Thesis (Ph.D.(Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

abstract: Playing tennis professionally is a stressful profession. However, it has the potential to be even more stressful for players who must move from their home country in order to train. If not dealt with, these stresses have the potential of causing many negative outcomes, including increasing levels of distress, in these professional tennis players. It is known that resources play a role in reducing or buffering levels of stress and distress among individuals, but there are competing theories as to how this occurs. Using Ensel and Lin's models of stress processes, this is an exploratory study that identifies the stresses and distresses professional Taiwanese tennis players face and the resources they use to cope. Participants included in this study are professional Taiwanese tennis players (2 males and 2 females) who continuously attend national and international tennis competitions and have both domestic and world ranks. Results from the semi-structured interviews revealed that challenges, frustration, resources, and toughness were four general themes to describe stresses and distresses professional Taiwanese tennis players face and the resources they use to cope. Future research for professional tennis players is also discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Recreation and Tourism Studies 2011

abstract: Sports communication is a vibrant, blossoming research area within the communication discipline. One of the more fruitful directions in sports communication research pertains to social media. Social media has embedded itself in the sports world in a very short period of time. As a result, there is a need for instructional resources that prepare students to understand the nuances and power that social media possess. This research provides the foundation for a case study textbook centered on social media and sports communication. Specifically, four cases dealing with: (a) athletes using social media to encourage input from fans; (b) sports organizations using social media as an agenda-setting tool; (c) negative parasocial interaction expressed to athletes via social media; and (d) athletes using social media to enact image repair are presented. These cases demonstrate that social media is a valuable conduit between athletes and fans that enables athletes and sports organizations to cultivate fan identity and maintain control over public information. The cases also demonstrate that fan behavior via social media can quickly turn problematic, requiring that athletes and sports organizations respond appropriately, yet strategically. The research concludes by offering implications for future social media and sports communication research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Communication Studies 2012

O fato de megaeventos esportivos serem realizados no Brasil reflete o novo posicionamento brasileiro no cenário mundial; e as problemáticas envolvendo a necessidade de profissionalização das práticas de gestão no esporte tornam-se emergentes. Somando-se este fato a crescente internacionalização do futebol brasileiro e o aumento da circulação de nossos talentos esportivos para os mais diversos países emerge a demanda de estudos que contribuam para a compreensão dos modelos de gestão dos clubes e das problemáticas envolvendo os jogadores cada vez mais inseridos em um cenário global. Torna-se ao mesmo tempo fundamental compreender os processos de empresarização e sua importância para o crescimento das instituições esportivas, contudo deve-se pensar na profissionalização e no desenvolvimento de políticas e práticas de gestão que levem em consideração os aspectos culturais e sociais do esporte. Este trabalho situa-se no campo da gestão de pessoas internacional e gestão do esporte, trata do tema da expatriação e repatriação de jogadores de futebol brasileiros. O objetivo desta pesquisa é identificar e analisar como os processos de expatriação e repatriação de jogadores são estruturados em um clube de futebol gaúcho e como esses processos são percebidos e conduzidos frente à atual realidade da gestão esportiva brasileira. O método utilizado foi estudo de caso sob abordagem qualitativa, em que 22 entrevistas com roteiro semiestruturado foram realizadas, mais especificamente, dez com profissionais de futebol, seis com empresários de futebol e seis com gestores de um clube de futebol gaúcho. A análise categorial temática foi utilizada como método de análise de conteúdo para interpretação das entrevistas realizadas. Os principais resultados encontrados na pesquisa foram: (i) A partir da compreensão sobre as mudanças na gestão dos clubes e do cenário de saída e retorno de jogadores de maneira sistêmica e longitudinal, abre a possibilidade para o surgimento de novas formas de condução dos processos de transferências internacionais de jogadores, e das próprias formas de se pensar a participação dos clubes na gestão dos seus talentos esportivos; (ii) a gestão das organizações esportivas pode estar alinhada ao planejamento e gestão da carreira do jogador, mesmo em uma lógica de lucro, desde que se leve em consideração uma visão estratégica da gestão de pessoas no esporte e se realize a gestão de um talento esportivo e não de um simples produto a ser comercializado. (iii) Parece haver grandes possibilidades de se pensar as políticas e práticas de gestão estratégica de pessoas no esporte levando em consideração o novo cenário constituído, mesmo com os desafios evidentes. Acredita-se em um ganho substancial para clubes e jogadores, ampliando as possibilidades de retorno financeiro e atuação, amenizando a possibilidade de insucessos na condução dos processos de expatriação e repatriação. / The fact that mega sporting events are held in Brazil reflects the new Brazilian position in the world scene; and the problems regarding the need of professionalization of management practices in sports became emergent. Summing this fact to the growing internationalization of Brazilian soccer and the increase in circulation of our sports talents for different countries emerges the demand of studies contributing to the understanding of management models of clubs and problems involving players increasingly inserted in a global scene. It becomes at the same time fundamental understanding the enterprisation processes and their importance to the growth of sports institutions, nevertheless it should be thought in the professionalization and development of management policies and practices that consider the cultural aspects of sports. This study lies in the fields of international people management and sports management, deals the expatriation and repatriation of Brazilian soccer players. The aim of this research is to identify and analyse how the expatriation and repatriation processes of players are structured in a soccer club from Rio Grande do Sul and how these processes are perceived and conducted in front of the current reality of Brazilian sports management. Methodology used consisted of a qualitative case of study, in which 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted, specifically, ten with soccer professionals, six with soccer entrepreneurs and six with managers of a soccer club from Rio Grande do Sul. The thematic categorical analysis was used as a content analysis method to interpret the interviews conducted. The main results in this research were: (i) From the understanding of the changes in the clubs management and the leaving and returning of players scene in a systematic and longitudinal manner, there is a possibility of arising new conducting ways of international transference of players processes and the own ways of thinking the clubs participation in the management of their sports talents; (ii) Sports organization management may be aligned to the player‟s career planning and management, even in a profit logic, if it takes in consideration a strategic view of human resource management in sports and performs the management of a sports talent and not of a simple product to be commercialized; (iii) There seems to be great opportunities to think policies and practices of people strategic management in sports taking into consideration the new scene made, even with the evident challenges. It is believed in a substantial gain for clubs and players, enhancing the possibilities of financial and performance return, mitigating the possibilities of failure in the conduct of expatriation and repatriation processes.

Master of Science / Department of Human Nutrition / Mark Haub / The purpose of this review is to examine the role of heart rate variability (HRV) as a predictor of athletic readiness and performance and assess whether nutrition strategies can be implemented to create favorable HRV indices with the goal of improving athletic readiness and performance. The balance between training and recovery is crucial for reaching an optimal adaptation and avoiding overtraining, allowing for improved readiness to train and compete. The measurement of HRV is non-invasive and is used primarily to quantify physical and mental stress in athletes by monitoring the effects of the autonomic nervous system on the heart. Current data suggests a relationship between resting parasympathetic tone, via time and frequency domains, and athletic performance. Parasympathetic modulated HRV indices have been associated with performance metrics such as peripheral work capacity, aerobic power, running and sprint performance, swimming performance, weight lifting performance, anaerobic capacity, strength, and enhanced mental focus/skill execution. The use of nutrition to help enhance sports performance is becoming more common. Evidence-based sports nutrition provides fuel for training/competition, assists in maximizing training adaptations, enhances recovery, improves mental focus, and aids in injury prevention and recovery. The use of nutrition strategies to influence HRV is novel and current evidence is scarce in regards to nutritional effects on HRV, specifically in athletes. Current research suggests that achieving energy balance and decreasing body fat in overweight/obese individuals has positive effects on the vagal component of HRV indices. Proper hydration, fruit and vegetable intake, a moderate carbohydrate diet, omega-3 fatty acid supplementation/intake also seem to have positive effects on HRV indices. Certain individual supplements have been studied in regards to HRV including casein hydrolysate, amaranth oil, and bovine colostrum. Caffeine seems to have the opposite effect on HRV indices, increasing sympathetic modulation while decreasing parasympathetic modulation. Much more research needs to be done in regard to potential nutritional influences on HRV so that sport dietitians feel confident in the methods currently used to assess athlete readiness and determining what types of nutrition strategies may be used to further improve the performance of an athlete.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Angela M. Powers / Communication in sports continues to rapidly evolve, redefining roles of not only the fan, but the traditional media and the organization’s sports public relations professionals as well. The latter in particular has seen their role grow tremendously as new media continues to break down barriers between fan and organizations, giving them considerable influence on the slew of new content available to fans as well as how traditional media will cover sports in general. Utilizing Bey-Ling Sha’s Dimensions of Public Relations, this study employs in-depth interviews with the top communications professionals in the Big 12 to gain further perspective on the roles played by the fans and traditional media in the communication process, while also further gaining insight into the sports PR field.

abstract: The fitness and wellness industry is expanding at a rapid pace, and part of this expansion includes wellness tourism. Within wellness tourism, fitness related activities and programs are sought by wellness tourists or more specifically, fitness tourists. Wellness tourism is defined as a journey by people whose motive, in whole or in part, is to maintain or promote their well-being, and who stay at least one night at a facility that is designed to enable and enhance physical, psychological, spiritual and/or social well-being. Inevitably, fitness related activities are offered within wellness tourism, and seem to attract these fitness tourists. The purpose of this study is two-fold. It is first to examine the goal content fitness tourists possess in this non-traditional exercise context. Second, this study aims to examine the goal pursuits within the promotional content produced by the wellness tourism industry. This study is informed by goal content theory (GCT) which is a mini-theory within self-determination theory (SDT). Developed by Kasser and Ryan (1996), GCT examines how goals pursued by individuals, in this case fitness tourists, whether related to extrinsic or intrinsic content, account for variations in wellness. Extrinsic goals include elements like wealth and appearance, while intrinsic goals include dimensions like community contribution and health management. Participants were targeted through their consumption of fitness services at wellness tourism resorts in the southwestern United States. The goal content for exercise questionnaire (GCEQ) was distributed to these targeted participants to determine the types of exercisers, intrinsically or extrinsically motivated, who are consuming these services. Additionally, a content analysis was conducted to examine the elements portrayed by the industry within a fitness context. Understanding goal content can allow organizations to create programs supportive of participants’ autonomous motivations which research suggests lead to higher levels of well-being. Using a sample of 100 GCEQs, the study implies fitness tourists are more likely to be white, high income females with stronger intrinsic goal content. Health management, image, and skill development were among the highest ranked goals. A total of 182 images were examined in addition to extensive narrative content on the webpages of these sites suggesting this industry promotes holistic wellness rather than appearance. The results of this study should be used to program physical activity interventions made accessible to low and middle class individuals. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2017

Using data from the 2006 – 2013 English Premier League (EPL) seasons, this paper finds evidence that the Home Grown policy does not provide a differential effect. As a consequence of the ruling, however, EPL clubs have generally acquired more English players. While English players are detrimental to a club’s ability to achieve a top 4 finish in the pre-policy period, this paper finds that English players positively influence top clubs in the post-policy period. More specifically, a successful club in the pre-policy period is 18% more likely to achieve a top 4 finish in the post-policy period by acquiring more English players in response to the Home Grown ruling. Furthermore, these top clubs are able to maintain their pre-policy competitiveness by outspending their counterparts to acquire the most talented Englishmen. As such, this paper also finds that increasing club transfer expenditures favors EPL club success in the post-policy period.

This paper analyses the pay-performance relationship in the English Premier League in order to isolate the determinants of success by regressing individual player salaries, and salaries relative to team-mates on the individual performance measures of goals and assists. A weighted OLS and fixed effects model is utilized alongside various control variables to conclude that the positive pay-performance relationship found at the team-level is not reflected at the individual level. The paper also determines that relative income position and various team-effects do not significantly impact individual performance.

This paper aims to measure the economic impact of different NBA player achievements on the athletic apparel companies, Nike, Adidas, and Under Armour. It looks at players affiliated with the brands who participated in three different events in the NBA from from 2007 to 2017: the All-Star game, the All-NBA awards, and starting lineups in the Finals. Monthly stock returns for each company were calculated for the months the events took place: January, February, May, and June. The return of each company was then regressed on total number of players each company had in the events. Four total regressions were run for the months of January, February, May, and June. Understanding the economic implications of endorsed players participating in these events can help athletic apparel companies draft more cost efficient endorsement contracts.