Thesis (MA--Communication Studies) -- Auckland University of Technology, 2005. / Also held in print (261 leaves, 30 cm.) in Wellesley Theses Collection. (T 796.3330993 MAR)

Thesis (D.Min.)--Liberty Theological Seminary and Graduate School, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 102 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 1991. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2711. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 31-32).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

A case study approach was used to generate a description and an understanding of the experience of withdrawal from a career in professional sport. The informants were ten males who had withdrawn from their careers during the years from 1976 to 1987 inclusive. The informants were selected from team and individual sports, involving four key informants from each of hockey and thoroughbred horse racing, plus one subsidiary informant from each of football and racquetball. Narratives rich in description were derived from personal interviews and were validated by the respective informants. These narratives were synthesized into a general story of voluntary withdrawal from sport which reflects both common experience and turning points for varying plots. This general story was validated by the informants as well as an expert authority who has been professionally involved in sport for some thirty-six years. Withdrawal from sport was a process which frequently began soon after the athletes became engaged in the career. When confronted with a variety of catalytic events which reminded them that the career was short-term, they addressed the potential for withdrawal in varying fashion and typically re-immersed themselves in the career. The potential eventually became more immediate, more urgent but frequently arose in the context of an enlarged perspective on the self and the profession. Thus, they were confronted with both internal and external pressures for change. As they began to assess their prospects for life after sport, they often became concerned about perceived limitations. They experienced a period of great confusion and indecision which was the most difficult and trying component of the story. In the middle of the story, the athletes frequently sought direction in their careers, scrutinized the profession more carefully, and uncharacteristically reached out to others for ideas and support. Eventually, a culmination point arose, resulting in a decision to withdraw. The athletes were typically relieved by this decision because they were weary of their confusion and often were weary of the physical and emotional demands of the career. A variety of new career opportunities were available to them. Some were planned and some were unexpected. Chance encounters played an important part in the process of leaving sport. The story ended with the establishment and acceptance of a post-sport career and lifestyle. In reflecting on the decision to withdraw, the athletes were typically glad that they quit when they did, even though they were reluctant to do so at the time. Their withdrawal allowed them to preserve health, self-respect, and the regard of others. It also allowed them to develop other competencies and to express a more nurturant dimension of themselves as their interests had turned toward their emerging family lives. Most have found the transition to a new career and lifestyle relatively easy, frequently accepting a more modest lifestyle than they had experienced as professional athletes and usually finding some means to continue their participation in sport in a recreational or leadership capacity. The study includes several theoretical implications which reinforce the importance of contextual considerations, the significance of chance encounters, and the changing personal meaning of work in life paths. The study supports criticisms of the traditional expectations that a career should follow a rising trajectory, as well as criticisms of the application to this topic of theoretical perspectives borrowed from social gerontology and thanatology. Furthermore, the study finds no evidence to support the contention that this experience is extraordinary and traumatic. Rather, the experience seems to be characteristic of transitions in general. The study supports and offers extensions to Schlossberg's (1984) model of transitions. The practical implications of the study include the utility of the general story as a model, knowledge base, and alternative perspective for individuals experiencing similar transitions and their helping practitioners. Recommendations for interventions include the use of Schlossberg's content-process model as a framework to assist individuals through a transitional experience such as leaving professional sport. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The purposes of the investigation were to determine if status of professional sports and professional athletes increases as male participation increases, if perceived status of 'athlete' increases with participation in sports that contain 'male' attributes, and if gender differences are related to status indicators. Sixty-eight students were administered a status-determinants questionnaire. A one-way ANOVA (gender) and a 2 x 12 ANOVA (gender x sport) were employed to determine status ratings of sports. A 3 x 2 (increase/decrease/no change x gender) Chi square was employed to determine status of sports, perceived masculinity of males/femininity of females, and status of the athlete related to gender attributes of sports.

Over sixty franchise relocations have occurred across the four major professional sports leagues in the United States, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, National Football League and National Hockey League. By taking a look at the changes in four factors that occurred from the pre-move to post-move site of each franchise and move date, years in pre-move location and winning percentage of each franchise pre-move, this paper is able to determine general trends in determining why franchises move from and to particular locations. The six factors that are looked at in this study are standard metropolitan area size, moved date, years in pre-move location, racial demographics, per capita income and unemployment rate.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 408-417).

Rugby, an intensely physical team game that emphasised the contribution of players of disparate skills and strengths, was ideal for New Zealand's early European pioneers. It also suited the nature of the indigenous people. Rugby club competitions and provincial matches provided a significant social fulcrum and a means of playing out regional rivalries. Arduous, but ultimately successful rugby tours to Britain and Ireland, brought Pakeha and Maori together and helped to shape the young colony's self-image. New Zealand's commitment to its national game became instrumental in rugby's steadily growing international popularity.Although rugby had significant commercial appeal, it remained an amateur sport in deference to its British originators. Nevertheless, New Zealand's hosting of the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 coincided with the development of global media networks. By the third Rugby World Cup tournament in 1995, substantial commercial interest in the game meant that a transition to a professional structure was inevitable. Rugby appealed to media conglomerates needing new televisual product that would attract subscribers to growing pay-TV networks.Although the introduction of professionalism was a major commercial success, the commercial imperatives imposed allowed rugby to be dominated by those with the most financial and player resources. As a consequence, New Zealand's traditional advantages were diluted. This generated considerable tension between New Zealand's professional game and its amateur grassroots level that has been rugby's traditional base. While supplying the game's players and supporters, grassroots rugby has been the level of the game most vulnerable to the negative impact of professionalisation.To generate the income to adequately fund the game's grassroots, it is critical that New Zealand's leading teams remain among the world's best. However, the professionalisation of rugby has made winning far more difficult than ever before. New Zealand rugby's challenge is to mitigate the commercial imperatives that place it at a significant disadvantage in the international game.