Sports Studies Commons^™

Beyond Strong: A Phenomenology Of Women Executives And The Connection Between Leadership And Fitness, Nozomi Bullock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Senior-level executive leaders’ work in a dynamic, competitive, 24/7 business environment can be physically rigorous, mentally demanding, and emotionally isolating. The same holds true for women pursuing senior-level leadership roles in corporate America. Women who achieve and succeed in such roles remain the minority: Outsiders in elite spaces who are held to higher standards and overly scrutinized. Among senior-level executive women leaders, those committed to a fitness and training regimen including weightlifting constitute an even smaller minority. Senior-level executive roles require stamina, resilience, and courage—qualities that make up the foundation of the mindset of fitness and strength training (Foyster et …

Faculty Perceptions Of Soft And Hard Skills In Sport Management Curricula, Jonathan Rosenberg Ed.D., Simon M. Pack

The COSMA Journal

While employers still see the value in accessing hard skills, the current hiring process involves placing a greater emphasis on the transferable skills known as soft skills. These soft skills include critical thinking, teamwork, leadership, written and oral communication, and the ability to research independently. As such, hiring managers suggest the onus for developing soft skills rest with faculty as they equip these future employees with the soft skills necessary for a given role or industry. There exists an abundance of research in skill development and employability from the vantage point of the employer and of the graduating student, however, …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 100, No. 2, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Magazine edition of the College Heights Herald for the period November 11 - December 5, 2024.

• Wilborn, Price. Letter from the Editor – Homecoming
• Vickers, Abigail. Homecoming Royalty – Milie LeJeune, Sarah Burke, Katie Burch, Jennifer Smith, Alice Waddell
• A New Era for Social Sciences at WKU – Society, Culture, Crime & Justice
• Steps from WKU, Miles of Charm – Walk2Campus
• Wilborn, Price. Martha Sales Reflects on Life, Leadership & Growth
• Leasing Agents Lending a Friendly Face & Helping Hand – Columns
• Smith, Kane. How Local Businesses Prepare for Homecoming Crowds
• Downtown Bowling Green – Restaurants & Businesses
• Home Sweet …

Integrating A Practical Sport Analytics Course Into Sport Management Education, Bradley Congelio

The COSMA Journal

Integrating analytics into sport management curricula has become increasingly crucial as the sport industry embraces data-driven decision-making. However, many programs struggle to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in analytics education. This paper presents a comprehensive approach to teaching sport analytics that emphasizes hands-on experience with data using the R programming language and RStudio. The course structure and content described herein focus on leveraging the tidyverse ecosystem and National Football League (NFL) data to immerse students in conducting sport analytics. By progressing through modules on data manipulation, visualization, web scraping, and statistical analysis, students acquire both the …

Beyond Amateurism: Examining The Potential Labor Expenses Of Ncaa Student-Athlete Employment, Alayna K. Falak, Tyler L. Custis

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

In light of recent administrative developments urging the classification of student-athletes as employees, litigation challenging the current employment status of student-athletes, and the Supreme Court’s willingness to tackle National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) issues, many questions surrounding the future of college sports under an employment model have emerged. The authors analyzed key litigation, recent developments from administrative agencies, and academic literature. The authors used publicly available data from the NCAA, the United States Department of Labor (DOL), and other sources to construct two estimates of what it would cost NCAA member institutions to provide baseline compensation to their Division I …

Voluntary Early Retirement From Sport: The Lived Experiences Of Former Ncaa Diii Student-Athletes, Lindsey Darvin, Ryan Konotopskyj, Ashley Ryder

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Intercollegiate athletics offer amateur athletes an approximately four-year window to pursue their athletic careers (Hodges & Darvin, 2022). While many athletes complete their full eligibility, some choose to retire early (Zvosec & Bass, 2022). At the NCAA Division III level, motivations for early retirement remain unclear, and the experiences of former student-athletes are often overlooked (Zvosec & Bass, 2022; Hodges & Darvin, 2022). Despite DIVISION III's large athlete population, research seldom delves into their experiences. This study aims to explore why former Division III athletes voluntarily leave their sport. Transitioning out of collegiate sports poses significant challenges, affecting athletes' identities, …

The Challenges Women Face In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu In The United States, Rachel S. Silverman, Anthony Dixon, Harriet E T Dixon

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The purpose of this case study was to discover the challenges facing women participating in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in the United States, how they overcame these challenges, and why they continue to participate in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Twenty-three female jiu-jitsu athletes participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions were utilized. Analysis of challenges revealed three broader themes of Brazilian jiu-jitsu being male-dominated, gender norms and Brazilian jiu-jitsu being a contact sport. Women discussed how they coped with the challenges and the benefits they gain from participation. To increase the number of women involved in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, participants suggested more women’s-only …

The Fight In And Out The Ring For Mexican American Women Boxers, Melody Alanis, George B. Cunningham, Natasha T. Brison

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

In the context of the United States (US) sport sector, particularly within the boxing domain, a prevalent hypermasculine culture has been widely observed. Despite this prevalence, there exists a significant gap in research: addressing the shared experiences of Latinas, specifically Mexican American women boxers in the US. To bridge this divide, the authors employ a qualitative study utilizing Latin Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) as the primary theoretical framework to further investigate the boxing experiences of Mexican American women inside and outside the ring. The study engaged ten participants in semi-structured interviews, while additionally collecting data from their respective boxing gyms' …

Navigating The Transition: Factors Impacting Academic Success And Challenges Faced By First Semester Student Athletes In College, Joseph Milone Edd, Deb Risisky Phd, Jim Macgregor Edd

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The purpose of this study was to better understand the factors that influenced first-semester college-athletes’ ability to succeed academically in the transition to collegiate life, focusing specifically on not only the factors that contributed to academic success but also those the athletes considered to be challenges or barriers during their first semester in college. Interviews (N = 9) were conducted with first-year college-athletes at a Division II regional university in the northeast United States over a two-year period to identify not only the factors that contributed to academic success but also those the athletes considered to be challenges or …

An Analysis Of Racial Tasking And Other Sport Management Theories Through The Lived Experiences Of Black College Football Coaches, Trevor Bopp, Robert Turick

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

The purpose of this study was to explore Black coaches’ (N = 17) perceptions of the academic research that purports to shed light on their experiences in college football. In sharing their lived experiences, coaches discussed the racial inequalities they have and continue to overcome to enter, remain, and advance in coaching; considered the existence and influence of racial tasking; and provided their thoughts on sport management research. In doing so, they remarked about many of the racialized barriers and disparate outcomes which we have hypothesized, analyzed, interpreted, and written about in our academic work. Implications from this study provide …

Framing Foreignness In Sports: The Effect Of Text And Image Frames On Attitudes Toward Australian College Punters, James Bingaman

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

In recent years, there has been an influx of Australian college punters receiving significant media attention. This media coverage often emphasizes these athlete’s “foreignness” by relying on cultural stereotypes. Existing research has shown that the framing of athletes – both text and image frames – can influence individuals’ attitudes and perceptions. Using a 2 x 3 (two textual frames x three visual frames) experimental design, this study sought to test the effects of “foreignness” framing on attitudes toward Australian punters and punters more broadly. The results offer several directions for sports media scholars to examine media effects related to the …

“We Need To Do More” To “This Is All Bullsh**” : A Continuum Of Race-Related Social Media Activism In College Athletics, Natalie N. Bunch, Lauren Beasley, Beth Cianfrone

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) member institutions have addressed social issues, such as racial justice, via team or athletic department social media platforms. Often the social media strategy is managed by a content creator within the athletic department. However, coaching staff members may be concerned with what is posted to team or athletic department accounts because of the public facing nature of their job, their use of social media in recruitment efforts, and their role in creating a positive environment for current athletes. We surveyed 128 coaches across divisions to determine perceptions of their athletic department’s race-related activism on social …

Book Review Of Motorsport And Fascism. Living Dangerously. By Paul Baxa. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022. 313 Pages., Alessio Giovene

Journal of Motorsport Culture & History

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of Lazzaro: A Man And His Machines. By Ron Moshier. Newburyport, Ma: Coastal 101, 2023. 180 Pages., Elton G. Mcgoun

Journal of Motorsport Culture & History

No abstract provided.

A Book Review Of Speed Capital: Indianapolis Auto Racing And The Making Of Modern America. By Brian M Ingrassia. Urbana, Chicago, And Springfield, Il: University Of Illinois Press, 2024., Paul Baxa

Journal of Motorsport Culture & History

No abstract provided.

Book Review Of The First Lady Of Dirt: The Triumphs And Tragedy Of Racing Pioneer Cheryl Glass. By Bill Poehler. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2024., Douglas Stark

Journal of Motorsport Culture & History

No abstract provided.

The Mental Health Literacy Of Ncaa College Coaches: Knowledge, Beliefs, And Resources, Lauren Beasley, Steven Hoffman, Jackson Sears

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college athletes in the United States (U.S.) are at risk for diminished mental health, and stigma may be a barrier to these athletes seeking professional mental health care. Coaches can create a team environment that prioritizes athlete mental health and destigmatizes help-seeking; however, this requires coaches to have appropriate mental health knowledge, operationalized as mental health literacy (MHL). Therefore, the purpose of this exploratory study was to explore three different constructs of MHL of NCAA coaches across Divisions I, II, and III. The Multicomponent Mental Health Literacy Scale (MMHLS), which measures MHL within three domains—knowledge, …

An Exploration Of Factors Impacting First-Generation College Athlete Retention At Small Colleges And Universities, Adam R. Cocco, Alan Grosbach

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Retention is an increasing area of concern for higher education institutions as enrollments continue to decrease. This is especially germane for small colleges and universities given their lower enrollments and limited resources. First-generation students and college athletes are populations with enhanced susceptibility to attrition due to additional challenges and burdens placed upon them as they navigate the college environment. Therefore, there is a need to understand the factors influencing retention among those at the intersection of these student demographics. The purpose of this study is to examine the association of individual (gender, race, and academic performance) and athletic (financial aid, …

Investigating Ticket Price Determination Of Collegiate Athletics: Insights From Pricing Professionals In Non-Football Bowl Subdivision Schools, Jason D. Reese, Yang Xu

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

This study aims to investigate how ticket prices are set in Division I (DI) college athletics, how the individuals making pricing decisions perceive the purpose of athletics, what objectives pricing managers are trying to achieve with both revenue and non-revenue sports, and the factors that influence how the final price is set. Structured interviews were conducted with 12 athletic department external operations staff from 12 non-FBS DI institutions, representing seven different conferences. Results showed that price is determined through either a bottom-up hierarchical model or a committee-based model. Patronage-Oriented objectives were shown to dominate the pricing strategy in non-FBS programs, …

Determinants Of The Returns To Sports Cards, Evidence From The Nba, George Langelett

Mountain Plains Business Conference

This is the first study to investigate the role of NBA player performance on the value of NBA rookie cards of Basketball athletes. Previous studies have found that a player’s race does not affect the price of one’s rookie card. This is the first study to investigate the impact of performance variables, including points per game, rebounds, assists, and steals significantly affect a player’s salary, as well as one’s race, signing a new contract, winning a championship, and appearing in the “all-star” game on the annual change in price of one’s rookie card during the same time period. Utilizing data …

The Value Of Cosma Outcomes: Student Learning Outcomes, Transferable Skills And Taxonomy Levels, Coral Bender, Lindsey Maxwell

The COSMA Journal

Using a content analysis of all published Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) of Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) accredited programs, the current study analyzes SLOs to assess the most frequently used measurable verbs (utilizing a revised version of Blooms’ Taxonomy) and transferable skills (utilizing the definitions provided by AAC&U’s VALUE Outcomes and their corresponding rubrics) emphasized by accredited programs. An analysis of the most common Taxonomy Levels is presented at the aggregate level as well as a comparison between undergraduate and graduate education to provide a case study of SLO measurable verb alignment across accredited sport management programs. Further, content …

Sport Social Hub: Using The Power Of Collaboration To Develop Hands-On Social Media Competencies, Alisa Agozzino, Brendan O'Hallarn, Peyton Stensland, James Strode

The COSMA Journal

This paper introduces Sport Social Hub, a collaborative, multi-institutional social media exchange inspired by the Commission on Public Relations Education's (CPRE) emphasis on key knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) in public relations education. Sport Social Hub engaged students from four universities in topical, sports-themed assignments. These assignments involved creating memes, analyzing historical and contemporary sports photographs, profiling industry professionals with infographics, and developing engagement contests. The paper outlines how Sport Social Hub addresses CPRE's recommended KSAs within social media, collaboration, and creative thinking. Utilizing social media platforms as pedagogical tools, Sport Social Hub aimed to enhance students' social media competencies, …

Who Are You Rooting For? T20 Cricket World Cup 2024, Usa & Wi, Purvesh Desai

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The T20 Cricket World Cup '24 played in USA & WI will bring immense excitement to the cricket lovers around the world and have a question to themselves “Who shall I Root for?” How do people or fans support their favorite teams and on what criteria do they pick these teams will discuss in here.

Patriotism, tradition, and favorite individual players, are the main reasons for the fans to choose their and support the team. Nation is the biggest pride of an individual and many people choose their pride over everything. People celebrate when the home team plays on the …

Understanding The Big Picture Before Assigning Full Blame: The Lost Opportunity With The Oakland A’S, Mark S. Nagel

The COSMA Journal

Despite operating in Oakland, California since the 1960s, the A’s have received Major League Baseball (MLB) approval to permanently move operations to Las Vegas in 2028. Though most fans and media members have placed the blame for the move on A’s primary owner John Fisher, a detailed analysis indicates that at least some of the blame for the A’s leaving their long-time home should be attributed to MLB and the MLB Players’ Association as they failed to recognize opportunities for the A’s to remain in the Bay Area and for the entire baseball industry to increase their short and long-term …

Ua80/1 Memorandum Of Understanding, W Club, Athletics (Wku)

University Organizations

Memorandum of Understanding between the W Club and WKU Athletics regarding support offered by WKU Athletics to W Club.

Ua80/1 Agenda, W Club

University Organizations

Agenda of the August 2024 W Club Board of Directors meeting.

Exploring Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy In The Lived Experiences Of African-American Male Former Division I Basketball Players: A Phenomenological Study, James Jameel Pugh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the self-perceived career goal achievement capabilities of African-American former Division I basketball players through the lens of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy (CDMSE) and its impact on their post-athletic career decisions. Through a phenomenological approach, this study aims to contribute a nuanced understanding of the experiences, behaviors, and perceptions of these athletes' post-collegiate sports career transitions. Embedded within the literature review framework, this study illuminates likely factors influencing CDMSE by examining Self-Efficacy, Athlete Identity, Identity Foreclosure, and Career Maturity. Additionally presented is an overview of the unique culture within revenue-generating collegiate sports and, specifically, previous research on the experiences …

Faculty Diversity, Accreditation, And Sport Management, B. Nalani Butler, Thomas Aicher, Ryan Turcott

The COSMA Journal

The lack of racial and gender diversity of faculty within sport management programs has been an area of concern for years. This is an exploratory longitudinal study that compared sport management faculty diversity over the course of five-years to investigate and understand how racial and gender diversity within Commission on Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA) accredited sport management programs has evolved over the years. A content analysis based on the Racial and Gender Report Card (RGRC) created by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES) was used to determine faculty diversity amongst COSMA accredited sport management programs. Results indicated …

Ncaa Division I Collegiate Athletes’ Motivational Perspectives Pertaining To Their Academic And Athletic Roles, Jeongwon Choi, Allison B. Smith

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Research continues to point to collegiate athletes need to navigate their conflicting roles of academics and athletics simultaneously to be successful in their collegiate experience. Thus, in order to traverse these dual roles, collegiate athletes need to be both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated to balance both academic and athletic responsibilities. The purpose of this study is to explore and understand collegiate athletes’ perceptions of motivation through a qualitative design based on Self Determination Theory (SDT). Ten collegiate athletes who competed at the NCAA Division I level in a variety of sports were interviewed for this study. Three meaningful themes emerged …

An Examination Of Sport Retirement Through Concept Analysis Of Occupational Retirement, Andrea Cota Powell, Patti J. Berg, Andrew C. Pickett, Moses N. Ikiugu, Whitney Lucas Molitor

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Occupational retirement is a major life transition that involves extensive planning, preparation, and coping strategies. Concept analysis was completed to explore adaptation to occupational retirement as a way to further understand sport retirement. Thirty-nine occupational-related articles were included in the final analysis. The primary antecedent to occupational retirement is financial stability, followed by age and family life. Antecedents to sport retirement include graduation, exhaustion of NCAA eligibility, and possibly injury. The antecedents are unique to each type of retirement, but the consequences are similar. Retirees of both types often experience feeling of loss, grief, depression, and identity crisis while adjusting …