Sports Studies Commons^™

Georgia Southern University Athletics Media And Publicity Collection, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of reference files compiled by Georgia Southern University Athletics documenting university sports from 1988 to 2010. The files include newspaper and press clippings, statistics, game reports, and other published documents related to athletic teams, seasons, and events. Materials document football, men's basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and other non-revenue sports.

Flotsam And Jetsam: The Role Of Mlb Integration In The Wreckage Of The Negro Leagues, Nastasia Pollas

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

“We are the ship, all else the sea.” Adapted from a Frederick Douglass speech, this quote by Rube Foster became the slogan of the Negro Leagues, illustrating the resolve and determination to prosper alone during a time of segregation. Setting aside long-standing rivalry and strife, Black baseball teams united under a shared vision of forming the first professional Black baseball league.

This paper examines how Giddens' structuration theory, connecting social structures with individual actions, can explain both the development and success of the league under segregation and its eventual demise during integration.

Minor League: The Journey To The Show, Collin Anderson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

When thinking about the path an athlete takes to get to the major leagues, many think of the same process: High School, College, Professional. However, the professional level includes is more than just the MLB or NBA that people would assume. Almost all professional U.S. sports leagues have a minor league system associated with them that nearly all players pass through at one point or another. Through the lens of a documentary, this portion in an athlete’s journey will be spotlighted to show what these leagues do for them, how they help them improve, and how they prepare them to …

The Decline Of Baseball In African American Communities And Its Sociocultural And Historical Context, Owen Dylong

Scholarly Horizons: University of Minnesota, Morris Undergraduate Journal

When you look at baseball at every level today, it’s clear that the sport has become predominantly a "white man's" game. The lack of African American representation at both the player and fan levels has become a significant issue, and many wonder how the sport can reclaim its connection with African American communities and revitalize its cultural relevance in the years to come.

Not only has such a shortage prevailed within the MLB, but also at a collegiate level. According to the NCAA’s 2014-15 student-athlete ethnicity report, only four percent of baseball players at the Division I, II, and III …

The Formation Of The American League In Baseball; Changes In American Society And Culture That Contributed To The Demand For More Baseball In The Late 19th Century, Shawn M. Smith

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

The second professional major league (the American League) in baseball came about in response to the demand for more baseball entertainment due to the increased amount of leisure time Americans had in the late-19th century as society started the shift from an agricultural based lifestyle to a culture who worked predominantly in factory work.

The culture and society of the day changed drastically due to changing economic conditions of the time period. Due to monumental changes in industry, the vast majority of the population had shifted from working in an agrarian society to working in factories as a result of …

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in spring 2025.

Ua19/16/5/13 Athletic Media Relations - Baseball Film/Video/Audio File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Film, and video of WKU baseball games.

Ua19/16/1/1 2025 Hilltopper Baseball Media Guide, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

2025 baseball media guide produced by WKU Athletic Media Relations, includes athletic records and statistics, photographs, schedule and information regarding opponents.

Two New Baseball Performance Statistics, Charles H. Smith

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Ever since I was a small child I have been interested in both statistics and baseball, so I guess it was inevitable I would eventually find a way to put the two together. In this short note I'd like to suggest a pair of measures that I feel might be useful in interpreting quality of play: one focusing more on hitting, the other on pitching. Let's start with the one concerning hitting.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2024.

Impact Of Draft Order On Stress Sonography Of The Ulnar Collateral Ligament Of The Elbow In Professional Baseball Pitchers: An 18-Year Study, Adeeb Hanna, John Sonnier, Brian Fliegel, Matthew Sherman, Michael Ciccotti, Robert Jack, Steven Cohen

Rowan-Virtua Research Day

Background: The MLB draft is a common route for players to enter professional baseball in the United States. Individuals taken in earlier rounds are typically higher-performing players. When looking at pitchers specifically, higher performance at the amateur level may be associated with increased frequency of adaptive change in the throwing elbow.

Purpose/Hypothesis: To determine if players taken in earlier rounds of the MLB draft have a greater frequency or extent of pathological change in the elbow, as measured by dynamic stress ultrasound.

Study Design: Retrospective Cohort Study Methods: Dynamic stress ultrasounds (SUS) were performed over an 18-year period on the …

A Necessary Evil: A Leadership Analysis Of Major League Baseball’S Best Managers, Samuel Shapiro

Honors Theses

This study aims to contribute to the literature assessing the success of baseball managers relative to the context that governed their roles. More specifically, it seeks to address the presence of universal leadership styles, traits, and characteristics that have persisted across different eras and contexts.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2023.

Modeling The Performance-Based Compensation Of Mlb Catchers, William Deforest

CMC Senior Theses

How professional baseball players are compensated for their on-field performance and contribution to winning baseball games has been studied many times by baseball analysts, yet no real attempt has been made to focus solely on the catcher position. As one of the most demanding and specialized positions in the game, a talented catcher is vital to a team’s success. This paper attempts to utilize Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and Offensive Runs Above Average (OFF), leading statistics that use Statcast data to measure defensive and offensive productivity, to determine which area of catcher defense is the greatest differentiator between elite defensive …

Drive Leg Ground Reaction Forces And Rate Of Force Development Over Consecutive Windmill Softball Pitches, Erin R. Pletcher, Kenzie B. Friesen, Gretchen D. Oliver, Mita Lovalekar, Keith Gorse, Takashi Nagai, Chris Connaboy

Department of Exercise Science Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Windmill softball pitching is a highly skilled movement, combining whole body coordination with explosive force. Successful pitching requires sequential movement to transfer energy produced by the lower extremity to the pitching arm. Therefore, drive leg ground reaction force (GRF) and the time over which a pitcher can develop force during push off, defined as rate of force development (RFD), is essential for optimal performance. The aim of this study was to examine GRF and RFD in the drive leg during the windmill softball pitch, as well as pitch velocity, throughout a simulated game.

METHODS: Fourteen softball pitchers (17.9±2.3 years, …

Probing For Holes In The 100-Year-Old Baseball Exemption: A New Post-Alston Challenge, Sam C. Ehrlich

University of Cincinnati Law Review

As professional baseball’s unique exemption to antitrust law celebrates its one-hundredth year of existence, it faces a new attack in Nostalgia Partners v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, a claim by a group of minor league owners shut out of MLB’s recent restructuring of its minor league affiliate system. While the baseball exemption has weathered dozens of similar challenges over the past century, the Nostalgia Partners plaintiffs claim that circumstances on the Supreme Court have changed enough that the justices would be willing to overturn or narrow the exemption in their favor. This claim rests with the Court’s …

Analytical Study To Determine Significant Causes Of Increased No-Hitters In The 2021 Major League Baseball Season, Joel Robison

Honors Projects

Why were there so many no-hitters in the 2021 MLB season? This project focuses on possible significant causes to the record-breaking number of no-hitters pitched in the 2021 Major League Baseball season. Specifically, this project takes an analytical look at the recent trends in launch angles and spin rates to determine if there are any significant causes to the increased number of no-hitters in baseball. The random nature and unpredictability of the game of baseball make it almost impossible to come to any solid conclusions.

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2022

How Covid Affected My High School And College Experience, Jacob Christian

Narratives on the Coronavirus’s Effect on Collin College Students

This paper explains how the Coronavirus pandemic affected my life in high school while also getting recruited to go to college.

What's In A Name: Examining What Sports Team Names Communicate, Bridget Danielle Lewis

Masters Theses

For years, there have been controversy and discussion regarding high school, college, and professional sports team name changes. Professional sports teams have gained the most attention regarding team name changes or lack thereof. This study can bring an understanding of the message communicated through the chosen names and logos of sports teams as well as the effects of financial, political, and fan base changes on team name changes in the sports industry. Extensive research is provided to show the previous content on the topic as well as areas where further research would be beneficial. This includes previous and current sport …

Ua19/16/2 Baseball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases, photos and game statistics for WKU baseball team in 2021.

Ua102 Alan Francis Sports Collection, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Baseball and basketball score books created by Alan Francis for WKU men's and women's basketball, baseball and the Kentucky girls high school sweet sixteen tournaments.

Baseball Has A Race Problem: The Decline Of African-Americans In Baseball, Ariel Pacheco

Capstones

African-Americans have been on a decline in the sport of baseball since the 1980’s. Of the 900 players on the 2020 opening day rosters, only 65 were African American. There are currently only two Black managers and one Black general manager in the MLB. As other sports like basketball and baseball continue to rise in popularity, baseball has staggered. The question remains, what is baseball doing wrong? Is it too expensive? Is it simply not inviting to African-Americans? And what, if anything, can be done to curtail these numbers?

Foul Balls Across The Rio Grande, Rene Torres

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

The history of Laredo baseball reflects a vibrant and evolving cultural phenomenon spanning from the early 20th century to the mid-1950s. Ramon Garces chronicles this journey by dividing it into distinct phases, beginning with the city's involvement in the Southwest Texas League in 1910, where it stood out for its inclusion of Latino players. Despite a promising start, financial challenges ended the league by 1911. The 1920s saw the emergence of the iconic "Milmo Team," composed of celebrated Latino players whose achievements were overlooked by contemporary media.

The 1930s and 1940s marked a transition from sandlot baseball to a more …

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Baseball's Kevin Lambert, Kevin Lambert

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by baseball senior shortstop Kevin Lambert, whose season came to a sudden end as the team was heading to Birmingham, Alabama for its first conference series of the year.

Pitching Change: Micro-Community Of Higher Learning, Christopher Chaphe

Bachelor of Architecture Theses - 5th Year

Being around sports growing up has given me some experiences that have shaped who I am today. Playing and watching sports is a common activity amongst my friends and family. These events spark engagement and camaraderie between us. The stadium in which these sports are played within are a key component to this engagement. They bring people together to enjoy and root on your favorite teams along side thousands of other fans.

Stadiums today are becoming a remarkable instrument to generate communal spirit besides marketing, recruiting and hosting games for universities. The iconic design of these stadiums has become more …

Ua94/6/1 My Story: Wku Baseball's Ray Zuberer Iii, Ray Zuberer Iii

Student/Alumni Personal Papers

My Story is a series of first-person feature articles written by WKU student-athletes. The student-athletes will be telling their own stories in their own words. This article written by baseball senior outfielder Ray Zuberer III, whose season came to a sudden end as the team was heading to Birmingham, Alabama for its first conference series of the year.

The Perfect Game: An Ecological Systems Approach To The Influences Of Elite Youth And High School Baseball Socialization, Max Klein, Charles Macaulay, Joseph Cooper

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The purpose of this study was to examine the elite youth and high school baseball socialization process as a whole and the role of professionalization and corporatization in this process. The unique nature of baseball’s development model in the United States (U.S.), through a dual-track feeder system (college or minor leagues) allows for a wide-range of challenges and sociological factors to influence elite youth and high school prospects. Understanding players’ experiences exposes these challenges and sociological factors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four former elite youth and high school baseball players, one parent of a player, two coaches, and two …

America's Out-Of-Style Pastime, Brian J. Duffley

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

An ethically driven essay regarding the recruiting tactics and methods that have been used by MLB for years to find young, Latin talent. Bringing a light to something that baseball has gone great lengths to keep in the shadows and away from the common fan. This doesn't just create questions surrounding baseball, but overall the silencing of human rights.

“I Do Not Feel I Am A Piece Of Property To Be Bought And Sold Irrespective Of My Wishes:” Athlete Activism And The Sociocultural Impact Of Curt Flood’S Lawsuit Against Major League Baseball, Luka Green

Pomona Senior Theses

In January 1970, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood filed a suit against MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, protesting the Reserve Clause in Major League Baseball that did not allow players the right to negotiate contract terms with any team but their current one. In doing so, he cemented his status as a divisive figure in baseball, the media, and with the general public. One of the primary reasons for such an extreme reaction was Flood’s rhetoric surrounding the case, as he repeatedly invoked slavery and other forms of peonage when describing the working conditions of professional baseball players. This sparked …