Business Commons^™

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 …

Understanding Parents Perceptions Concerning Division I Student-Athlete Mental Health, Jonathan M. Casper, Jason Bocarro, Marie Amidon

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Collegiate student-athletes (SAs) frequently underreport mental health concerns and are less likely to seek professional support compared to their non-athlete peers. Given the substantial emotional and academic support parents provide, this study examined NCAA Division I parents’ perceptions of their student-athletes’ mental health and overall well-being, as well as their awareness and perceptions of available mental health services. An online survey (N = 178) was administered across two Division I universities. Parents reported considerable concern regarding mental exhaustion, anxiety, academic pressures, and future planning. They also identified sport-specific stressors, including relationships with coaches, playing time, team dynamics, and injuries. Although …

Measuring Strategic Plans In Cosma Accredited Programs, Coral Bender, Michael Smucker, Zachary Beldon, Jay Jisha, Dene Williamson

The COSMA Journal

Strategic planning is an important part of ensuring efficiency across industries, despite this, many struggle with writing measurable and appropriately aligned strategic planning documents. Summatively, strategic planning documents should be a guiding force for all things, including budgeting. The present paper analyzes every Operational Effectiveness Goal (OEG) and corresponding measure made publicly available for COSMA Accredited programs during the 2023-2024 reporting to gain a better understanding of what accredited sport management programs priorities in the measurement of their strategic plans. Emphases on community affiliations and feedback as well as a reliance on institutional level data emerged. Practical applications for sport …

Mlb Speed Premium, Jacob A. Keithley, Chris Hampton

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This study analyzes if the 2023 rule changes affected the valuation for speed in the MLB labor market. By using a log-linear wage model and including an interaction term for stolen bases and the post-2023 indicator, we test to see if there is a speed premium in salaries. After accounting for yearly effects, the results present a statistically significant increase in the marginal value of stolen bases after the rule change shock. A placebo test was used with home runs to confirm the effects were specific to speed related metrics. The results suggest that the MLB market has and is …

Determinants Of March Madness Tournament Advancement, Jace Waldahl

Undergraduate Economics Working Paper Series

This paper examines whether tournament seed and team efficiency ratings help explain how far teams advance in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Using Bart Torvik NCAA basketball ratings data from 2008 to 2025, I construct a team-year dataset with tournament advancement measured from 1 to 7, where higher values represent deeper runs. The main independent variables are seed, net efficiency, offensive efficiency, and defensive efficiency. Descriptive statistics, correlations, scatterplots, and OLS regressions are used to test whether better-seeded and more efficient teams advance further. The results show that seed is the strongest and most consistent predictor of advancement, but efficiency …

An Empirical Analysis Of Augmented Reality’S Impact On Fan Engagement And Behavioral Intention To Use: A Technology Acceptance Model Study Among U.S.-Based Major League Soccer Fans, Gozde Sezgun

Masters Theses

Although augmented reality (AR) is becoming a routine part of how sport is consumed, evidence specific to Major League Soccer (MLS) remains limited. This study applies the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine how perceived ease of use (PEOU) and perceived usefulness (PU) relate to behavioral intention to use (BI) and to two experience outcomes−fan engagement and fan satisfaction in the MLS context. The study is a nonexperimental, cross-sectional online survey of U.S.-based adult MLS fans with prior exposure to AR in an MLS context, including live stat overlays, in-stadium wayfinding, interactive replays, and virtual try-ons. Constructs were measured with …

The Effect Of Transfer Student Enrollment On The Overall Gpa In Division I Men’S Basketball, Emme Hurn

Masters Theses

The study explored the impact that transfer student-athletes have on the overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of a team in Division I Men’s Basketball. Through the use of Alexander Astin’s Input-Environment-Output model, academic preparation and environments were examined to determine their role in academic outcomes. The purpose of this research was to test this theory in order to answer three key research questions: Is there a statistically significant difference in overall team GPA when comparing Division I men’s basketball teams with a high number of transfer student-athletes, and teams with no transfer student-athletes? What is the relationship between the number …

An Exercise In Personal Branding: Marketing Students Mentoring College Athletes In The New Age Of Nil, Michelle C. Carpenter Mba, Jay O’Toole Ph.D., Brendan O’Hallarn Ph.D., Craig A. Morehead Ph.D.

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Sponsor Recognition In Professional Sports: A Comparison Between Cincinnati Reds And Bengals Fans, Bridget Satinover Nichols, Jenny Gardner, Joe Cobbs

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

A Linkedin Analysis: Job Placement For Students In Sport Management Program Of An Eastern Kentucky Public University, Steve Chen, Christy Trent, Jose Garcia

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Marketing College Football In The “New Normal”, Chris Croft, Tim Wilson

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

An Investigation Of Key Factors In Promoting A New Collegiate Recreation Facility: If You Build It - Will They Come?, Paul J. Costanzo, Cynthia P. Costanzo

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Marketing For The Dreamwork Wrestling: How To Keep A Small Entrepreneurial Business And Dream Alive!, Steve Chen, Jennifer Mak, Karen Doran, Liz Allen

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Athlete Celebrity Endorsement On Attitude Toward Brand And Purchase Intention, Yunheui Jeon, Jennifer Y. Mak, Lei Ouyang

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Student-Athlete Flourishing In Intercollegiate Athletics: A Mixed Methods Study, James Hines

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Comprehending the complexities associated with student-athlete well-being while competing on campus is important for both institutions of higher education and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Studies relating to student-athlete well-being have researched many different areas such as suicide prevention (Gross et al., 2020), mental health treatments (Ryan et al.,2018), and injury recovery (Martin et al., 2021). Few studies have examined student-athlete flourishing which focuses on helping individuals thrive and reach their greatest potential. This study employs an explanatory sequential mixed method design to examine student-athlete flourishing along with factors associated with student-athlete flourishing. Survey data (N=89) provided insight on …

The Dehumanization Of Nfl Players In The Media, Destiny D. Farley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This creative thesis aims to bridge the gap in sports journalism by humanizing National Football League (NFL) players, showcasing their lives outside of sports, and exploring their nuanced relationships with the media. NFL players are objectified in the press in a variety of ways, with some common themes including coverage of drafting/trading, performance statistics, salary/contracts, and their overall celebrification. Through an episodic visual narrative podcast, the project grants autonomy back to the players by providing them with a platform to showcase their personalities, discuss media experiences, and share untold stories. This podcast series—featuring a blend of A-roll and B-roll—immerses audiences …

The Data Movement In Professional Sports, Preston Dorand

Undergraduate Honors Theses

At the turn of the 21st century, technological advancement reshaped industries worldwide, including professional sports. Organizations increasingly adopted analytical frameworks, leveraging advanced software systems and performance metrics to inform and optimize decision-making on and off the field. Industry professionals frequently cite the film and book, Moneyball, as a cultural turning point that brought data driven methodologies to the forefront. Since that period, professional sports, especially baseball, have evolved from foundational sabermetric theory into a complex data ecosystem characterized by high-resolution tracking technologies, pitch modeling, player valuation systems, and matchup optimization models.

My thesis examined how sports organizations operationalized data-driven …

Consumer Reaction To Olympic Sponsorships, Bailey R. Wood

Honors Theses

The Olympic Games are the world’s premier sporting event, hosting athletes from 206 countries every four years. The Ancient Games date back over 3,000 years in what is now modern-day Greece. The “Classical Games” consisted of a single foot race, the “stade,” and eventually grew to include long-distance running, wrestling, long jump, javelin throw, and discus throw (Abrahams, n.d.). Now, the Games are split into summer and winter sports, with the Summer Olympic hosting 329 medal events and the Winter Olympics 116. Due to the size and magnitude of this event, the Olympic Games are broadcast all over the world, …

From Amateur To Influencer: The Nil Era Takes Over, Olivia J. Matulich

Honors Theses

This thesis examines the change of amateur athletics with the rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. For many years, the NCAA followed an amateurism model that prevented student-athletes from earning money, even though their efforts generated major profits through media contracts, sponsorships, and branding. The arrival of NIL in 2021 marked a major shift, allowing athletes the chance to earn money from their personal brand, which redefined the role they play within the collegiate athletic system.

This study looks at NIL from several angles, including its legal background, financial impact, and cultural significance. By reviewing key legal cases …

The Cornshocker Contract: Navigating Nil In A New Athletic Economy, Jason Kight

The COSMA Journal

This teaching case examines how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) reforms are reshaping governance, athlete branding, and competitive identity within NCAA Division II athletics. Set at the fictional Platte Valley State University, the narrative places students inside an evolving administrative dilemma involving booster-led collectives, transfer-portal pressures, and a sponsorship controversy that tests institutional values. Designed for sport management classrooms, the case emphasizes experiential decision-making and asks students to evaluate the interaction among stakeholder interests, organizational legitimacy, and crisis response rather than to perform exclusively doctrinal legal analysis. By situating contemporary NIL developments within a regional Division II context, the case …

An Exploration Of The Application Of Threshold Concepts In Sport Management, Debra Burke, Kadie Otto, Aj Grube, Charlie Parrish, Dan Grube

Global Sport Business Journal

Jan Meyer and Ray Land introduced the theory of threshold concepts to identify learning outcomes that represent a fundamental shift in the understanding of a subject which distinguishes how experts in the discipline internalize the discipline (Meyer & Land, 2006). They described the mastery of threshold concepts as being “akin to passing through a portal, opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something” (Meyer & Land, 2006, p. 3). Threshold concepts as defined by Meyer and Land (2006) are characterized by these features:

• Transformative: Once understood, a threshold concept changes the way in which the student …

The Impatience Of Winning: An Analysis Of Time Discounting, Predictive Modeling, And The Nba Draft, Alec R. Plante

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This paper examines whether NBA draft decisions can be better explained by incorporating non-geometric time discounting into a model of general manager decision making. Using a dataset of 285 NBA draft prospects over a 12-year period, the impact of college statistics on Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) is determined, and these impact values are then used to create a “predicted” VORP for the first 4 seasons of each player’s career: a projection of what a general manager might think of a prospect’s future value given their college statistics. Following this, geometric and hyperbolic time discounting models are applied to estimate …

The Expansion And Push For Competitive Gaming, Theresa T. Hoang

Honors Capstones

Competitive gaming, also known as eSports, is a rapidly growing industry that brings millions of views and streams every day. New games are constantly being created as well. This paper serves to discuss and go over how s Esports got so big and spread so rapidly. It will touch upon the current status of Esports. Namely, it will touch on the status of esports on the collegiate level. Then, it will go over how everything started: the idea of Esports sprouting and the start of its spread. It will go over Esports on the national and international stage(s). Lastly, this …

Legal Analysis Of Health Issues In Women's Sports, Isabella Docker, Olivia Jonas, Joslyn Maciak, Owen Goodridge

Transformations: Presentation Slides

This presentation examines the legal and ethical challenges surrounding health issues in women's sports. Key points include pregnancy, sexual assault, and mental health issues connected to women's sports. We focus on the impact on their well-being, athletes' performance, and career longevity. Negligence, liability, and assumption of risks all play a major role in women's sports.

Do I Have To Know Someone? The Impact Of Factors Beyond The Playing Field That Affect Mlb Hall Of Fame Voting., Jackson Wollscheid

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

With the creation of WAR (Wins above Replacement), it has created an index to measure the player’s value using a variety of statistics relevant to that player’s position. The higher a player’s career WAR then the greater the impact that player had on the game during his career. However, players are not simply inducted into the Hall of Fame on this measure of value but on voting from members of the BBWAA (Baseball Writers’ Association of America). This research investigates external factors outside of standard playing statistics’ influence on Hall of Fame voting, including team affiliation, career length, and other …

Book Review: Race And Resistance In Boston: A Contested Sports History, Eddie G. Walker Ii

Global Sport Business Journal

This review examines Cvornyek and Stark’s edited collection on race, resistance, and sport in Boston, highlighting how the essays collectively reflect Hartmann’s contested terrain theory. Through historical and contemporary examples—from Bill Russell’s activism to the cultural role of sports like cricket—the book demonstrates how sport functions as both a site of racial conflict and a tool for resistance and community-building. The collection offers a nuanced case study of Boston’s complex relationship with race, sport, and social progress.