Sports Management Commons^™

Family Ties: Nba Draft Position And Player Performance, Nick Riccardi, Rodney J. Paul

Sport Management - All Scholarship

This study aims to investigate the role, if any, that nepotism plays in the careers of players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Career performance is compared between the 780 players drafted from 2007-2019 with familial relationships considered. Ordinary Least Squares and logistic regression models are specified to estimate the effect of having a relative on the success of an NBA player’s career. We find that siblings of NBA players earn more and reach minimum games played thresholds more often, while sons of NBA players earn more, but generally do not reach games played thresholds more often than similarly-drafted peers.

An Analysis Of Potential Factors Influencing College Sport Communicators Feels Of Being Overworked And Underappreciated, Kelly P. Elliott, Natalie Bunch, Tyler Williams

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

CSCs play pivotal roles, balancing the preservation of student-athlete narratives with the real-time demands of media-driven communication. However, a persistent challenge has emerged: many CSCs experience a pronounced sense of being overworked and undervalued. This study aims to explore predictors contributing to CSCs' feelings of being overworked and underappreciated, investigating factors like years of experience, career motivations, reasons for institutional selection, and tenure plans to understand their impact on CSCs' perceptions before employment. Researchers sent a survey instrument that included Likert scale, closed-ended items related to feelings over being overworked and underappreciated to CSCs. The primary analysis involved an independent …

“I Want To Continue Athletics And I Also Want To Study”: Exploring International Student Athletes’ Transition Experiences To The Naia Affiliated Colleges, Kibaek Kim, Karina Jolly, Chris Corr, Jinwook Han

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

There are over a million international students pursuing their degrees in U.S. universities. Among them are 25,000 international student-athletes (ISAs) who are enrolled in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) affiliated Universities. While studies have been striving to foster and support this population’s successful transition to the U.S., few studies are available that deal with international student-athletes competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) affiliated universities. Hence, based on the transition theory, this study utilized focus group interviews to explore the transition experiences of ISAs competing in NAIA. Based on previous studies that explored the transition experiences of ISAs …

Do They Belong? Inquiries Into The Perceptions Of The Black Male College Athlete Identity In Higher Education, Marcis Fennell, Kayla Martinez, C.Keith Harrison, Whitney Griffin, Nick Kopka

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This qualitative study examined attitudes about Black male college athletes (BMCA)in predominantly White higher education institutions. To investigate the experience in the classroom, the purpose of this study was to inquire into the perception of the BMCA identity from the identity of the non-college athletes (NCA). Using the social identity complexity model, we sought to understand the perceptions that influence group formation among college students. The present study employed the film elicitation technique to examine the NCAs’ perceptions of the legitimacy of the BMCA identity in higher education during faculty interactions and its correlation to ingroup formation. The findings from …

Meet The Fars: An Examination Of The Background, Roles, And Appointment Of Faculty Athletic Representatives At National Collegiate Athletic Association Member Institutions, Chris Corr, Christopher Atwater, Mark S. Nagel, Richard Southall, Rick Eckstein, Marek Taškár

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

As many National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions continue to engage in athletic centric decision-making processes, academic integrity and the campus experience for college athletes is often marginalized. Mandated by the NCAA to represent athletes’ academic interests, the faculty athletics representative (FAR) position is designed to occupy a central role in maintaining the primacy of academia among college athletes. FARs, however, exist within an institutional setting muddled by competing and contradictory logics. Accordingly, given the inherent juxtaposition between the operation of collegiate athletics and the stated role of FARs, the present study sought to examine the characteristics and positional …

Assessing College Athletic Departments’ Ability To Implement The Ncaa Mental Health Best Practices, Grace O. Louis, Shaine Henert

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Student-athletes endure rigorous schedules, intense pressure, and significant physical and mental strain, all while being expected to show no signs of weakness. This high-stakes environment can exacerbate mental health challenges (Harris & Maher, 2023; Rice et al, 2016 & Brown, 2021). To address these concerns, the NCAA’s Sport Science Institute developed mental health best practices to support college student-athletes. However, FBS Division I non-autonomous athletic programs often struggle to fully implement these guidelines due to resource limitations, despite their commitment to student-athlete well-being (2021; Beebe & Petrie, 2024). This study employs an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach to explore the …

Ua80/1 Agenda, W Club

University Organizations

Agenda of the August 2025 W Club Board of Directors meeting.

Engaging In Movement At Work: Exploring Engagement And Physical Activity., Spencer A. Cavan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High levels of employee engagement provide organizations competitive advantages such as increased customer satisfaction, profits, and employee productivity. Despite potential benefits, the number of engaged employees is declining and organizations need to find innovative ways to enhance engagement. Emerging evidence suggests workplace physical activity may generate organizational benefits extending beyond health improvement. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of engagement among employees participating in a physical activity intervention at work. A qualitative design, guided by phenomenology, examined perceptions of workplace physical activity and perceived levels of engagement, as well as constraints related to involvement among university …

Book Review: Winters Of Discontent, Simon Barrick

Global Sport Business Journal

Editor Russell Field, through Winters of Discontent: The Winter Olympics and a Half Century of Protest and Resistance, offers the first focused academic inquiry into the myriad ways that individuals, organizations, and communities have resisted these sport mega-events. More specifically, each chapter contributor “chronicles the ways in which the issues raised by anti-Olympic advocates have increasingly become part of a mainstream discourse” (Field, 2025, p. 5). Various core themes run through the book including concern over public spending amid rising neoliberalism, the contested relationship between Indigenous self-determination and settler colonial domination, balancing local community priorities against the backdrop of Games-related …

Can You Slow Down A Ticking Clock? An Examination Of The Predictors Of Workaholism And How Each Influences A Correlation Between Workaholism And The Work-Life Balance Of Ncaa Division I Coaches, Brooke Elizabeth Yerger

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is one of the largest companies in the world. It is responsible for generating millions of dollars through various sporting events, including the College World Series, the College Football Playoffs, and March Madness. However, this industry is prone to high stress levels, workaholism, and poor work-life balance among the coaches employed by NCAA institutions. Lower work-life balance levels can result in poor overall well-being. These coaches are responsible not only for themselves and their families, but also for the many student-athletes they interact with. If they are not satisfied, their ability to interact positively …

The Influence Of "Ifbb Pro" Designation On Consumer Decision-Making In Online Personal Training Services: An Experimental Investigation, Zehua Hei, Alan Morse

Global Sport Business Journal

The recent rising health awareness, social media occurrence, and digital access to fitness services promote the growth of online personal training. Drawing upon signaling theory, a recent rising group of trainers, “IFBB Pro” athletes, who are perceived as elite bodybuilders, often signal a high level of expertise and competency in fitness training. With content marketing as the background, posted content plays a key role in this process as social media platforms become increasingly popular for fitness professionals to market their personal training services and attract clients. However, scarce research exists to investigate how this designation influences consumer perceptions and purchase …

Is Inequity In Nba Team Salaries Hurting Team Performance?, Alec R. Plante

Business and Economics Summer Fellows

The NBA is known for being the premier basketball league. However, are the allegedly best minds in the sport choosing salaries in a way that contributes to success? Our research extrapolates trends between team equity and win rates. We use Gini coefficients to establish team equities across the league between the 2011-2012 and 2024-2025 seasons. Our research establishes a relationship between team equity and win rates. This suggests that more equitable teams, in relation to held constant variables like All-NBA selections, may be more successful compared to other teams. We speculate on the reasons for this effect, including the possibility …

Exploring Coaching Leadership Behaviours In Strength And Conditioning Coaching: Preferences Of Ncaa Division I And Ii Collegiate Student-Athletes Based On Task Variability, Severiano Tiberi, Jeremy Moody, Steve Cooper, George Jennings, Joseph I. Esformes

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

This study aimed to explore collegiate student-athletesˈ preferences of coaching leadership behaviours in strength and conditioning coaching and evaluate differences between the student-athletesˈ preferences of behaviours based on task variability. In total 145 National Collegiate Athletic Association student-athletes (closed sports athletes = 51, open sports athletes = 94) completed an electronic questionnaire involving the athletesˈ preference version of the Revised Leadership Scale for Strength and Conditioning. Results revealed that the most favoured behaviour was ˈtraining and instructionˈ, whilst the least favoured was ˈautocraticˈ. Similar results were observed for closed and open sports groups, though closed sports athletes preferred ˈtraining and …

Need Frustration And Poor Mental Health Among Collegiate Athletes: The Indirect Role Of Ruminative Thinking, Alanni N. Brown, Adrian J. Bravo, Stimulant Norms And Prevalence 2 (Snap2) Study Team

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Vulnerability to negative mental health outcomes (i.e. anxiety and depression) among DI collegiate athletes may best be understood using Self Determination Theory (SDT) and the framework that need frustration impairs autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Need frustration may also relate to negative mental health symptoms via higher ruminative thinking, known to relate to both need frustration and poor mental health. The present study tested these two path models (i.e., SDT need frustration components [autonomy, relatedness, competency]-->rumination facets [problem-focused thoughts, counterfactual thinking, repetitive thinking, anticipatory thoughts]-->mental health problems (one for depression and one for anxiety as outcomes) among 341 collegiate …

Mentoring Of Para-Athletes And Its Impact On The Preparation Process For The 2020 Paralympic Games, Irina Perfilova, Joshua R. Pate, Robin Hardin

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Many factors contribute to successful athletic performance, and athletes have reported that mentors have played a vital role in their athletic performance as well as their personal development. Mentoring relationships can have a transformative impact on people’s lives, and mentored athletes, either by peers or coaches, have higher levels of dedication, confidence, and individual performance. Having a mentor is critically important during unexpected challenges in life such as was the case with the extraordinary uncertainty for para-athletes during the postponement of the 2020 Paralympic Games. The purpose of this study was to explore how mentoring aided para-athletes’ navigating the challenges …

Development And Transition In Crisis: The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Division I College Athletes, Grace Kazmierski-Davie, Khalid Ballouli

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The aim of this study is to explore how Division I college athletes made meaning of their experiences during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. Though existing literature details various athlete transitions, there is limited knowledge about how athletes navigate unprecedented disruptions like a global pandemic. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews to gather in-depth data. The study included a diverse sample of 19 college athletes, ranging from freshmen to seniors, representing various sports and academic levels. Findings revealed that athletes employed diverse strategies to maintain readiness and mental sharpness, reflecting both proactive and reactive coping mechanisms. …

Book Review: The Architecture Of The Playing Field, Eddie G. Walker Ii

Global Sport Business Journal

Athletic fields, facilities, golf courses, stadiums, and arenas are at the heart of the sport management industry. Physical activity has been “an essential component” of mankind’s life on Earth since the beginning of time (Elgammal & Abdel-Razek, 2022; p. 26). Throughout history, the methods of hosting athletic events have undergone significant evolution. Dr. Richard Cleary provides a concise yet thorough resource on how the structure of these spaces influences the experience for both participants and spectators. The Architecture of the Playing Field: Shaping Space in Sport comprises four chapters and an Epilogue that utilize architectural design and sociocultural theories to …

Book Review: The Olympics That Never Happened: Denver '76 And The Politics Of Growth, Samuel M. Clevenger

Global Sport Business Journal

The issue of economic growth and its historical ties to modern sport is of central importance to contemporary sport business researchers. After all, considering that the growth-driven sport industry is increasingly trying to balance improving the sustainability of their present practices and facilities with maintaining its emphasis on expansion, accumulation, and revenue generation–resulting in organizations like the International Olympic Committee (IOC) engaging in “greenwashing” (Boykoff, 2025)–we (meaning sport researchers) need plentiful work that takes seriously the issue of economic growth and its impacts on the decision-making of sporting organizations. Adam Berg’s recent book The Olympics That Never Happened: Denver ‘76 …

Effects Of Seasonality On The Experiences Of Employees In Minor League Sports, Amanda Barefoot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The temporal rhythms of sport organizations, driven by recurring cycles of in-season and off-season activity, create a unique organizational context that shapes decision-making, leadership behavior, and the experiences of employees. While seasonality is widely recognized in operational planning and revenue forecasting, its implications for organizational behavior in sport management remain underexplored. This three-paper dissertation examines seasonality as a temporal force influencing sport organizations at conceptual, strategic, and affective levels.

The first paper develops a sport-specific taxonomy of seasonality by synthesizing literature from econometrics, tourism, and organizational theory. It distinguishes between natural, internally institutionalized, and externally institutionalized seasonal influences, offering a …

Ua80/1 Meeting Agenda & Minutes, W Club

University Organizations

Agenda and minutes of the June 2025 W Club Board of Directors meeting.

Views From The Cheap Seats: Understanding The Key Motivators Behind Sport Volunteering, Nicholas Paul Smith, Tiberio Garza

The COSMA Journal

Sport volunteers are imperative to the success of sport mega events. Knowing why volunteers continue to help events was the purpose of this study. This study aimed to investigate the motivations of sport volunteers post Covid-19. Data were collected from 30 volunteers at the 2023 NCAA College World Series. Inductive qualitative analysis and descriptive statistics found that community support was the reason the respondents were most glad to volunteer. The findings offered insight into how communication factors between supervisors, law enforcement, and other volunteers affected volunteer motivation. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed in more detail …

Book Review: Magic In The Air: The Myth, The Mystery, And The Soul Of The Slam Dunk, Andrew C. Sellers

Global Sport Business Journal

Book review of Mike Sielski's (2025) Magic in the Air: The Myth, the Mystery, and the Soul of the Slam Dunk.

Gsbj Editor's Note, Robert Mcdermand

Global Sport Business Journal

Editor's Note for Volume 10 (2025)

Professional Sport Venue Threats, Security Measures, And Technological Solutions, Brandon Allen, Laurajean Holmgren, Stacey A. Hall

Global Sport Business Journal

Several incidents involving large crowds have led venue security directors to adopt preventive strategies. Venue organizers should foster a safe and secure environment, which requires assessing risk levels, recruiting and training staff, exercising plans and protocols, and leveraging technology solutions. The purpose of this study is to explore professional sport venue threats, security measures, and technology utilization. Security directors (n=52) from five major sports leagues in the United States (MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL) participated in the study. Key findings focus on staffing, training and development, fan behavior, and facility operations. Recommendations include investing in multiple strategies to enhance …

A Multidimensional Model Of Attitudes Toward Sponsorship, Zachary C. T. Evans, Terry Eddy

Global Sport Business Journal

Sport sponsorship is an important marketing tool, with many of its elements having received previous research attention. Although researchers have examined attitudes toward sport sponsorship, the theoretical grounding of attitudes is often incomplete, and theoretically distinct terms are frequently used interchangeably (e.g., attitudes and beliefs). The purpose of this study was to critically examine the literature regarding attitudes toward, and beliefs about, sponsorship to review the common frameworks utilized in examining the constructs, and analyze their theoretical appropriateness. A systematized review methodology was undertaken, through which a definition for attitude toward sponsorship was developed using the tripartite framework for attitude …

2025 Gsba Conference Abstracts, Robert Mcdermand

Global Sport Business Journal

2025 GSBA Conference Abstracts

Game, Set, Empower: A Comparative Instagram Analysis Of Branding And Engagement In The Confederation Of African Football (Caf) Women’S And Men’S Champions League, Nour Abdelkader Ms

Theses and Dissertations

The rise of women’s football has placed new emphasis on digital branding, with social media becoming a vital space for visibility, engagement, and representation. This thesis investigates how Instagram content strategies influence fan engagement during the CAF Women’s and Men’s Champions League tournaments. Specifically, it examines the role of content type (match, behind-the-scenes, off-the-pitch, promotional), marketing orientation (organic, sponsored, collaborative), and post format (reel, carousel, photo, graphic) in shaping audience interaction.

Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach, the study analyzed 674 Instagram posts (276 CAFWCL, 398 CAFCL) and conducted semi-structured interviews with five digital sports professionals, including CAF digital …

The Real Price Of Glory: Gerald Gurney’S Ethical Indictment Of Intercollegiate Athletics, Hayden V. Coombs, Bryson V. Lester

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Gerald Gurney’s The Cost of Winning: An Insider’s Perspective on Exploitation and Greed in College Sports is a powerful and timely indictment of the ethical and financial dysfunction in NCAA Division I athletics. Drawing from decades of experience in academic advising and compliance, Gurney delivers a reflective yet scathing critique of a system that prioritizes winning, revenue, and prestige at the expense of athlete welfare and educational integrity. His analysis reveals how institutional complicity, inflated coaching salaries, the academic-athletic eligibility divide, and misleading graduation metrics distort the purpose of higher education. Combining narrative depth with scholarly relevance, The Cost of …

“I Didn't Come Here To Make Money”: Exploring Power 4 Athletes’ Perceptions Of Exploitation, Sarah Stokowski, Chris Corr, Kaleigh Smith, Elijah Toney, Emma Kate Bostick, Eileen Russell, Brooke Prince, Michael Godfrey

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

While it is widely noted that athletes competing in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletics are exploited in a variety of ways, scholarly examinations of college athlete exploitation have rarely sought to engage athletes themselves. Accordingly, researchers conducted in-depth, detailed, semi-structured interviews with college athletes currently competing in Power 4 conferences to uncover their perceptions of exploitation based on their lived experiences. Ten athletes representing five distinct sports (baseball, football, gymnastics, softball, and track and field) competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten Conference, and Southeastern Conference agreed to participate in the study. Findings indicate the characteristics of participants’ …

College Student-Athlete Identity Unveiled: The Interplay Of Racial And Ethnic Subdimensions, Trevor Bopp, Rhema Fuller, Michael Stellefson

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

The racialized and institutionalized structure of the NCAA, college sports, and the PWIs that host most athletic programs positions racial and ethnic identity as a potential barrier to the social and academic engagement, mental health, and identity development of student-athletes. However, few studies examine the relationship, role, and influence of racial, student, and athlete identities outside of domain-specific outcomes. We collected data from 343 student-athletes to explore the relationships between student-athletes' academic and athletic identities, race centrality, and private and public regard, while also examining how race and ethnicity influence these identity dynamics. Our results revealed race and ethnicity to …