Dietary protein is required to support recovery and adaptation following exercise training. While prior research demonstrates that many athletes meet total daily protein needs, intake seems to be predominantly skewed toward the evening meal. An even distribution of protein doses throughout the course of a day is theorized to confer greater skeletal muscle anabolism compared to a skewed pattern of intake. Protein quality is also an important dietary consideration for athletes, with the amino acid leucine being the primary driver of the postprandial anabolic response. The present thesis investigates the protein consumption characteristics among a selected cohort of NCAA Division 1 collegiate soccer players and evaluates differences between male and female athletes. Athletes were instructed to complete 3-day food diaries, which were subsequently analyzed and compared to nutrition guidelines for soccer players. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner explained 81.4% of total daily dietary protein intake. Most athletes (77.8%) ingested optimum amounts of protein at dinner, but not at breakfast (11.1%) or lunch (47.2%). In addition, statistically significant sex-based differences in daily dietary protein intake, meal-specific protein amounts, and protein quality measures were detected. Findings indicate suboptimal dietary protein intake practices among the collegiate athletes.

No description available.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has controlled intercollegiate sports for the past 150 years, but the passing of California Senate Bill 206 on September 30, 2019, placed that power at risk. The bill will allow student-athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness in the state of California, and has influenced other states to bring forth legislation of their own. The NCAA announced on October 29, 2019, that it would change its policies and bylaws to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. This qualitative thematic analysis seeks to discover how the issue of student-athletes in the case of SB 206 was framed by the media before and after the bill was passed, and after the NCAA announced its policy change. From the analysis, three themes emerged to support student-athlete compensation, eight themes emerged in opposition, and 24 sub themes emerged for both sides. Anti-compensation framing strategies prevailed throughout news coverage before and after SB 206 passed, and after the NCAA changed its policy. Local and mainstream news outlets and sports and mainstream news outlets all presented the eight themes. / Master of Arts / The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has controlled college sports for the past 150 years, but the passing of California Senate Bill 206 on September 30, 2019, placed that power at risk. The bill will allow student-athletes to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness in the state of California, and has influenced other states to bring forth legislation of their own. On October 29, 2019 the NCAA announced that it would change its policies and bylaws to allow student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness. This thesis uses a qualitative thematic analysis, meaning that news articles are examined by the researcher to understand common themes that emerge about how the issue of student-athlete in the case of SB 206 was portrayed by the media before and after the bill was passed, and after the NCAA changed its policy. From the analysis, three themes were found to support student-athlete compensation, eight themes were found in opposition, and 24 sub themes were found for both sides. Anti-compensation framing strategies dominated news coverage before and after SB 206 passed, and after the NCAA changed its policy even though the public opinion supported student-athlete compensation.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Nancy Muturi / Collegiate student-athletes have been identified as an especially at-risk subgroup for heavy alcohol use as compared to the general college student population. Despite the intense physical demands required for athletic participation, national studies have found that intercollegiate athletes consumed more alcohol, engaged in more frequent heavy episodic drinking, and experienced more negative alcohol-related consequences as compared with non-athletes. A combination of structured open-ended and closed-ended questions was used in the current study. Data was collected from student-athletes across the United States through semi-structured, individual interviews informed by the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) and its constructs (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control). Open coding was the chosen method for data analysis for the study. Codes, accompanied by descriptives, were organized into themes as they related to the research questions and the theory of planned behavior. Results show that nearly half (49%) of student-athletes report drinking five or more drinks in one-sitting, with the majority of student-athletes consuming alcohol only 1-2 times per week at parties. Student-athletes’ attitudes towards heavy drinking and alcohol outcome expectancies are apparent in two themes: sexual risk taking and athletic training justification. Many respondents expressed alcohol-drinking relationships with other student-athletes at their institution. The NCAA has recognized the importance of addressing alcohol related issues among collegiate athletes. However, the type of educational programming being assigned by the NCAA has been generally ineffective in reducing alcohol use of student-athletes. In fact, of the student-athletes surveyed in this study, the majority struggled with recalling NCAA alcohol prevention programs that they are familiar with—only 13% of student-athletes use alcohol prevention skills and tools taught by the NCAA or their athletic department to reduce alcohol consumption. Similarly, there is a belief among student-athletes that the NCAA is not doing enough to reduce alcohol use among student-athletes is exemplified by the fact that the majority (57%) gave the NCAA an F letter-grade for their current alcohol intervention and prevention strategies that are being taught to student-athletes. Although the NCAA requires student-athletes to participate in alcohol, tobacco and other drug education programming, only approximately 25% of student-athletes surveyed recalled viewing a NCAA drug and alcohol educational video or reading a brochure detailing the effect alcohol has on athletic performance at the beginning of the academic year. Furthermore, 85% of student-athletes reported that they were not informed of the counseling or alcohol treatment options that the NCAA provides.

Thesis advisor: Stephen P. Borgatti / This study was an investigation of the effects of social identity on career progression and career resilience. Particular attention was given to the predictive impact of social identity of membership in an identifiable professional sub-grouping. Using NCAA basketball coaches as an empirical setting, quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted to predict the status of next employer for job seekers who voluntarily changed jobs (n = 282), and the employability resilience of job seekers who were fired (n = 151). Job seekers with the social identity of membership in an identifiable professional sub-grouping (in this empirical setting, defined as membership in a coaching family or coaching tree) were hired for positions with employers of higher status, and exhibited greater employability resilience than was the case for job seekers without such a social identity. Because membership in an identifiable professional sub-grouping signals concise information about the social identity of an individual above and beyond prior performance, network connectivity and status affiliations, it is theorized that individuals with such a social identity are more easily understood, more predictable, and are therefore more valuable in the labor market. Additional career benefits are accrued by individuals who claim their ascribed identity, and by individuals who have social identities characterized as relational actors. Recommendations for future research on social identity of membership in an identifiable professional sub-grouping are offered. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Organization Studies.

The Fueling Station at Utah State University was created to provide pre-workout fueling and post-workout recovery foods to the Utah State University athletes. The athletes use an online survey to mark what foods they selected after each visit to the Fueling Station. There is a large amount of research on the lack of sports nutrition knowledge in collegiate athletes, but there is little information on the dietary intake of athletes, the education of athletes, and the education of macronutrient timing in athletes. A food labeling system named “Gain Your Edge” food labels that targeted the education of timing was created in the Utah State University Fueling Station. It lets athletes know which food choices might be the most appropriate choices for certain periods of timing (i.e. pre-workout versus post-workout). The Fueling Station was selected as an outlet for education because it reaches a large percentage of all Utah State athletes each week. The survey responses by the athletes were used to determine if the fueling station visits were appropriate or not appropriate based on the reported timing of eating, purpose of eating, and food selections. After four weeks of implementation, it was determined that the food labels did result in significant changes in percentage of appropriate fueling station visits for the athletes. However, almost all the athletes noticed the food labels, and more than 75% of the athletes said that the food labels influenced their food selection. This research project contributes important information about the patterns of use in a University-sponsored fueling station to the limited knowledge base of collegiate sports nutrition research.

Few studies were reported in the literature of researchers investigating variables affecting the operation or effectiveness of athletics at HBCUs. This study was designed to identify variables that athletic directors perceived would determine the athletic program's potential for effectiveness in the current NCAA Division I-AA and Division II structure. A questionnaire instrument containing 66 closed-ended items and a comment section was used to collect data. Fifty-eight positive, closed-response statements in nine categories were organized on a 5-point Likert scale. Another category of eight closed-response items were organized on a 3-point scale. Findings of the investigation included variables that were perceived to determine the effectiveness of football and basketball athletic programs. The following categories of variables were perceived to determine the effectiveness of athletics at HBCUs with Division I-AA football and basketball programs: revenue/funding and its influence, gender equity, NCAA policies and their influence, academics, the student-athlete, diversity, and the expertise of the athletic director. Data were analyzed through descriptive and nonparametric inferential statistics to describe and report findings. For the question, "Do athletic directors at HBCU Division I-AA and non Division I-AA football institutions differ in the proportion of their perceptions of the important variables that influence program effectiveness and the potential for program survival?," the researcher found that directors did not differ in their perceptions of variables that influence program effectiveness. Other findings that resulted from application of the Chi-square test were as follow: 1. Statistically significant differences were not found with respect to age, gender, or institutional size for any category of variables. 2. Statistically significant differences were not found with respect to years of experience for variable categories except for the influence of NCAA policies on football and basketball programs. 3. A statistically significant difference was found for the opinions of all participants on the influence of NCAA policies on football and basketball programs. Participants‟ comments were analyzed for similar themes and supported that the variables associated with revenue/funding and revenue generating determined the program‟s effectiveness. Participants also commonly acknowledged that tutorials and other support services for student-athletes influenced program effectiveness. These results may be useful to athletic directors and others engaged in planning for the sustainability of athletics at HBCUs.

An organizational communication study of collegiate athletes concludes that social identity theory, time scarcity, and projected selves theory are correlated with psychological/physical health, as well as the ability to predict academic success. Findings indicate that striking a balance between athletics and academics, and the time devoted to both, is necessary in order to achieve physical and psychological health. Furthermore, findings provide a link between the projected future self, social identity and the present motivation to achieve academically. / text

In 2006, the NBA introduced the "one-and-done" rule that restricted high school graduates to enter directly into the NBA draft following high school. In turn, a high school prospect would essentially now have the option of playing professionally elsewhere (most likely overseas), enter the NBA's Developmental League, or play NCAA basketball. The rule has proved to be quite controversial, as it has had a great effect on both NBA and NCAA basketball, as well as the players. Various media outlets have been quite vocal not only about the rule itself, but the perceived effects it has had on both collegiate and professional basketball. This study will utilize framing theory to explore the way the media has presented the issue to the public, its causal interpretation, any moral evaluations necessary, and any solutions to the problem. This study will utilize a content analysis to analyze not only the media's presentation of the rule, but also what frames have been formed pertaining to the rule's successes and failures. The study will also aim to give a greater understanding of how the basketball media form frames.

There is a population of student-athletes who are in need of deeper understanding and additional support. Community college transfer student-athletes face different challenges than their non-athlete and non-transfer peers. Given these differences, this qualitative study was focused on understanding the experiences and perceptions of community college transfer student-athletes. More specifically, this study aimed to describe the preparation to transfer, the transfer process, and the recommendations for successful transfer as each relates to academics, athletics, and personal factors. For this qualitative study, data were collected through individual interviews, a focus group, as well as observation and reflection. Fourteen themes emerged through coding and analysis. These themes answered the three research questions as well as increased the literature on an under-researched population. Key implications for future research surrounding community college transfer student-athletes emerged including a focus on a need for academic clarity, earlier recruitment, strong relationships, and excellent time management skills.