainer, Abiyyu Amajida, Yudik Prasetyo, Enggista Hendriko Delano, Muhammad Fatih Humam

Jurnal Keolahragaan

This research intends to identify customer satisfaction with the service quality provided by the personal trainers. This research was arranged based on theoretical studies related to the level of customer satisfaction with a particular service. The research was a descriptive quantitative study with a survey method and a questionnaire as the research instrument. This study was done in Health and Sports Center Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (HSC UNY) Fitness Center. Purposive sampling was used to do sampling on this research. Criteria of the samples were customers who used the services of a personal trainer at the HSC UNY Fitness Center, and …

Streaming For The Win: The Future Of Live Sports Entertainment In Direct-To-Consumer Streaming, Cody T. Havard, Timothy D. Ryan

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

This topical essay discusses the growing presence of live sports entertainment on direct-to-consumer streaming services, and how future research could benefit consumers and companies. A brief overview of Amazon Prime streaming NFL Thursday Night Football games is introduced, along with a background of live sports and streaming services. A call to action for future research is provided with potential areas in which investigators can focus.