Sports Management Commons^™

The Esport Points Of Attachment Index (Epai): Exploring Psychological Connections Of Esport Consumers On Behavioral Intentions Toward Esport Organizations, Se Jin Kim

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the literature gap in understanding the different psychological mechanisms of eSport consumers, as determined by their various points of attachment they possess depending on different sport contexts. The electronic sports (eSports) industry has been growing rapidly in popularity, but exploration of eSport fandom has been limited. Especially, a better understanding of the eSport consumers’ behavior and their psychological connection to particular eSports and teams is necessary. The first study in this dissertation identifies the points of attachment in eSport fans, based on an extensive literature review. The second study develops and validates the eSport Points of Attachment …

Sport Fans' Consumption Behaviors Following The Covid-19 Pandemic And Return To In-Person Spectating, Frederick G. Grieve, Joseph C. Case

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine consumption of sporting events after sport leagues returned from the COVID-19 pandemic. A sample of 329 college-aged sport fans were recruited for the study. Participants were administered measures to assess their sport fandom, sport fandom spectator identification, sport rivalry fan perception, and behavioral consumption of sport. Data was obtained between October 2020 to January 2021 as sport leagues returned to play. Results from the current study indicated that current sport consumption is at a similar level as it was pre-pandemic. However, the methods of consumption were inconsistent. Participants in the present …

Prime Video Vs. Netflix Vs. Disney+: Investigating Fandom And Rivalry Among Direct-To-Consumer Streaming Services And Sport, Cody T. Havard, Timothy D. Ryan, Michael Hutchinson

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current study investigated differences in perceptions and likely behaviors toward rival out-groups among sport and direct-to-consumer streaming services. Results indicated that fans of sport reported higher identification with their favorite team and more negativity toward their rival team than did fans of streaming services. Further, being a fan of both sport and streaming services was correlated with more negativity toward the sport rival and more positivity toward rival streaming services. Finally, fans of streaming did not differ in their perceptions and likely behaviors toward rival groups among streaming platforms. Discussion focuses on implications and avenues for future research.

Sport Science Forum Abstracts, Frederick G. Grieve

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Through a collaboration with the Sport Science Forum at Western Kentucky University, FinSHEEM is able to present the abstracts from the meeting focusing on sport science and sport fandom. Presenters are invited to submit full papers from the Forum.

The Influence Of Fantasy Sport Participation On Fans' Perceptions Of The Impact Of The Legalization Of Sport Wagering, Daniel L. Wann, Ryan K. Zapalac, Ted B. Peetz, Frederick G. Grieve, Julie A. Partridge

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

As states look for ways to increase revenue, many are making attempts to increase the availability of legalized sport wagering. Extending previous work designed to further our understanding of how such actions could potentially impact sport fandom, the current study examined the impact of prior participation in fantasy sports, a pastime sharing much in common with sport gambling. The findings revealed that level of participation in fantasy sports were related to expectations of increased sport wagering, should such opportunities become more available. However, fantasy sport participation was not related to expected changes in sport interest or consumption.

Is There Really No Crying In Baseball? Examining The Acceptance Of Crying In Sport, Tommy Derossett, Daniel L. Wanna, Jana Hackathorn, Sean C. Rife, Morgan Owens, Brighton C. Hollingsworth, Kaylee Noel, Kendrick Settler, Quinn Lambert, Meagan Beckerson

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

It is not uncommon to see tears shed by players on both the winning and losing teams, particularly after a championship game. However, sport is also seen as an environment where competitors go to “put their game faces on” and keep their emotions in check, such as during the film A League of Their Own, when a manager tells a sobbing player that “there is no crying in baseball!” The current study sought to examine the extent to which individuals agree with this perspective. Specifically, participants rated the acceptability of crying by males and females in both sport and non-sport …

Disney, Netflix, And Amazon Oh My! An Analysis Of Streaming Brand Competition And The Impact On The Future Of Consumer Entertainment, Cody T. Havard

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current analysis paper discusses the impact of brands such as Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and others on the growing streaming service space. In particular, comparisons and differences are identified between various streaming brands, addressing how consumers and the brands are influenced by the relevant competition and rivalries. Additionally, the passage also discusses how the streaming competition among content providers may impact the future of consumer entertainment. Finally, additional work and analysis regarding streaming and its impact on consumer behavior is requested.

Where The Sidewalk Ends: A Call To Action For Investigating The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Fans And Consumers, Cody T. Havard

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current topical essay addresses the need for future researchers to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on consumers, fans, and supporters, and how organizations adapted to the health crisis. Specifically, background and ideas for research regarding the impact of COVID-19 are presented for the areas of sport, entertainment, hospitality, and event management.

Leveraging Dimensions Of Specialized Knowledge In The Theme Park Industry: An Analysis Of Stakeholder Perspectives, Carissa Baker

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

This analysis addresses the value of utilizing multiple knowledge domains when trying to grasp a subject. In this case, the discourses of academia, industry, and fandom can inform one another and prove beneficial to understanding a complex entity like a theme park. The analysis suggests breaking out of silos, embracing interdisciplinary, and engaging in informal and formal relationships between stakeholders with different perspectives.

Returning To The Magic: Examining The Impact Of Previous Attendance On Male And Female Disney Fans Perceptions Of Universal Theme Parks, Cody T. Havard, Daniel L. Wanna, Frederick G. Grieve, Timothy D. Ryan

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current study investigated the influence prior consumption has on male and female consumers and brand supporters. In particular, 206 self-reported fans of Disney reported their perceptions of the Disney and Universal theme parks brands. Results indicate that men reported more negative perceptions and likely behaviors toward Universal theme parks than did women. Further, those that had attended a Disney theme park were more negative toward Universal than participants that had not visited a Disney theme park. Finally, the interaction of prior park attendance and gender displayed significant differences among participants. The current findings study adds to the literature on …

Journey Into Your Imagination: A Topical Essay On Using The Spirit Of Imagination (With A Little Bit Of Figment) And Creativity In The Pursuit Of Knowledge, Cody T. Havard

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current research essay addresses the importance of using imagination and inspiration in the research process. The research process-the continued search for knowledge and understanding-should be a worthwhile endeavor, and one that brings satisfaction and inspiration to academics. Therefore, the current research essay discusses potential ways to use one's imagination to engage in meaningful, satisfying, and fulfilling research.

Using Sport Fandom To Aid In The Search For Meaning, Daniel L. Wann, Nancy H. Fast

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

The current investigation examined the extent to which sport fandom serves as a source of meaning in life. Participants completed a questionnaire packet assessing their level of fandom, level of identification with their favorite team, and their perception that following sport given their life meaning and purpose. The data suggest that, although sport fandom can and does provide meaning in life, it does so at modest levels. Additionally, as hypothesized, certain individuals were more likely to see sport fandom as a source of meaning, namely those with greater levels of general fandom and team identification.

Sport Science Forum 2022 Abstracts, Frederick G. Grieve

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Through a collaboration with the Sport Science Forum at Western Kentucky University, FinSHEEM is able to present the abstracts from the meeting focusing on sport science and sport fandom. Presenters are invited to submit full papers from the Forum.

Standing Out While Fitting In: Exploring The Differential Roles Of Belonging And Distinctiveness In Team Choice, Tommy Derossett, Daniel L. Wann

Findings in Sport, Hospitality, Entertainment, and Event Management

Belonging and distinctiveness are considered innate motivators for human behavior and decision making. Satisfaction of both needs is often associated with increased levels of well-being and personal agency. Both belonging and distinctiveness have been examined as successful motivators for sport fandom, but research is needed to determine the differential roles of either trait in choosing a specific team or sport to follow. The current study asked participants to report their needs for belonging and distinctiveness and to choose a fictional sport team to cheer for upon moving to a new country. One team was described as being the “mainstream” team …

A Glimmer Of Hope: Environmental Change And Strategy Adaptation At World Wrestling Entertainment (Wwe), Siraat Mustafa Jd/Mba

Major Papers

This paper addresses the strategic and environmental adaptation of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the undisputed leader in the professional wrestling and sports entertainment industry. With over three decades of dominance, the WWE surpassed $1 billion in revenues and continues to produce live content in new ways, which successfully increased audience interaction and engagement. As the WWE continued to adapt its business to the changing media environment during the global pandemic of COVID-19, it completed an important agreement to license its WWE Network content to Peacock. The agreement is expected to expand the reach of its brands and enhance the …

The Future Of Name, Image, And Likeness In Advertising, Olivia E. Nuss

LSU Master's Theses

This study explores the unique intersection of the law and the theories of communication related to a student athlete’s ability to receive compensation based off their name, image, and likeness (NIL). The purpose of this study is to understand the future of NIL legislation application as it relates to emerging media and student-athletes’ privacy interests in order to better understand influencer marketing and the impact new legislation will have on student-athlete brand deals. Through a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews, I explored industry trends in NIL as it relates to brand partnerships and advertising, focusing on key players, methods, and …

The Madness Of March: A Quantitative Look At Cinderella Stories In The Ncaa Division I Men’S Basketball Tournament, Joseph J. Fresco

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

This study looked to determine if being classified as a Cinderella Story team in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, also known as March Madness, led to a statistically significant change in NCAA Division I men’s basketball spending for that team’s respective institution one, two, and three years after being labeled. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of men’s basketball spending on teams that are Cinderella Stories in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. It aims to understand how spending differs between athletic programs whose characteristics mirror those of Cinderella Stories and how expenses change before …

Systematic Approach Based On The Use Of Compensatory Exercises With An Impact On The Indicators Of Motor Qualities, Doniyor Bahodirovich Yadgarov

Eurasian Journal of Sport Science

Aim: To substantiate that the use of compensatory exercises with a selective effect on the declining indicators of motor qualities of inactive muscle groups can increase the level and ensure a positive trend in the indicators of physical fitness of schoolchildren of grades 3-4.

Methods: To achieve this, the following research methods were used:

1) study of special literature, individual diaries of physical education teachers.

2) questionnaire,

3) anthropometric measurements,

4) the method of control exercises,

5) ascertaining experiment.

6) pedagogical experiment,

7) mathematical statistics.

Results: To improve the quality of physical education lessons, it is recommended and implemented: 1. …

Sustainability In Minor League Sports, Sara Nimmo

Honors Theses

The COVID-19 Pandemic has greatly impacted the sports industry with the substantial changes that were prevalent during 2020. With those changes, many leagues had drastic budget decreases and were forced to compensate for the lost revenues. Many teams throughout Minor League Baseball, the AHL and the NBA G League were forced to come up with creative revenue streams as well as cost cutting strategies in order to maintain operations after the pandemic. Along with the effects of COVID-19 on the business of minor league sports, there is also heightened attention on what minor league teams are doing to sustain the …

Major League Baseball: The Meaning And Impact Of The Lockout, Derek Mclaughlin

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Major League Baseball’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expired after the 2021 season, which resulted in a lockout. There was an uncertainty of lost games during the lockout. After ninety-nine days an agreement was reached between Major League Baseball and the players’ union. Throughout this research, I explored what would have happened as of a result of lost games. Statistics from previous seasons suggest what could have occurred had there not been an agreement prior to the start of the season, while the new agreement suggest the motivation behind the new agreement.

“It's Like You're Trying To Get A Meeting With The Pope”: A Narrative Inquiry On Experiences Of Social Work Field Staff Establishing Field Placements In Sport, Lauren Beasley

Doctoral Dissertations

Social work in sport is a growing subspecialty of social work practice. However, there is limited research on the training of social work students to work in a sport setting. As field education is considered the signature pedagogy of social work education, more insights are needed on social work field internships in sport organizations. To fill this gap in the literature, the purpose of this narrative inquiry was to understand social work field staff's narratives of their experiences establishing sport-specific field placements through their lived stories. The study was guided by three research questions: (1) What narratives do social work …

The Role Of Organizational Culture And Relationship Marketing In Disability Sport Sponsorship: An Exemplar Case Study., Nina Siegfried

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Worldwide, disability sport faces funding challenges. Sponsorship offers a viable alternative to combat the lack of sustainable funding in disability sport. Exploring how organizational culture can be leveraged to increase strategic partnerships, the purposes of this multiple manuscript dissertation were to (a) examine the elements of the organizational culture that make a successful international wheelchair basketball sport club attractive to external partners and (b) determine what role those organizational cultural elements play in leveraging relationship marketing (RM) for sponsorship acquisition and retention. Utilizing an exemplar case study methodology, the focus of this study was the RSV Lahn-Dill, an international wheelchair …

Cost Of Attendance And Competitive Balance In The Ncaa Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Michelle Calica Coyner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) justifies its power and regulatory structure as necessary to promote competitive balance. Despite this, there is limited research on the efficacy of NCAA policies that were implemented with the intention of supporting more parity in Division I conferences. This study examined whether the 2015 cost of attendance (COA) policy was associated with competitive balance in various groups within the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. Through the lenses of the Matthew Effect and policy design theory, this study aimed to understand how NCAA policies may hurt or help inequality in college sport. Although not all …

The Nil Agreement And Social Media: A Content Analysis, Scott Smith

Student Research Submissions

The Name, Image and Likeness Agreement has opened hundreds of doors for college athletics to make money based on their "likeness" and not their performance on the field. This new agreement levels the playing field for all athletes in college. Through a content analysis this paper will take a look at how the NIL is being discussed in various media channels such as TikTok and how this agreement is affecting the student athlete experience. Not every athlete is striking mega deals, but with this agreement everyone from Junior college to Division 1 has the opportunity to make money through avenues …

A New Generation Of The Ncaa: How Two Major Rules Have Changed The College Landscape, Brennan Saunders

Honors Theses

This paper is designed to take a look at the effect of two new rule changes the NCAA has established within the past two years. Through an explanation of what led to the NIL and transfer portal rulings, what NIL involves, and the long-term effects that NIL and the transfer portal are going to have on future athletes’ decisions, we will find that the NIL and transfer portal are the biggest rule changes in NCAA history and will have major ramifications for years to come.

A New Way Of Learning: Student Revelations From A Sport Development Service-Learning Course, Deondra E. Johnson

Eagle Showcase: Excellence in Service-Learning

No abstract provided.

The Effectiveness Of Monitoring The Special Endurance Of Athletes, Dilnoza Nigbaevna Rakhmatova

Eurasian Journal of Sport Science

Aim: It consists in developing a test for a special endurance monitor, having studied the training composition and characteristics of martial artists.

Methods: In the article, we used the following techniques, based on differences in the dynamics of motor activity (DMA), we divided athletes into 3 groups:

"flat", characterized by relative uniformity of motor activity in the process of wrestlers' competition;

"double peak", characterized by a twofold increase in motor activity at competitions more than once in each period;

"triple peak", which describes a three-fold increase in motor activity during competition with one increase in the first period and two …

Testing Efficiency In Nhl Betting Markets, Charles Luxton, Joshua Spizman, David Moore

Honors Thesis

The efficiency of markets is a prominent topic in the field of finance. Market efficiency has been thoroughly examined across many subsectors of finance; however thus far, existing research has sparsely covered the increasingly prominent sports betting market. This market is currently valued at roughly $10B per year (Grandview). In this article, we evaluate the efficiency of sports betting markets, using NHL betting lines and results from 2015-2020 to create a multivariate probit model which tests the market’s efficiency. Using a multivariate probit model to identify NHL money line bets with a relatively high probability of success compared to their …

Monitoring Of The State Of Speed And Strength Training Of Highly Qualified Handball Players In The Training Process, Alisher Odilovich Abdalimov

Eurasian Journal of Sport Science

Purpose: to determine the attitude of coaches and athletes to the selection of training tools for effective improvement of speed and strength training of highly qualified handball players.

Methods: In order to solve the tasks, set in order to monitor the state of speed and strength training of highly qualified handball players in the training process, we used the questionnaire method.

Results: According to the results of the survey, it was revealed that many coaches do not have enough scientific and theoretical information about the development of speed and strength training. The process of improving the coach's activity is endless, …

Gender Discrimination And Its Impact On Female Sport Management Students, Nicole Bellettiere

Transformations: Presentation Slides

Gender discrimination within the sport management industry is a prominent complication that has been around for seemingly forever. Whether it’s being ashamed of their femininity by a male dominated society (Hoeber and Shaw, 2003), undergoing gender stereotyping (Bower, Hums, and Grappendorf, 2015) or experiencing sexism (Hardin, Smith, Taylor and Welch, 2018), it’s clear that women have been pushed to the bottom of the sporting industry. This has an overall effect on female sport management students and their experiences throughout their time in the undergraduate program. It’s been concluded that female students are left questioning whether sport management is right for …