This case study evaluated Major League Baseball's (MLB) media product portfolio to identify how broadcast revenues have evolved over the past decade. This research looked back across baseball's long, dysfunctional history with broadcasters in order to recognize the significance of its ambitious use of online content. While MLB had failed to fully utilize the potential of broadcasting, the league's aggressive online strategy through its Advanced Media (MLBAM) division made it the industry leader in broadcasting live streaming sports video. MLBAM expanded its online streaming video to mobile phones and iPad, further expanding the distribution of its content. This research compared MLBAM revenue to traditional broadcast revenue while analyzing the online division's role in promoting the MLB brand. This case study concluded that while MLBAM had made a number of groundbreaking developments, the league could still improve its use of embedded, shared video clips, archived footage and international marketing in order to further extend the brand equity of the MLB, its thirty individual brands and its media product portfolio.

Cette thèse est consacrée aux questions de réception et d'institutionnalisation de la photographie documentaire et de la photographie de reportage à partir de 1937 jusqu'aux années 1970 au Museum of Modem Art (MoMA) de New York. Le premier chapitre revient sur la genèse et les enjeux de l'instauration de la straight photography comme canon d’une tradition esthétisante du médium et éclaire l’influence de la critique formaliste dans l'émergence d'un modernisme documentaire, exemplifié par la production de Walker Evans. De nombreux photographes dont les pratiques ne correspondaient pas aux idéaux de perfection technique de la straight photography ont de exclus des circuits de légitimation institutionnelle, en particulier les membres de la Photo League de New York. La photographie documentaire urbaine, développée en dehors de la doxa moderniste, fait l'objet du deuxième chapitre de cette étude. A. cet égard, une attention particulière est consacrée à l'œuvre critique d'Elizabeth McCausland, principale porte-parole de la fonction sociale de la photographie. Le troisième chapitre se concentre sur la période de l’après-guerre. Dans ce nouveau contexte, les Américains sont à la recherche de nouveaux canons artistiques, qu'ils trouvent dans la photographie de reportage française, dont Henri Cartier-Bresson représente le chef de file. Ce chapitre dévoile les intérêts diplomatiques du modernisme dans les échanges transatlantiques avec la France, ainsi que ses intérêts économique à travers l'exemple d'André Kertész dont l'exposition au MoMA suscite l'envol de sa cote sur le marché naissant de la photographie dans les années 1970. / This thesis is dedicated to questions of reception and institutionalization of documentary photography and reportage photography from 1937 through to the 1970s at the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The first chapter looks at the development and objectives of the advent of straight photography as a canon or an aestheticizing tradition of the medium, and sheds light on the influence of formalist criticism in the emergence of a form of documentary modernism, exemplified by the works of Walker Evans. Many photographers whose practices do not correspond to the ideals of technical perfection of straight photography were excluded from the circuits of institutional legitimization, particularly the members of the New York Photo League, Urban documentary photography, developed outside of the modernist doxa will be the subject of the second chapter of this study. In this respect, particular attention is paid to the critical work of Elizabeth McCausland, a major spokesperson for the social function of photography. The third chapter focuses on the post-war period. ln this new context. The Americans were looking for new artistic canons, which they found in French reportage photography, with Henri Cartier-Bresson leading the fray. Finally, this chapter reveals the diplomatic interests of modernism in Transatlantic exchanges with France, as well as its economic interests, taking André Kertész, as an example, whose exhibition at MoMA caused his works to suddenly rise in value on the inchoate photography market of the 1970s.

Title: Goal Analysis of mutual matches between the best four Czech teams in Czech football league season 2018/2019 Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is analysis of goals scored between the best four Czech football teams in 2018/2019 season. Furthermore, this thesis aims for comparison of examined variables with data from European competition - Champions league (year 2018/2019). A partial goal then is to create recommended exercises for training practice. Methods: In this thesis is used methods of quantitative analysis and comparison. We mainly used the method of indirect observation of video records. Overall, 18 matches of Czech league and 125 matches of Champions league were analysed. In these matches were scored 47 goals in Czech league and 366 goals in Champions league. For normality analysis we used Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk test. For hypothesis analysis we used Man Whitney U test and 2 sample t-test. With the results as a base were created model training exercises to bring the training process closer to match specifications. Results: Czech teams scored significantly more headers in comparison with Champions League. In first touch goals and fruitfulness of shooting they had lower percentage, but it was not statistically significant. Most of the goals in mutual matches of...

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Local birth control advocates often found themselves attempting to open birth control clinics in restrictive climates that did not welcome open discussions of sexuality. To accomplish this, the organizers chose their tactics carefully and followed common strategies. After a few stumbles, organized birth control in many states began in earnest in the 1930s. By 1943, just ten years after its opening, the Indianapolis birth control clinic could boast that it had served 4,531 women and openly solicit funds from the community. The Maternal Health League’s plea on its fundraising brochure assured citizens of their patriotic duty to help. The league reminded Hoosiers, “In War and In Peace a Nation is as Strong as the Health of Its Mothers and Children.” Arguments such as these allowed the clinic to open and assured its existence for many years to come. Indiana birth control organizers relied on specific tactics that allowed them to accomplish their goals in a restrictive Midwestern state. Indiana’s birth control story offers modern-day readers a very different picture than that offered by studies of the national movement of birth control. Indiana offers an account that relies more on cooperation and less on confrontation.

This thesis provides insights into the creation of a model for predicting odds in the Premier League. It illustrates how the ELO system and historical odds, in combination with Monte Carlo simulations, can be implemented through logistic regression to predict odds in an unbiased way. The findings are that the model performs generally well, but significantly worse at the beginning and end of the Premier League seasons. For further improvements, it is most likely necessary to factor in variables not available in the current model. Such factors could for example be incentives, injuries, or changes in the squad, all not being accounted for by the model in this case. / Detta examensarbete ger insikter om skapandet av en modell för att förutsäga oddsen i Premier League. Den visar hur ELO-systemet och historiska odds, i kombination med Monte Carlo-simuleringar, kan implementeras genom logistisk regression för att förutsäga oddsen på ett opartiskt sätt. Resultaten visar att modellen generellt sett fungerar bra, men betydligt sämre i början och slutet av Premier League-säsongerna. För ytterligare förbättringar är det troligtvis nödvändigt att ta hänsyn till variabler som inte är tillgängliga i den nuvarande modellen. Sådana faktorer kan till exempel vara incitament, skador eller förändringar i truppen, som alla inte tas hänsyn till i modellen i detta fall.

In recent years, the area of e-sports has been growing rapidly and has consequentially drawn attention from the general public as well as researchers. However, research in this area still remains sparse, especially concerning the psycho-social work environment of e-sports professionals. This is even more true when referring to research that includes the individual perspective of pro-players. To provide more knowledge in this area, this study aims to explore what psychosocial aspects are mentioned by pro-players in documentary interviews and investigate if the experiences portrayed could be understood using a theoretical perspective by applying the JD-R theory. This study is based on 12 docu-series episodes featuring two League of Legends teams where 10 different pro-players participated. The research sample could both be considered availability sampling, since the data was already available, and purposeful sampling, choosing a sample consisting of pro-players. The episodes were transcribed and then analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Many psycho-social aspects emerged from the analysis, resulting in two higher themes where the first theme “Working as a pro-player” portrays what the profession entails and the second, “The interdependent work”, depicts the experience of being a pro, a teammate and an individual at the same time. By applying the JD-R theory on the aspects mentioned, it was concluded that these experiences indeed could be understood using a theoretical approach, providing incentives to conduct future research in the area. Possible areas of research interest were also presented in relation to this. / E-sport är att område som snabbt har vuxit under senare år,vilket har attraherat uppmärksamhetfrån allmänhetenoch forskare. Forskning på området bedrivs dockfortfarande relativt infrekvent, speciellt när det gäller de professionella e-sportspelarnas psykosociala arbetsmiljö. Detta är speciellt framträdande närdet kommer till att inkludera individuella perspektiv från spelarna. För att bidra till mer kunskap inom området syftar denna studie till att undersöka vilka psykosociala aspekter som omnämns av spelare i dokumentära intervjuer samt undersöka om dessa upplevelser kan förstås utifrån ett teoretiskt perspektiv genom att tillämpa JD-R-teorin. Denna studie baseras på 12 avsnitt från två League och Legends-lagdär 10 olika spelare deltar.Urvalet kan både anses som bekvämlighetsurval, eftersom datan redan fannstillgänglig, och strategiskt urval, då urvalet inkluderade professionella spelare.Avsnitten transkriberades och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys.Många psykososociala aspekter framträddefrån analysen vilket resulterade i två högre teman där det första temat ”Att arbeta som en pro player” porträtterarvad professionen innebär och den andra, ”Det avhängiga arbetet”, beskriver upplevelsen av att vara en professionell spelare, en lagkamrat och en individ samtidigt. Genom att applicera JD-R-teorin på de omnämnda aspekterna fastslogs det att dessa upplevelser kan bli förstådda genom en teoretisk ansats, vilket ger incitamentatt bedriva framtid forskning inom området. Möjliga forskningsområden av intressepresenterades även i relation till detta.

Organizations are seen as custodians of portfolio of projects and are increasingly delivering their businesses through multiple complex programs. To be successful in delivering their businesses, these organizations are required to build a project management capability within their structures. Projects today have become far more than solving of technical problems; they have become more of venues for mastering business and change. Project maturity is used as an indication of or a measurement of the organisation’s ability to use projects for different purposes. An organisational Project Management Maturity Assessment is an effective method for establishing a baseline and provides an impetus for organisational change. Project Management Maturity Models are regarded as effective tools for benchmarking and implementing improvements in organisational performance. In this Dissertation, a study in applying project management maturity model to review, assess, and analyze the degree of organizational project management maturity of one of the Professional Soccer clubs participating in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa is presented. The project management practices and capabilities of the PSL Soccer clubs are reflected. The purpose of this paper is to not only demonstrate the methodology and results of the assessment, but to also report on the outcome of the study and propose the necessary recommendations for improvement. The research was strictly focused on those Professional Soccer clubs which are participating in the South African PSL. For confidentiality purposes, the club in this dissertation is referred to as “The Club”. There has been no similar study that has been carried out in this field before. Therefore, this study aims to break new grounds in conducting a research of this kind in this specific sports field. The main research question posed in this study is: What is the level of organizational project management maturity of the South African PSL Soccer clubs? This research question is supported by five other sub-questions which are answered in a research chapter dealing with the synthesis and analysis of the research results. These research questions were motivated by the following reasons: Organizations are changing drastically in their fundamental ways of conducting business. This change is happening within a short period of time and at an accelerated pace. This change occurs both structurally, operationally, and culturally in response to factors such as globalization, new technology, competition, and the world economy that is various challenges in the marketplace. Organizations are also under pressure to improve on their performance in order to maintain high levels of competitiveness and continue to be successful in the global marketplace and therefore, consistent improvement on their projects or program delivery is required in order to attain competitive advantage and sustained growth. Therefore, considering the reasons presented above, the researcher found it necessary to evaluate the current levels of project management maturity in the PSL Soccer clubs. In order to achieve the study objectives two models were used as tools to assess the degree of The Club’s project management maturity and further highlighted a recommended path for improvement. Firstly, Organisational Project Management Maturity (OPM3) model, which is a standard developed under the stewardship of Project Management Institute (PMI), was used as the main model. Secondly, the Integrated Management Systems Incorporated’s (IMSI) project management assessment model was also used as a supporting model.

There has been a significant amount of growth in soccer game attendance and media coverage since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa was established in 1996. However, match attendance started to decline from the 2013 season. PSL teams need to do something to get the fans back into the stadiums. A stable fan base is of vital importance for a team’s competitive advantage since the growing commercialisation of sport. The South African PSL is no exception and teams need to comprehend the importance of loyal fans. Team identification is linked to higher game attendance and more fans that are loyal and, therefore, it is relevant to the PSL teams. Higher game attendance will increase the teams’ revenues through ticket sales. Highly identified fans are loyal fans and increase the likelihood of better sponsorship deals for a team. Higher levels of team identification with a team could be obtained through a unique brand personality. Brand personality is necessary for sport team managers in order to understand fans’ perception regarding a team brand. As such, managers will be able to better position the teams’ brand and reach the target market accordingly. In South Africa, members of the Generation Y cohort made up 38 percent of the country’s population in 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014:9), which in terms of its size, make this cohort a highly relevant market segment. Generation Y, specifically African Generation Y, represents an important current and future market segment for PSL teams. This study focuses on the student segment of the Generation Y cohort. Given that a tertiary qualification generally is associated with a higher future earning capacity and a greater role model status within a society, university students are likely to be of particular interest to marketers. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of African Generation Y students’ perceived brand personality of South African PSL teams on their PSL team identification. The study used an adapted version of a team identification scale (Swanson et al., 2003) and sport brand personality scale (Braunstein & Ross, 2010) to measure the perceptions. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. The study used one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 full time African Generation Y students was taken from the two HEIs. Of the questionnaires completed, 438 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample t-tests. The findings suggested that Generation Y students exhibit a positive level of team identification towards their favourite team. Generation Y students perceived their favourite PSL team more hard working, confident, respected, skilled and successful. The results also suggest that the level of team identification with the PSL teams could be predicted by two dimensions (successfulness and ruggedness) of brand personality. Generation Y male and female students only differ regarding the perception of two of the brand personality dimensions (successfulness and sophistication). The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of sport teams in the South African context. The study shed light specifically on the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. These were the top two teams identified by the respondents. These findings will assist these PSL teams to understand the brand personality perceptions of the team amongst African Generation Y fans better. The study also indicates some relationship between brand personality and team identification. The results suggest teams can use their brand personality to influence team identification amongst fans positively. These results can be used to assess and alter their current marketing strategies.

There has been a significant amount of growth in soccer game attendance and media coverage since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa was established in 1996. However, match attendance started to decline from the 2013 season. PSL teams need to do something to get the fans back into the stadiums. A stable fan base is of vital importance for a team’s competitive advantage since the growing commercialisation of sport. The South African PSL is no exception and teams need to comprehend the importance of loyal fans. Team identification is linked to higher game attendance and more fans that are loyal and, therefore, it is relevant to the PSL teams. Higher game attendance will increase the teams’ revenues through ticket sales. Highly identified fans are loyal fans and increase the likelihood of better sponsorship deals for a team. Higher levels of team identification with a team could be obtained through a unique brand personality. Brand personality is necessary for sport team managers in order to understand fans’ perception regarding a team brand. As such, managers will be able to better position the teams’ brand and reach the target market accordingly. In South Africa, members of the Generation Y cohort made up 38 percent of the country’s population in 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014:9), which in terms of its size, make this cohort a highly relevant market segment. Generation Y, specifically African Generation Y, represents an important current and future market segment for PSL teams. This study focuses on the student segment of the Generation Y cohort. Given that a tertiary qualification generally is associated with a higher future earning capacity and a greater role model status within a society, university students are likely to be of particular interest to marketers. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of African Generation Y students’ perceived brand personality of South African PSL teams on their PSL team identification. The study used an adapted version of a team identification scale (Swanson et al., 2003) and sport brand personality scale (Braunstein & Ross, 2010) to measure the perceptions. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. The study used one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 full time African Generation Y students was taken from the two HEIs. Of the questionnaires completed, 438 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample t-tests. The findings suggested that Generation Y students exhibit a positive level of team identification towards their favourite team. Generation Y students perceived their favourite PSL team more hard working, confident, respected, skilled and successful. The results also suggest that the level of team identification with the PSL teams could be predicted by two dimensions (successfulness and ruggedness) of brand personality. Generation Y male and female students only differ regarding the perception of two of the brand personality dimensions (successfulness and sophistication). The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of sport teams in the South African context. The study shed light specifically on the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. These were the top two teams identified by the respondents. These findings will assist these PSL teams to understand the brand personality perceptions of the team amongst African Generation Y fans better. The study also indicates some relationship between brand personality and team identification. The results suggest teams can use their brand personality to influence team identification amongst fans positively. These results can be used to assess and alter their current marketing strategies.

The English Premier League is regarded as one of the most prominent sporting competitions in the world. In the last decade the league (and by definition it’s member clubs) have become highly attractive to wealthy foreign investors, having taken ownership of a number of clubs across the league. This thesis seeks to investigate the motivations and consequences behind this foreign direct investment (FDI). The study uses a multi-method approach not commonly found within the sports economics or FDI literature combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. The thesis has generated responses from ‘elite’ level respondents at Premier League clubs together with members of the supporters’ movement. Existing data from club sources and market reports has been collected in order to assess the motivations and consequences of FDI. The thesis finds the motives behind football FDI to be somewhat different to those held by other forms of business organisation. Football is a mostly loss-making industry, but despite this weakness, some investors have purchased Premier League clubs for economic reasons. The importance of non-economic motives, such as profile enhancement, and the notion of the trophy asset were also found to be influential motives behind some football FDI. These aspects are not strongly reflected in the FDI literature, and they imply football is different to other forms of investment. FDI is shown to be mostly beneficial for the clubs receiving the investment, but for non-acquired clubs negative consequences are found in terms of wages, transfer costs, profits, and debt. For the Premier League itself, FDI has been positive in terms of enhancing the league’s stature, revenues, and the quality of matches. Some benefits were found at the regional level. This thesis covers the gap within the literature surrounding FDI and football, and also raises wider points about the generalizability of FDI theory to all industries.