This study explores the experiences of female athletes from New Zealand and Australia who migrate temporarily to play cricket in England. It locates the migration network of female cricket within the modern global sport space and challenges the overall perception of what the typical global athlete is today. The game of cricket has long been regarded as the ‘gentleman’s’ game and originated in England as an aristocratic sport, a symbol of wealth and hierarchy among the British elite. It has diffused into many Commonwealth countries and has developed into a game that is played by both sexes. This study is situated within the anthropology of sport and includes aspects of culture, identity, and gender in the globalised world we live in today. It offers a unique perspective because the research is conducted by a migrant female cricketer in the field and combines ethnographic and auto-ethnographic material. Attention to the migration of female athletes has been minimal but research into this area of the sporting world raises a number of broader questions relating to sporting migration, personal/national identity, transnationalism, cosmopolitanism, diaspora, the gender divide in sport and globalisation. This study summarises some of the key literature relating to globalisation, sports migration, identity and gender, applying it anthropologically to the experiences of the migrant female cricketer. The main finding is the movement of female cricketers from country to country is not influenced by the commodification of modern sport; instead the athletes are motivated by social and personal factors, as opposed to the material (monetary) ones that now apparently dominates contemporary sport. Movement reflects a basic migratory network that has developed between New Zealand, Australia and England, influenced by seasonal migration, and the social, cultural and historical connections between the countries. The research offers a contrasting perspective on current sporting migration literature by sharing the experiences of female athletes who migrate for sport and locating the findings within larger analytical concepts.

Thesis (M.S.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Kinesiology, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 24, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-141). Also issued in print.

JEFFREY LAMOND JONES, for the Master's degree of Science in Recreation, presented on April 6, 2009, at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. TITLE: Attitudes of Division I Athletes Concerning Their Collegiate Environment Major Professor: Dr. Regina Glover The purpose of this study is to investigate the attitudes of Division I student athletes concerning their university, coaches and athletic administrators, environment, and individual actions. The study consisted of student athletes from a Division I University during the Fall 2008 semester, a total of 117 questionnaires were distributed and 86 were returned. Sampling theses student athletes provided a diverse sample which included student athletes from different sports, ethnic background, gender, class rank, financial scholarship status, credit hours and weather study hall was mandatory. Surveys were placed with the Athletic department study table monitor who distributed the surveys from December 1 through December 12 to individual student athletes as they arrive to check-in from 8:00 am - 9:30 pm for study hall hours. A total of 117 questionnaires were distributed and 86 were returned. Of the 86 student athletes, 48(54.7%) were males and 38(45.3%) were females. This study included 34 (19.8%) freshmen, 17 (39.5%) sophomores, 15 (17.4%) juniors, and 20 (23.3%) seniors. The survey format and the 28 questions were based upon a panel of experts who were interviewed and participated in a pilot study to determine the number of items on the survey. A five point Likert-type scale was used to measure the perceived level of agreement in each of the areas. Descriptive statistics of frequency and percent were used for demographics to describe the sample overall mean which was computed for the 28 statements as well as individual mean. The results showed that only a small amount student athletes had a difference in attitudes in regards to the survey questions. The lowest mean score for any question on the questionnaire was 1.54. The highest mean score for any questions on the questionnaire was 4.25. Out of the 7 variables in which the study was based upon, student athletes indicated a difference in attitudes based upon weather study table hours were mandatory. There were no significant difference found between attitudes and year in school, sport, ethnicity, gender, financial scholarship, or credit hours. The study revealed that student athletes were more likely to have a difference in their attitudes based upon their study hall status, meaning student athletes with mandatory study hall will more likely have a different attitude than student athletes who are not required to attend study hall.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Background: Participation in college athletics comes with inherent risks. Many of these risks relate to the psychosocial safety and well-being of college athletes. These risks include depression, suicide, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, and the development of an eating disorder. This study specifically examined the current state of psychosocial needs amongst college athletes, the availability of services that address psychosocial needs, the comfort level college athletes have with seeking services, and the identification of barriers that influence whether or not a college athlete seeks necessary help. Methods: This study used a web-based survey to gather information from a proportionate stratified random sample of both college athletic directors (N = 132) and college athletes (N = 349) across all NCAA division levels. Descriptive statistics, parametric tests, and multivariate tests were used to analyze the research questions. This study used NCAA division level and the profile of a college athlete’s sport as independent variables. The researcher created composite scores for athletic, academic, and psychosocial services to serve as dependent variables. The researcher also created a composite score for perceived barriers. Results: There were multiple significant findings for this research study. One key finding was that Division I and Division II college athletes had significantly higher psychosocial needs than Division III college athletes. Another key finding was that Division I college athletes experienced significantly lower levels of comfort in seeking psychosocial services than Division II and Division III college athletes. Furthermore, Division I college athletes reported significantly higher levels of barriers to seeking necessary services than Division II and Division III college athletes. Implications: These significant findings point clearly to the fact that more must be done to ensure the psychosocial safety and well-being of college athletes. This includes athletic departments more clearly understanding the needs of their college athletes, having services more readily available, finding ways to promote a college athlete’s disclosure of a psychosocial risk, and working to address current barriers that prevent college athletes from seeking help. One idea for improving the current state of services explored in this research is the interprofessional collaboration of social workers with college athletic departments.

This study explored NCAA athletic departments' mental health screening practices, including the mental health concerns assessed for by the mental health screening, personnel responsible for administering and reviewing screeners, and resources available for athletes identified as "at risk." Participants were athletic department staff who had knowledge of their school's mental health screening processes. Frequencies and chi-square analyses were used to assess trends across divisional levels (DI vs. DII/DIII). Analyses show that significantly more DI than DII/DDIII institutions have a formal mental health screening program. Institutions' coverage of mental health topics in their screening did not vary significantly by Divisional level, with one exception: a larger percentage of DI institutions assessed whether student athletes had worked with a mental health practitioner than DII/DIII schools. DII/III were significantly more likely to have athletic trainers both administer and review mental health screeners and DI institutions were significantly more likely to have a sport psychologist employed within their athletic department than. DI schools were significantly more likely to have had a student athlete attempt suicide and participate in inpatient treatment than DII/III schools. Implications of the findings, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis was to identify ways in which the velocity of a track cyclist could be increased, primarily through the reduction of aerodynamic drag, and to determine which factors had the most significant impact on athlete performance. An appropriate test method was set up in the wind tunnel at the University of Canterbury to measure the aerodynamic drag of different cycling positions and equipment, including helmets, skinsuits, frames and wheels, in order to measure the impact of specific changes on athlete performance. A mathematical model of the Individual Pursuit (IP) event was also created to calculate the velocity profile and finishing time for athletes competing under different race conditions. The model was created in Microsoft Excel and used first principles to analyse the forces acting on a cyclist, which lead to the development of equations for power supply and demand. The mathematical model was validated using SRM data for eleven, elite track cyclists, and was found to be accurate to 0.31s (0.16%). An analysis of changes made to the bike, athlete, and environmental conditions using the mathematical model showed that the drag area and air density had the greatest impact on the finishing time. The model was then used to predict the finishing times for different pacing strategies by generating different power profiles for a given athlete with a fixed stock of energy (the work done remained the same for all generated power profiles) in order to identify the optimal pacing strategy for the IP. The length of time spent in the initial acceleration phase was found to have a significant impact on the results, although all strategies simulated with an initial acceleration phase resulted in a faster finishing time than all other strategies simulated. Results from the wind tunnel tests showed that, in general, changes made to the position of the cyclist had the greatest impact on the aerodynamic drag compared to changes made to the equipment. Multiple changes in position had a greater impact on drag than individual changes in position, but the changes were not additive; the total gain or loss in drag for multiple changes in position was not the sum of individual gains or losses in drag. Actual gains and losses also varied significantly between athletes, primarily due to differences in body size and shape, riding experience, and reference position from which changes were made from. Changes in position that resulted in a reduction of the frontal area, such as lowering the handlebars and head, were the most successful at reducing the aerodynamic drag, and a change in skinsuit was found to have the greatest impact on drag out of all equipment changes, primarily due to the choice of material and seam placement. The mathematical model was used to quantify the impact of changes in position and equipment made in the wind tunnel on the overall finishing time for a given athlete competing in an IP event. Time savings of up to 8 seconds were seen for multiple changes in position, and up to 5 seconds for changes to the equipment. Overall this thesis highlights the significance of aerodynamics on athlete performance in track cycling, suggesting that it is worthwhile spending time and money on research and technology to find new ways to reduce the aerodynamic drag and maximise the speed of cyclists. Although this thesis primarily concentrates on the Individual Pursuit event in track cycling, the same principles can be applied to other cycling disciplines, as well as to other sports.

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation was to examine how high school sport can be framed as a context that facilitates positive youth development. Data were collected in two phases. In phase one, a case study of a high school ice hockey program recognised for focusing on youth development was conducted. One article was written, documenting the design of the program and its impact on student development. Results indicate that participants believed students were learning a wide range of life skills and values but that administrators and coaches faced many challenges in sustaining the program. In phase two, interviews were conducted with model high school coaches and their athletes and three articles were written (articles two, three, and four). The second article examines how model high school coaches teach students life skills and how to transfer these skills to other life domains. Results demonstrate that the model coaches prioritised development and had specifically designed strategies to help students learn and transfer life skills. The third article investigates how model high school coaches learn to facilitate positive youth development through sport. Results indicate that these coaches were lifelong learners who took advantage of learning situations in order to refine their skills and use sport as a tool for development. The fourth article examines the characteristics athletes prefer in high school coaches. Results indicate that most athletes prefer coaches who are supportive, knowledgeable, good motivators, and prioritise athlete development. Based on the results of the two phases of data collection, an article was written with the objective of providing coaches with strategies on how to facilitate positive youth development through sport. Strategies consist of: (a) developing a coaching philosophy, (b) developing relationships with athletes, (c) having developmental strategies, (d) making athletes practice life skills, and (e) teaching athletes about the transferability of life skills.

This paper explores the value of attending college to Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball players in terms of future success in the NBA. Future success is measured by both salary and minutes played per game. A dataset of 660 athletes from the 2006 through 2016 drafts was collected from Basketball-Reference. An empirical model is estimated using this data in order to identify the determinant factors in a player’s success in the NBA. It is found that college is not a determinant of success in the NBA.

Thesis advisor: Michael Keith / Athletes have become major celebrities within the mass media in modern society. They appear in a wide variety of mediums and advertising campaigns that may or may not be directly related to sports. Their level of fame and popularity has landed many star athletes with multi-million dollar endorsement contracts with companies who want to associate with the athlete’s image and brand. This work attempts to further understand and analyze the role of celebrity athlete endorsers, how companies select and market their athlete spokespeople, and how audiences consume and react to these endorsements. A look at the history of celebrity athlete endorsements provides a basic understanding of how athletes became involved in advertising. This is followed by a close examination of one of the biggest athlete brands of all time: Michael Jordan. Next, certain factors and attributes are discussed that companies look for in an athlete in terms of the importance and affect that they have. This leads to a theories section that applies different lenses to the interactions between celebrity athletes and consumers in an attempt to better understand the relationship. Through these theories, it becomes clear that companies must make strategic decisions in choosing the athlete, the message, and how to connect with their target audience in a way that communicates trust and credibility. Creating a relationship between the celebrity athlete, the product, and the consumer is vital for long-term endorsement success. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: Communication.