Sports Management Commons^™

Design, Financial Trends And On-Field Success, Daniel T. Baylard

Sport Management Undergraduate

Since college athletic departments are considered non-profit organizations and it’s expected they spend revenue in support of their overall mission which can be considered as achieving on-field success. Previous literature has uncovered multiple relationships between expenditures and revenue in comparison to on-field success. The common theory is that athletic programs must increase spending to increase wins, and increase wins to increase revenue. The purpose of our research is to explore financial trends within the rank based competition structure of NCAA Division I college football’s top 25 football teams in the 2012-2015 seasons. We will also acknowledge the effects of the …

Comparing Two Organizational Structures In Professional Ultimate, Jack Dowling

Senior Theses

Leaders of business organizations have always strived to find the most efficient method of organizing and conducting their business. New strategies are constantly being developed and adapted to new situations. The business of Sport is no different. Over the past century, the sport industry in America has experienced an explosive level of growth, with the largest major sport leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) earning multibillion dollar revenues in recent years.[1-4] In addition to these “Big Four,” there are numerous minor-league and semi-professional sport leagues. Each of these leagues must operate in a way to consider geographic, economic, and other important …

The Institutional Factors That Affect The Academic And Financial Success Of Mid-American Conference Schools, Mckayla Johnson

Sport Management Undergraduate

Athletic departments and institutions are spending an increasing amount of money on athletics. They believe that increasing spending will meet their mission to improve student-athletes’ academic success. However, the question arises, is the money being spent on athletics actually contributing to that goal? Secondary data was correlated to find the relationship between the institutional, academic, and financial factors. The results of this study found that the majority of these relationships were not significant meaning that these factors are not working together to meet that mission. Therefore, those institutions who participate in the athletic department arms races will not see an …

Factors Contributing To Consumers Decisions To Attend A Sporting Event, Sarah Gensler

Sport Management Undergraduate

Previous research on consumer attendance patterns has explored the impact of single factors on desired outcomes. This is problematic because people rarely have a single motive behind their decision making to attend a sporting event. This study aimed to determine which factors were the most important to college students when deciding to attend sporting events. Using a cross-sectional survey, the research found that desire for excitement, geography, and social media all had statistical significance in influencing decision making. Contradictory to existing research, on field promotions, level of fandom, and consumer emotion were not found to be tied to their decision …

Fandom: A Study On How College Students Selected A Favorite Professional Sports Team, Zachary R. Brown

Sport Management Undergraduate

This research aimed to uncover key factors in how college students select a favorite sports team. An important issue in today’s sport industry is recognizing fans motives for supporting their favorite sport teams. Sport managers need to better understand fan’s motives in order to address the team's needs and increase the fan base. Also, the team needs to cultivate a relationship for fan involvement to garner economic benefits. The subjects for this study were college students at St. John Fisher College. Using an online survey, the results of this uncovered that team factors were the most important in someone supporting …

Media Constructed Retirement Articles Of Professional Baseball Players, Kevin T. Berge

Sport Management Undergraduate

The career of an athlete may shape the narrative that the media uses when writing articles on that player when they retire. Many people fail to understand how the media constructs articles the way they do on Major League Baseball (MLB) players upon retirement. This research study used a mixed method approach to show how the media covers certain professional MLB players when they retire. The researcher counted how many times chosen variables were mentioned in two different articles of sixteen retired MLB players, and then extracted quotes from those articles. This study found that superstar pitchers and superstar hitters …

What Factors Affect An Athlete's Injury Reporting Decisions, Zachary Mallard

Sport Management Undergraduate

The purpose of this research was to find out what factors impact or have an influence on the decisions and coping behaviors athletes after they have sustained an athletic injury. Semi-structured interviews with 11 SJFC student-athletes explored their thought processes and behaviors during the process of dealing with injury. Time loss factors play a critical role in their thinking about reporting and dealing with injuries. Eligibility concerns and role on the team also shape their reporting and return to play. Throughout the entire process, athletes discussed their identity changes when coping with injuries.

A Proposal For A Community Soccer Website For San Francisco Soccer Participants And Stakeholders, Christian Martin

Sport Management

This paper looks into the needs and desires of various San Francisco soccer community stakeholders and proposes a mobile-friendly website to serve as both an information hub and a social platform to meet these stakeholder needs and desires. Stakeholders interviewed and surveyed for this paper include San Francisco professional, semi-professional, and college teams, adult and youth leagues and clubs, soccer shops, soccer bars, soccer supporters’ groups, coaches, referees, and more. This paper also includes a plan of execution for the proposed website and illustrations of its proposed

webpages.

Developing Computer Vision Technology To Automate Pitch Analysis In Baseball., Mahdi Moalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lokator is a baseball training system designed to document pitch location while teaching pitch command, selection and sequencing. It is composed of a pitching target and a smartphone app. The target is divided into a set of zones to identify the pitch location. The main limitation of the current system is its reliance on the user's feedback. After each throw, the pitcher or the coach needs to identify and report the target's zone that was hit by the ball by just relying on the naked eye. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the possibility of using computer vision …

The Effect Of Floss Bands On Elbow Range Of Motion In Tennis Players, Kenna Hodeaux

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Floss bands have been used to improve ROM, restore joint mechanics, and break down adhesive tissue from previously injured musculature, however, there is limited research available and the few research studies have mixed results on the usefulness of floss bands. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of floss bands in increasing elbow range of motion (ROM) in tennis players. Twelve elite tennis players (6 female and 6 male) participated in this randomized crossover design study. Subjects attended two separate sessions. Passive ROM measures were taken with a standard goniometer for elbow flexion and extension and forearm …

Wage Penalties In Major League Baseball, Thomas Kraemer

Honors College Theses

This study examines discrimination both by race and by foreign-born status in the context of Major League Baseball (MLB). The goal of this study is to determine if employer-based discrimination is present in MLB by looking for average differences in wages amongst groups and by looking for differences in returns to on-field output for players of different groups. MLB is an interesting industry to look for evidence of discrimination because it is one of the few industries where employee output is clear to see and compensation information is widely available, which is unusual for labor market studies. Sports is an …

Motivation To Play Esports: Case Of League Of Legends, Yaoyao Sun

Theses and Dissertations

The population of playing electronic sports has increased recently, and the most popular one is League of Legends (LoL). As a multiplayer online battle arena video game, it’s not only a game, but also a competitive electronic sport. The purpose of this study was to assess the motivations of playing League of Legends and to relate them by genders, age groups and frequency groups. The final sample comprised 111 LoL players. The study categorized 12 items into three factors: achievement, socialization and immersion. Results indicated that achievement factors were stronger motives for men than women. For different age groups, there …

Measuring Racial Competence In Athletic Academic Support Staffs, Aquasia Thornhill

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Critical Race Theory, a theoretical framework that has been gaining much recognition in sport literature, is a useful and beneficial tool in discussing race and racism. To better understand the context in which academic support staff appreciate the functionality and significance of race, the present study measures the racial competence of athletic academic support staffs. This research study explores the need to integrate a model such as Critical Race Theory that promotes “racial competency” among academic support staffs working closely with student-athletes of color, and measures Color-Blind Racial Attitudes that may have effects on the types of interactions individuals are …

The Oakland Nomads, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

The announcement last week that the Oakland Raiders would, for the second time in its history, leave the city of Oakland came as a shock to no one. The synergistic relationship between the greed of the National Football League and the greed of the principal owner of the Raiders, made such a move an inevitability on the wheel of time. Such “loyalty” to the city of Oakland and its rabid football fans will not go unrewarded. Indeed, both the Raiders owner and the NFL will make out like bandits once again.

The Week In Woman's Sport, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

While much of the country was caught up in the final weekend of March Madness in Phoenix, the biggest stories were taking place in Women’s sport, both on and off the field of play.

Development Of The Attitude Towards Women’S Sports Scale (Atws), Ceyda Mumcu, Scott Marley

Sport Management Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to develop a survey instrument “Attitude toward Women’s Sports (ATWS) Scale” to measure attitude toward women’s sports, and seek various validity and reliability evidences for the instrument. First, item pool of ATWS scale was reviewed by subject matter experts to collect evidence on content validity of the instrument and to refine the instrument. Second, items were tested with two pilot studies to assess effectiveness of the items within the ATWS scale by performing item analyses. Total of 49 items were deleted in two pilot studies as a result of item analyses. The remaining items …

How Can Small-Market Teams Survive In Today’S Major League Baseball?, Kelsey Walton

Honors Senior Capstone Projects

Competitive balance is an issue in every major sport, though Major League Baseball struggles significantly due to the lack of a salary cap. Understandably, the players’ union disagrees and refuses to allow a salary cap, as player salaries would most likely not only be slowed but halted altogether. Major League Baseball contrasts this as perfect competition is preferred though unrealistic. Prior research indicates that competitive balance measures such as the luxury tax and revenue distribution are somewhat effective, though they still do not completely solve the issue plaguing the league, specifically small-market teams.

Undergraduate Sport Management Students’ Perceptions Of Leadership Skills Through Service Learning, Bryan Romsa, Katelyn Romsa, Jon Lim, Scott Wurdinger

Counseling and Human Development Faculty Publications

Researchers have discovered that service learning affects students’ academic, personal, and social development. However, currently there is a gap in literature analyzing ways in which service learning affects students’ perceived leadership skills. This study examined the effectiveness of service learning on the perceived leadership skills of 74 sport management undergraduate students at a mid-sized, Midwestern, public university using Kouzes’ and Posner’s Student Leadership Practices Inventory instrument, which examines leadership practices in five areas: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act, and Encourage the Heart. The results of this study may help faculty members …

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 …

Making Seconds Count, Kate Carlisle

Colby Magazine

After narrowly missing the Olympics, Steve Whelpley '05 returns to Mayflower Hill ready to help train the next generation of Colby rowers.

Politics And Perceptions Of Women’S Golfing Abilities, Kelly Price-Rhea

ETSU Faculty Works

Dr. Kelly Price discovers a remarkable study showing a connection between tee box positions for women and the prevailing politics in the local area.

Wbc, Nba, And Nhl, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Now that the World Baseball Classic has ended and the United States has finally notched a WBC championship, it is time to reflect on the event. For me, it was a great success not because the U.S. won, although that was important, but rather for a number of other reasons.

Great Fun At Wbc In Miami, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

My fellow Americans, today I want to report to you that although I have been going to baseball games for over a half-century, I have never been to a baseball game like the one I went to in Miami last Saturday night.

Are Fans Proud Of The Wnba's Pride Campaign?, Ceyda Mumcu, Nancy Lough

Sport Management Faculty Publications

In May 2014, the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) launched its Pride campaign and became the first professional sport league in the US to explicitly reach out to gay fans. As the public opinion toward homosexuality has been changing, sport marketers need to understand how to reach and respond to heterosexual and gay fans without alienating one or the other. The purpose of this study was to investigate heterosexual and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) fans’ attitudes toward the Pride campaign, and the impact of fandom, attitude toward the Pride campaign and sexual orientation on consumption intentions. One-way ANOVAs, …

An Examination Of Motivation And Identification Of Football Fans, Jennifer Y. Mak, Carina King, Jinmoo Heo

Marketing Faculty Research

This study examined the fans motivation to attend the National Football League (NFL) games and how it relates to fan identification. Data from 158 fans who attended regular season games in a Midwestern city in the United States were analyzed using regression to determine the degree to which fan identification could be explained by motivation factors. It was found that self-esteem, entertainment, escape, and eustress explained 40.1% of the variance in fan identification. Understanding that fans have different levels of identification and different types of motivations will enable sport marketers can better tailor strategies to more effectively reach target markets.

Household Life Cycle As A Segmentation Approach For Major Professional Sports Teams, Jacob S. Watkins

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

As entertainment and leisure market offerings increase, major professional sports teams need different approaches to segmenting consumers. Household life cycle represents an approach to segmenting. Using data from one major professional sports team, the household life cycle is found to have a relationship with purchase of different season ticket packages. Major professional sports team managers should offer different types of ticket packages to different segments of the household life cycle.

Ed Garvey’S Legacy, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Ed Garvey died this week at age 76. For many younger NFL fans his name will mean little. Once called “The Karl Marx of the Shower Stall,” Garvey was one of the most significant figures in the history of the National Football League in the 1970s and early ‘80s. Garvey was appointed legal counsel to the National Football League Players Association in 1970 and became Executive Director in 1971, a position he held until 1983. Along with John Mackey and others he led the players in there decades long struggle with the Commissioner and the owners. Although he did not …

Denial, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

It seems that by now most everyone, except Patriot and Falcon fans, should have fully recovered from the Super Bowl. As someone who has seen all fifty-one of these championship games, this one certainly ranks among the most exciting, if not the best played game.

The Nfl's Alternative Facts, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

One of the new buzz phrases spreading across the nation out of Washington is “alternative facts.” For those of us who have lived through several administrations and any number of sporting scenes, “alternative facts” are quite a familiar commodity.

The Australian Open, Richard C. Crepeau

On Sport and Society

Each year the Australian Open seems to produce some excellent tennis in the form of a dramatic match, a surprising winner, or some other wonder. It is the first of the Grand Slam events of the year and as such has a significance for anyone even slightly interested in tennis.