Sports Studies Commons^™

Perceived Body Image In Female Athletes By Sport Uniform Type, Mary Elizabeth Gillespie

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether collegiate sport teams in which female participants are required to wear uniforms that are more revealing, have a more negative self-perception of body image and greater drive for muscularity than those with non-revealing uniforms. Female athletes from 7 women's NCAA Division I collegiate athletic teams from a Midwestern university took part in this study. Subjects were grouped according to the type of uniform worn during competition in their sport. Subjects were divided into two categories: revealing uniforms (n = 33), which included volleyball, track and field, cross country, and swimming, while …

The Relationship Between Softball Student-Athletes' Motivation, Self-Confidence, And Perception Of Coach Leadership, Jacquelyn M. Sernek

Masters Theses

This study advanced the understanding of relationships among coach leadership and collegiate softball players' self-confidence and motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a correlation between perceived coach leadership and softball player's self-confidence and motivation. Ninety-seven U.S. collegiate female softball student-athletes completed a Basic Demographic Survey, the Trait Sport-Confident Inventory (TSCI), Leadership Scale for Sport (LSS), and Sport Motivation Scale (SMS). Multiple linear regression analyses results indicated that LSS and SMS subscales explained 45 percent of the variance in TSCI scores. Pearson correlation coefficients were computed and significant moderate positive relationships were found between the …

Aau Basketball - Participants' Perceptions Of Their Aau Experience, Hakeem R. Willis

Masters Theses

In the United States, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) has become the focal point for college recruiters in searching for top talent amongst middle and high school basketball athletes. Financially, AAU basketball can be expensive, making it difficult for families to allow their children to compete. However, players feel that AAU participation is worth the investment because of the benefits, which includes collegiate exposure. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of former AAU basketball players' experience. The research question used to guide this study was: what are former AAU basketball players' perceptions of academic requirements, time/money, …

An Intersectional Analysis Of Male Student-Athletes' Meaning-Making About Masculinity, Michelle Lisack

Masters Theses

Men's athletics is often viewed as an environment where hegemonic masculinity is perpetuated, though some believe this environment provides a safe space for men to break away from hegemonic masculinity. This study was designed to gain an understanding of how male student-athletes experience masculinity and how the context of athletics influences meaning-making about masculinity. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher interviewed five male student-athletes and observed the practice sessions of two different teams. The participants were student-athletes of junior or senior status from the following sports: tennis, soccer, swimming, baseball, and basketball. Results showed that male student-athletes found it challenging …

Athletic Identity And Career Transitioning Of Former Collegiate Athletes, Cameron Jimenez

Masters Theses

The focus of this study was to try and advance the understanding of athletic identity (AI) and its specific effects on former athletes. Previous studies in the area seem to focus on the relationship between AI, exercise habits, career maturity, and career transitioning of professional athletes. For example: Erpič, Wylleman, and Zupančič, (2004) examined former professional Slovene athletes. While those are important aspects of life former athletes encounter, the primary investigator (PI) felt it was important to understand the effects AI presents upon employment status of collegiate athletes who did not play professionally. Eighty-five former collegiate athletes participated and completed …

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 …

An Exploration Of The Impact That Postmodernism Has On Competition In Sport, Shara Crow

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that postmodernism has on competition in sport. Previous studies compartmentalized social thought and competition in sport. This study appreciates that the two are connected, and it is through this connectedness that the impact emerges. By describing, finding, and analyzing relationships through text as well as notating text iteratively, it was found through a postmodernist critical awareness to meta-narratives that sport is expressed in two main themes: (a) identity (b) and hierarchy/authority. Moreover, both of these themes are interrelated to social interaction. These findings indicate that social interpretation impacts the complex …

A Quantitative Analysis Of Collegiate Athletic Involvement And Academic Achievement Among Sport Management Students, Christopher Amos

Masters Theses

Within the last several decades, more attention has been focused on the academic success of college athletes. It has been documented from several studies that high school athletes perform better academically than their non-athlete peers (American Sports Institute, 1995; Brand, 2007; Dilley-Knoles, Burnett, & Peak, 2010; Foltz, 1992; Fox, Barr-Anderson, Neumark-Sztainer, & Wall, 2010; Slear, 2005). However, at the collegiate level, this heightened academic achievement trend among student-athletes is not so clear. Lapchick often releases data regarding graduation rates among a select group of highly achieving teams in certain sports but not much exists in the way of a comparison …

American Beisbol: How Cultural Differences Help Explain Different Approaches To Game Playing, Derek Jackson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis project is to examine the effect of culturally derived game strategies on the success level of players in the game of baseball. Specifically, I look at both the influence of how various Latin American cultures teach the game in order to better ensure success of players at the MLB level versus how the game is taught in the United States and Japan. In this way I develop a feedback model in which these game strategies perpetuate a cycle of enculturation that further reinforces cultural/ethnic identities. In order to accomplish this goal I look at the …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Team Identification In Professional Sports, Lisa Schleef

Masters Theses

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are becoming more relevant, especially in professional sports. Community members have begun to expect sport organizations to have charitable foundations, given that they are in a perfect position to have successful CSR programs. Explained through team identification and social identity theory, CSR programs provide a great opportunity to bring fans together and foster team identification. CSR programs should help fans develop a positive social identity, by allowing them to become part of a group and interact with other fans. If a person is a fan of a team that helps its community and does good …

Effectiveness Of Improving Performance With The Bigger Faster Stronger In-Season Training Program, Alicia D. Crelinsten

Masters Theses

This study investigated the effectiveness of improving performance of adolescents with the in-season Bigger Faster Stronger (BFS) program. Thirty seven high school athletes were divided into three groups; BFS (n=l4 ), traditional weight training (n= l0), and control (n= 13 ). Each participant went through a battery of seven performance pre-tests and post-tests ( estimated 1 ORM incline bench, broad jump, one minute sit-up test, t-test, line drill, 40 yard sprint, 1.5 mile run). Following the pre-testing, the control group continued to participate in their sport. The BFS group participated in the in-season BFS program (30 minute supervised session consisting …

The Effects Of A 6-Weekly Plyometric Training Program On Agility, Jeremy Herniman

Masters Theses

PURPOSE: To determine if six weeks of plyometric training can improve an athlete's agility. DESIGN AND SETTINGS: Subjects were divided into a plyometric training and a control group. The plyometric training group participated in a six week plyometric training program. The control group did not perform any plyometric training techniques and were told to refrain from initiating any lower extremity training program. SUBJECTS: Twenty eight subjects were randomly assigned to 2 groups, a plyometric training group and a control group. Subjects were at least 18 years of age, free of lower extremity injuries, and were not involved in any type …

Black Power In Green And White: Integration And Black Protest In Michigan State University Football, 1947-1972, John Matthew Smith

Masters Theses

While southern college football teams remained all white until the late 1960s and early 1970s, Michigan State University head football coach Duffy Daugherty formed championship teams in 1965 and 1966 by recruiting the best southern black players. While coaches in the North recruited black athletes and played them regularly by the mid-1950s, no other coach took the risks Daugherty did to integrate his teams. Duffy Daugherty's path-breaking teams broke all the rules of integrated competition and forced southern schools to reconsider their stance on segregated college football.

The ground breaking integration of black athletes in the mid-1950s and 1960s under …

Perception And Prevalence Of The Hostile Environment In Athletic Training, Leah S. Gagnon

Masters Theses

The profession of athletic training has continued to emerge as a profession for both men and women over the last 50 years. The nature of the profession and the environment in which it exists may lead to sexual harassment by coaches, athletes/clients, administration, or other certified athletic trainers (ATC's). The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of sexual harassment, the prevalence of sexual harassment, and mechanisms in place to prevent sexual harassment in three professional environments of athletic training: college/university, high school, and sports medicine clinic.

The Modified VELMAC Sexual Harassment Questionnaire was distributed via email to …

White Rules, Black Stars: Race, Sport, Community, And The Emergence Of Integrated Boys' High School Basketball In Benton Harbor, Michigan, 1945-1965, Christopher Michael Jannings

Masters Theses

Located in the southwestern corner of the state in Berrien County, the city of Benton Harbor, Michigan rests along the shores of Lake Michigan, in the heart of the Fruit Belt, and near the St. Joseph River. Not until the early 1940s did a significant number of black migrants arrive from the South and larger metropolitan areas in the North to take advantage of a booming a wartime economy, higher paying jobs, and better living conditions. The growing black presence greatly altered the social, political, cultural, and economic structure of Benton Harbor. By the late 1950s and early 1960s the …

They're Getting Away With Murder: The Social Account Ability Of Collegiate Athletes, Justina Ixcia Phillips

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to study deviant behavior among collegiate student athletes. This study involves institutions in the Midwest region of the United States, particularly the Mid-American Conference (MAC). This study took on a sociological approach by interviewing specialized athletic officials, and examining different levels of social control by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), along with its interaction with the Mid-American Conference. Various variables that affect social control such as gender, race, and economic conditions were also examined to get an understanding of how these factors influence behavior.

The Relationship Between State-Trait Anxiety And The Use Of Superstitious And/Or Ritualistic Behaviors In Athletics: An Exploratory Study, Jodie S. Hood

Masters Theses

There is limited published research in the area of superstition in sports as it relates to an athlete's anxiety and performance. This study was designed to examine this relationship through the administration of a demographic questionnaire, a list of ritualistic and superstitious behavior and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Participants were members of 5 Eastern Illinois University Varsity athletic teams. Results indicate several differences across gender when comparing five athletic teams (men's baseball, basketball, and track and women's track and softball) with their anxiety and superstitious behavior levels. Several significant correlations were found between: reported religious persuasion and frequency of religious …

A Comparison Of Goal Orientation By Gender And Level Of Competition Among High School And Collegiate Basketball Players And Its Relationship To The Motivational Climate, April Frost

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was a difference in goal orientation among athletes across gender and levels of competition. A second purpose was to determine if perceived motivational climate was correlated with the type of goal orientation that basketball players of both gender and different levels of competition developed. The subjects in this study consisted of 191 basketball players. Specifically, (n)= 25 male collegiate athletes, (n)= 55 high school males, (n)= 47 female collegiate athletes, and (n)= 64 high school females. The Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) was used to assess the …

Changes In Female Athletes' Physical Self-Esteem Across A Competitive Cycle And As A Function Of Athletic Identity, Michelle C. Reed

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine if female athletes' physical self-perceptions are different when comparing their Physical Self-Perception Profile (PSPP) scores within their competitive season with their scores during the off-season. The second purpose was to determine if physical self-perception varied as a function of their athletic identity. A secondary objective was to evaluate female athletes' physical self-esteem in an individual sport setting compared to a team sport setting. Eastern Illinois University female collegiate athletes in six different sports, track (n=15), softball (n=16), soccer (n=11), tennis (n=3), volleyball (n=5), and rugby (n=19) were given the Athletic Identity Measurement …

The Effects Of Perceived Leadership Behaviors And Goal Orientation On Female Collegiate Athletes' Level Of Motivation, Melanie L. Krynski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived coaching behaviors, goal orientation, and motivation among female collegiate athletes. Female athletes from Eastern Illinois University (n = 66) and Valparaiso University (n = 25), took part in the study. Specifically, the purposes of the study were; a) to examine if athletes who perceived their coaches to exhibit more democratic behavior, praise and encouragement, and training and instruction behaviors would demonstrate higher levels of intrinsic motivation, and b) to examine if athletes with a positive goal profile (high task/high ego) would have significantly greater motivation levels compared to …

The Impact Of The Program For Athletic Coaches Education (Pace) Certification –Mivca Coaching Association, Heather L. Sawyer

Masters Theses

This study identified the level of awareness, and perceived usefulness of the Program for Athletic Coach (PACE) by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association (MIVCA) (n=296). The study further examined: (1) the extent MIVCA coaches are engaged in PACE; (2) the relative importance of content delivered; (3) the important content to improve coaching; and (4) what the MIVCA coaches believed their personal investment should be in a coaching education program.

The participants were asked to complete a survey that ranked the importance of the domains and standards found in the National Standards for Athletic Coaches (NSAC). Results indicate a relatively …

Football Yobbery: The Social Organization Of European Soccer, Pakky M. Gerkin

Masters Theses

This study is an investigation of European football fans, known as hooligans. For this research, I went to the European Football Championships in the summer of 2000. During a two-month field research project, I observed the soccer games and the many fans who gathered for the tournament. In the course of the research, I spoke with several individuals and explored the existing literature in the sociology of sport. This work has been created through a combination of my own ethnographic work, and an extensive literature review. I have attempted to interweave both my own experiences and those of others to …

The Biomechical Analysis Of The Kinetics And Kinematics For Three Figure Skating Jumps, Laura Blazok

Masters Theses

The problem of this investigation was to describe the kinetics and kinematics of three figure skating jumps: axel, double toe loop, and double loop. Specifically, the researcher investigated impact force, kinetic energy, and selected kinematic variables of female skaters during the landing phase of the three figure skating jumps. Kinetic energy and impact force were calculated during three phases of landing: Initial, Mid, and Final. Each of these phases represented a third of the time spent in landing each of the jumps. The kinematic variables measured during the landing phase of the jumps were vertical velocity, horizontal velocity, shoulder rotation, …

Differences In Motivation Between Division I Collegiate Female Basketball Players And Swimmers, Meghan Mcgovern

Masters Theses

Previous research has shown that motivation to participate in athletics is influenced by a variety of factors. A great number of studies have identified several of these factors including age, gender and scholarship status (Amorose and Horn, 2000). However very little research has been conducted regarding how the type of sport may influence motivation.

The purpose of this study was to determine if differences existed in the types of motivation exhibited by team sport athletes and individual sport athletes when assessed using the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) (Pelletier et al, 1995). It was hypothesized that team sport athletes would display …

Coach-Athlete Philosophy And Team Cohesion In Collegiate Women's Basketball, Angela R. Patzner

Masters Theses

The study examined the effects of coach-athlete philosophy of various collegiate level women's basketball teams on team cohesion levels as perceived by the athletes. The philosophic orientation of head coaches (n = 4) and athletes (n = 43) was determined by use of the Philosophic Affiliation Team Survey (PATS). The team cohesion levels, as scored by the Group Environment Questionnaire, GEQ (Carron, Windmeyer, & Brawley, 1985), were compared between those coaches and athletes who displayed a philosophic match and those who did not match. Specifically, the purposes were to a) determine if those athletes who matched the philosophy of their …

Proposition 48: Knowledge, Attitude And Appreciation In High School Student-Athletes, Robin Salters

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge, attitude, and appreciation of high school student-athletes toward National Collegiate Athletics Association bylaw 14.3, commonly known as Proposition 48. The subjects completed a questionnaire inquiring about their knowledge of Proposition 48 as well as knowledge of its qualifying criteria. Those subjects that acknowledged having heard of the bylaw were then asked questions pertaining to their attitude towards Proposition 48 as a standard for intercollegiate athletics eligibility and the effect of their knowledge of Proposition 48 on their study habits in preparing for the pressures of being an intercollegiate athlete.

The …

Temporal And Emg Relationships Among The Phases Of Vertical And Depth Jumps, Amanda Albright

Masters Theses

Plyometric exercises blend speed and strength training and are often used to help an athlete reach his or her ultimate power potential. Specifically, plyometric training is a technique that enhances neuromuscular excitability, which may in tum increase the ability to achieve a greater work output.

The purpose of this study was to examine the temporal and EMG differences between two different jumping techniques: a vertical jump and depth jumps of varying heights. The study consisted of 20 female physical education majors grouped as skilled or unskilled. Temporal and EMG data were collected for (a) the duration of time spent in …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Personality Type And Emotional Response To Athletic Injury, Jasmin C. R. Hutchinson

Masters Theses

This investigation was designed to examine emotional response to athletic injury using personality constructs within reversal theory. Twenty-five (male = 19, female = 6) collegiate athletes, ranging in age from 18 to 22 years (mean = 19.95, SD = 1.11) who sustained a minimal criteria injury during a six-week data collection period participated in this study. Each athlete's total mood disturbance (TMD) was measured pre-injury and post-injury using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Athlete's personality orientation was measured using the Paratelic Dominance Scale (PDS). A dependent t-test indicated a significant increase in TMD scores following injury (p < 0.05), thus indicating overall mood disturbance in injured athletes. An independent t-test comparing paratelic and telic dominant athletes on TMD difference scores revealed non-significant results (p = 0.40). Methodological and theoretical reasons for this are examined and implications for further study of reversal theory and athletic injury are discussed.

South African Distance Runners: Issues Involving Their International Careers During And After Apartheid, Carrie A. Lane

Masters Theses

While some sports in South Africa have a distinct racial identity, distance running is one of the most popular sports in the country for people of all ethnic backgrounds. This study examined the issues that South African distance runners faced from the time the country was banned from Olympic competition, in 1968, to the present day. It profiled 21 male and female elite and collegiate runners who have competed in the United States from 1980 to 1999.

Because of South Africa's apartheid government, which legalized racial segregation and inequality, South African sport was excluded from international competition for 32 years. …

The Female Sport Experience: History, Development, And Psychological Implications, Dawn A. Whittington

Masters Theses

This paper reviews the literature related to women in athletics with a focus on the psychological perspective. The paper is divided into three major parts.

Chapter I traces the historical antecedents with specific emphasis on the development of sports psychology and women's gradual integration into amateur and professional athletics. Chapter II reviews literature devoted to the psychosocial issues related to the female athlete. These issues include personality traits and patterns, psychosocial problems associated with women entering and maintaining status in athletics, stereotypes, homophobia, socialization issues and the incidence and etiology of eating disorders among female athletes. Chapter III addresses the …