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Full-Text Articles in Sports Management

Leadership Experiences Of Athletics Directors In Faith-Based Small College Departments: A Phenomenological Study, Michael Teague Apr 2024

Leadership Experiences Of Athletics Directors In Faith-Based Small College Departments: A Phenomenological Study, Michael Teague

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand the leadership experiences of intercollegiate athletics directors at faith-based, small colleges and universities throughout the United States. The theory guiding this study was Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory, as it explores how leaders can most effectively lead and engage their employees given unique circumstances and how those types of leaders are found within the faith-based, small college and university intercollegiate athletics departments. The central research question in this study is: How do athletics directors describe their leadership experiences in a faith-based, small college intercollegiate athletics setting? The phenomenological research using …


Pay-To-Play: A Quantitative Analysis Of Opportunity, Achievement, And Parental Motivation In Youth Club Soccer, Alec Joseph Golini Aug 2022

Pay-To-Play: A Quantitative Analysis Of Opportunity, Achievement, And Parental Motivation In Youth Club Soccer, Alec Joseph Golini

Masters Theses

In the last twenty years, the youth sport experience in the United States has been shaped by a family’s ability to pay. Under the pay-to-play model in American youth sports, advancing to the highest levels of the game not only requires the standard expenditures, but significant investment which accounts for coaching, equipment, travel, training, and other resources. Previous research on the topic has analyzed the impact of income, educational attainment, and race and ethnicity on access to elite-level sports opportunities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pay-to-play model and factors associated with athletic outcomes at three youth …


Investigating The Role Of Collegiate Athletic Director In Addressing Head Trauma Prevention, Clay Thomas Roe Dec 2020

Investigating The Role Of Collegiate Athletic Director In Addressing Head Trauma Prevention, Clay Thomas Roe

Masters Theses

Within collegiate athletics, there is a growing interest in the management of head trauma incidents. This qualitative study was designed to answer two research questions: (1) What is the role of athletic directors in the management of head trauma prevention? (2) What are the major concerns of athletic directors regarding head trauma prevention and what should happen in the future? Findings from the research questions revealed three themes: (a) Indirect mention of head trauma prevention in athletic director job description, (b) athletic director delegation to medical professionals, and (c) athletic directors want more research and education on head trauma prevention. …


Payroll Disparity Among Major League Baseball Teams: Building A Competitive Team Despite Limited Resources, Sarah Holtschneider Apr 2020

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 …


Exploring The Essence Of Participation Of The Female Puerto Rican Basketball Athlete, Roberto Medina Mar 2020

Exploring The Essence Of Participation Of The Female Puerto Rican Basketball Athlete, Roberto Medina

Masters Theses

In Puerto Rico, little is known regarding how female collegiate and professional basketball players perceive and experience their playing participation. The population of girls playing basketball has experienced recent increases. However, the culture in Puerto Rico has yet to embrace the participation of female basketball athletes. Attempting to address the void in scholarly literature, this study explored female athlete participation perceptions in competitive basketball within the Puerto Rican sport culture. The investigation implemented a qualitative approach using a phenomenological methodology to form descriptive themes. Data was obtained from 14 female basketball athletes, of which 10 were student-athletes, and four were …


Fostering Whole Person Development Through High School Football: A Case Study, Joshua Daniel Cassidy Nov 2019

Fostering Whole Person Development Through High School Football: A Case Study, Joshua Daniel Cassidy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to describe how Coach Clark (pseudonym) addressed the development of the whole person during adolescence through high school football at County High School (pseudonym). Whole person development (WPD) during adolescence was generally defined as human development that was meant to involve all the parts (i.e., cognitive, social, spiritual, emotional, and physical) of a person. This study answered the following central research question: How does Coach Clark address the development of the whole person during adolescence through high school football at County High School? The results of this study showed that Coach Clark addressed the …


Social Emotional Skills In Adventure Education: A Qualitative Study On The Connection Of Adventure Education Participation And Social Emotional Skills In High School Students, Joseph A. Reynolds Oct 2019

Social Emotional Skills In Adventure Education: A Qualitative Study On The Connection Of Adventure Education Participation And Social Emotional Skills In High School Students, Joseph A. Reynolds

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine possible connections between participation in an Adventure Education (AE) course and social-emotional skills (SEL) in a group of high school students during their junior and senior years. Six participants agreed to a one-on-one, open-ended, interview to determine their experiences from taking a 5-6 week AE course. Those experiences were then explored for relativity to SEL. A phenomenological approach gained an understanding of the participant’s experience throughout the course. Findings indicated, through participation in the course, participants experienced impacts on self-confidence and self-awareness, and shared experiences of changes in empathy and connectivity to …


Measuring Greatness In The Nba, Evan Whitmoyer Apr 2019

Measuring Greatness In The Nba, Evan Whitmoyer

Senior Honors Theses

The “greatest player ever” debate stems from the controversy of how to measure a player’s effectiveness and contributions. Some analysts focus their arguments on a player’s statistics and advanced analytics. Another analyst may argue that awards play the largest role in a player’s worth to a team. Even though the tendency is to focus on one category of comparison, a player’s career is too complex to use only one category to rank players. In basketball, there are also so many exceptions in these points of comparison due to the team aspect of the sport. These factors all play a role …


Leading By Example: Coaches’ Perspectives Of The Nonverbal Leaders On Sport Teams, Alicia Finnigan Apr 2019

Leading By Example: Coaches’ Perspectives Of The Nonverbal Leaders On Sport Teams, Alicia Finnigan

Senior Honors Theses

Within the last century, scholars in sociology and psychology have begun to research roles in society. In recent decades, industrial/organizational psychology research sparked an interest in informal roles, and now sport psychology is beginning to adopt that investigation of informal roles as they appear on sport teams. Current research is sparse, but some early work has determined several informal roles, and one of these has been individually investigated. The purpose of this study was to contribute to the expansion of knowledge concerning individual informal roles by investigating collegiate coaches’ perspectives of a second role: the nonverbal leader. Analysis revealed ideas …


Pay-For-Play In College Athletics: A Phenomenological Study Of Former And Current College Student-Athletes’ Perception Of Pay-For-Play, Brittany Dobson Apr 2019

Pay-For-Play In College Athletics: A Phenomenological Study Of Former And Current College Student-Athletes’ Perception Of Pay-For-Play, Brittany Dobson

Masters Theses

The literature suggests the conceptual definition of amateurism set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the increase in corporate athleticism within the NCAA has resulted in a controversial debate concerning the pay-for-play model, which would allow student-athletes to receive additional compensation. Numerous studies related to pay-for-play have been implemented, however, few have examined how student-athletes feel about the pay-for-play model. The purpose of this study will be to explore student-athletes’ perceptions of pay-for-play. In order to understand student-athletes’ perceptions of pay-for-play, a phenomenological research design was chosen. Three former and two current NCAA Division I student-athletes from Liberty …


Seeking Excellence: Improving Objectivity In Player Analysis In Professional Basketball, Nathan Cook Nov 2018

Seeking Excellence: Improving Objectivity In Player Analysis In Professional Basketball, Nathan Cook

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis details the creation and testing of an original statistical metric for analyzing individual basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) by both their commonly measured statistics and their so-called “intangibles.” By using existing methods as both guides and a caution against potential shortcomings, an inclusive statistic with multiple layers of data can be built to best reflect an individual player’s overall value to his team. This metric will be adjusted to account for the differences across multiple eras of NBA play and the levels of talent with which a player played in order to avoid penalizing a …


The Greatest Basketball Player Of All Time: Lebron Vs. Jordan, Austin Jacobson May 2018

The Greatest Basketball Player Of All Time: Lebron Vs. Jordan, Austin Jacobson

Senior Honors Theses

LeBron James is one of the greatest athletes of this generation. I am seeking to determine what he needs to do to surpass Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time. Considering individual statistics, team success, and personal achievements as well as factors such as political and racial activism and involvement, media coverage (including social media), and generational difference, I am hoping to show what is left to accomplish for LeBron to reach and surpass Jordan.


Consumer Perception Of Sport Event Sponsors, Omar Olando Brown Apr 2018

Consumer Perception Of Sport Event Sponsors, Omar Olando Brown

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore sport consumer’s perceptions of sport event sponsors, specifically concerning the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. This quantitative research surveyed 119 participants, employing a 24-questions survey instrument composed of Likert type and demographic questions. The data was analyzed to answer three specific research questions. The analysis of the data indicated although respondents fully supported the Olympics and believed athletes are using the product they endorsed, they believed the products must be beneficial to athletes. The findings also indicated respondents felt it was necessary for companies to support the Olympics, however they did not find …


Taxation Of Income On Professional Team Athletes, Crystal M. Williamson Apr 2017

Taxation Of Income On Professional Team Athletes, Crystal M. Williamson

Senior Honors Theses

Taxation of income for the average person can be a daunting task. However, for professional athletes, this task becomes even more tedious. Professional athletes face the jock tax. This means that athletes have to pay taxes in every state in which they play a game, practice, and perform a service that is part of their contract. Professional athletes, like every United States (U.S.) citizen, are required to pay both federal and state income taxes. Since professional athletes are constantly traveling, their state of residence becomes even more important when allocating their income to the respective state. Many question the constitutionality …


Warrior Health: A Study Of Female Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Who Engage In Outdoor Adventure Recreation, Julia Smith Nov 2016

Warrior Health: A Study Of Female Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms Who Engage In Outdoor Adventure Recreation, Julia Smith

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to show the impact of outdoor adventure recreation on female veterans who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study followed a phenomenological approach in order to gain an overall view of what the veterans experienced, using observation and interviews in order to gather information. Conclusions showed female veterans desire female-veteran-only activities; desire relationships with fellow female veterans; and enjoy outdoor adventure recreation that includes teamwork, planned activities, and relaxation. In order to ensure the best possible avenue for PTSD health in female veterans, future research may include a focus on the impact of …


Muscular Christianity: A Comparison And Analysis Of The Historic And Modern Muscular Christian Movements, Chase H. Stevens Apr 2016

Muscular Christianity: A Comparison And Analysis Of The Historic And Modern Muscular Christian Movements, Chase H. Stevens

Senior Honors Theses

“Muscular Christianity” is a scholarly term that is used to define the general view of Christians in Europe and the United States that arose in the 1800s toward sport involvement. Muscular Christian beliefs have progressed throughout the past century and are still influential in the modern world. This thesis seeks to outline the historic progression of muscular Christian beliefs and practices and then explores similarities and differences of modern muscular Christian beliefs with its historic positions. It concludes with a future perspective on the globalization of muscular Christianity and provides suggestions for proper Christian attitudes toward sport.


Is The Nfl Responsible For Concussions Sustained By Players?, Lindsey Reid Jun 2014

Is The Nfl Responsible For Concussions Sustained By Players?, Lindsey Reid

Masters Theses

National Football League (NFL) players have sustained concussions while playing football (Casson & Viano, 2010). There is a growing controversy between NFL players, their immediate families, and the league regarding alleged claims that management should be held responsible for the physical deterioration of former players including compensatory damages for suffering. Family members of current and past NFL players claim league officials provided inadequate education regarding risks associated with playing professional football. Former players are experiencing health issues such as dementia, early Alzheimer's, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), trouble concentrating and inability to work; in some cases these debilitating life-changing events have …


Major League Baseball's Antitrust Exemption And The Impact Of The Curt Flood Act, Gina Scalzo Apr 2014

Major League Baseball's Antitrust Exemption And The Impact Of The Curt Flood Act, Gina Scalzo

Senior Honors Theses

For many years, professional baseball has enjoyed a privileged antitrust exemption apart from other professional sports. With the passing of the Curt Flood Act in 1998 this exemption was removed; however, the act may not be as influential as it seems. Court rulings were prominent in initiating and maintaining the antitrust exemption for professional baseball. These include the Supreme Court Trilogy, especially the case of Curt Flood, a baseball player who fought against the reserve clause system which limited his and other players’ employment options. Collective bargaining as well as arbitration became dominant in professional baseball labor relations under the …


Business Startup And Cause Marketing In The Running Apparel Industry, Zachary Barker Jan 2014

Business Startup And Cause Marketing In The Running Apparel Industry, Zachary Barker

Senior Honors Theses

Entrepreneurship has been the backbone of the American economy since the penning of the Declaration of Independence. Small businesses help the United States prosper and help create jobs for the American people. As today’s business world is increasingly changing in a technological and global way, entrepreneurs must consider many environmental conditions in their small business planning. Business start-up is a long process backed by research and market testing that will maximize the opportunity for success. One way many business start-ups have become successful is through cause-related marketing programs that many people support. Additionally, a particular industry that has proven to …