Sports clubs face numerous challenges, including economic fluctuations, shifting supporter preferences, and changes in regulations and policies. However, the unpredictable nature of athletic performance makes it difficult to forecast future financial outcomes, which can negatively impact planning and operations. Effective risk management is crucial for clubs to navigate these uncertainties and maintain long-term sustainability. The limited ability of Swedish clubs to access external funding sources, due to regulations on ownership and governance, poses challenges in managing risks effectively, as it restricts investment in new projects and response to unexpected and volatile events. Swedish clubs' managers face distinctive obstacles compared to their international counterparts due to the unique context they operate in.  The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what risks Swedish elite football clubs face due to the uncertain and volatile environment of sports, and to explore how these risks are managed. By identifying the various risks these clubs encounter, this study aims to shed light on how they maintain their competitive edge through proactive risk management strategies.  This thesis’ methodology is structured as a qualitative interview study consisting of eight semi-structured interviews with eight Swedish elite football clubs. The study uses a purposive sampling method, in order to focus on the unique regulations of Swedish sports clubs, as well the largest sport in Sweden, football. Moreover, the thesis employed a thematic analysis approach to analyse the data and draw conclusions.   The results of the study show that managers in Swedish elite football clubs adopt a hybrid approach to risk management, leveraging an experience-based approach and complementing it with a long-term strategic approach. This allows them to align decisions and risk management practices with their objectives and stakeholder expectations, and through balancing competitiveness and risk-taking, they establish attainable objectives that gradually lead to sustainable success. Moreover, the results show that larger clubs with a substantial number of members prioritise the opinions and interests of their members, who serve as a crucial source of income and primary stakeholders. In contrast, smaller clubs with fewer members rely more on sponsors and partners for income.

Thoroughbred racing is referred to as “the sport of Kings”, because historically it was a leisure activity of the upper-class. Thoroughbred breeding on the other hand has transformed from a hobby of the upper-class to a worldwide agricultural industry. With the deep involvement of the royal and rich in the Thoroughbred industry, the auction prices of horses are raised significantly at the top end of the market. Research in the biological sciences suggests there exits correlations between dam age, foal birthrank, and the racing performance of Thoroughbred horses. This study first investigates how the market values these biological factors and whether they are correlated with racehorses’ career earnings. We further test the impact of sire age as there is limited literature related to the subject. By using a Hedonic pricing model, results show that Thoroughbred buyers at Keeneland September Sale are willing to pay more for the yearlings at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd birthranks, yearlings out of younger mares age from 4 to 10, and yearlings by experienced sires age from 12 to 18. Results from multivariate regressions suggest negative correlations between foal birthrank, parent age and career earnings.

The present study uses a novel measure of over performance (percent deviation from career average) to analyze the contract year phenomenon in the NBA. Historically, the literature has pointed toward over performance across almost all statistical measures of performance. However, previous research has assumed that all players are universally affected by the presence of a contract year in the same manner. The present study finds significant results that contradict previous research by dividing the sample of players into subgroups by age, career PER and position. Furthermore, the results of this paper’s statistical analysis illustrate the first examples of systematic underperformance in a contract year. More specifically, this study finds that for certain subsets of players, shooting percentage, usage percentage and field goal attempts decrease in the presence of a contract year.

Using data from the 2000-2016 Major League Baseball seasons, this paper looks at the determinants of durability amongst baseball athletes, durability is measured in games played for batters and innings pitched for pitchers, with a particular focus on height and weight. This paper finds evidence that lighter, shorter batters play significantly more games than taller, heavier batters. Additionally, amongst pitchers, there is only circumstantial evidence that height and weight are important determining factors of player durability. Finally, I find that starting pitchers increase the likelihood of becoming injured in the regular season by 10.3% and 21.8% if their hits per nine innings and home runs per nine inning totals, respectively increase by one.

Master of Science / Department of Journalism and Mass Communications / Steven Smethers / The college sports industry is seeing a change in its marketing strategies with the rise of the popularity of social media. Facebook and Twitter are the two most common social networking sites used by intercollegiate athletic departments. Not only are these outlets used to foster two-way communication with fans, but they are also used as advertising and public relations tools. The purpose of this study is to compare the Kansas State University of Intercollegiate Athletics’ social media objectives and content with the level of satisfaction among representatives of the K-State fan base. Is the athletic department producing the social media content that their fans want to see? In order to gain a better understanding of the nature of the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with various staff members in the K-State Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to determine the social media objectives and to gather their opinions on the content. From there, two focus groups were conducted to ascertain the level of satisfaction among K-State fans with the current content. One group consisted of students while the other group contained K-State alumni. Findings showed that fans were pleased with certain aspects (i.e. score updates on @kstategameday, conciseness of Twitter, videos, etc.) but wanted to see more of other items such as K-State trivia, behind the scenes footage and more on student-athletes. The information gathered was then used to provide suggestions for future social media strategies within the K-State Athletics Department. The recommendations will help to enhance communication with fans and satisfy their social media needs as they relate to K-State Sports.

M.Comm. / South Africa are the proud hosts of the FIFA 2010 Football World Cup™, and deservedly so. A significant effort has been placed in winning the bid and continues this continues to be the situation as construction and infrastructure are being put in place for event. Time is fast becoming limited, now with just less than three years to go, proper development is essential. Outside the rush and pressure to be ready for this event and the economic benefits that that are attached, the opportunity exists to divert some of that momentum into something that will last way beyond 2010 – sustainable youth development programmes and football clubs. This entails that grassroots development and youth football development programs are structured and sustainable in order for well-rounded, well-developed players to graduate from it for many years to come. This study set out to ascertain the extent to which business management principles are applied in the management of football, as well as to explore the availability and applicability of policies and programmes provided by government and the national federation. The exact population size was extremely challenging to determine, largely due to insufficient and non-centralised record keeping by national and regional administrators. A sample size of 30 (n=30) that was geographically representative of Gauteng, was drawn. Researcher-administered interviews, with questionnaires, were used in the investigation. Meaningful insight was provided in the fact that only 33% of the respondents were aware of the White Paper on Sport and Recreation South Africa and indicated that there was a degree of alignment to it. The study highlighted the fact that while this document, and other policies regulating and supporting sport and sport development nationally are available, the respondents indicated a general lack of knowledge of these tools made available by the South African Department for Sport and Recreation and its partners. The National Federation, SAFA, devote little effort to football development programmes and while strides are being made in this regard, the increments of success are very small and potential benefits do not materialise. One further aspect concluded from the study was the lack of a clear understanding of what sport development, and football in particular, encompasses, and thus what a development programme should include. Current football programmes were found to be lacking with regard to the holistic development of players, as well as coaches, administrators and officials, in areas that extend beyond the tactical and technical aspects of football.

O objetivo desse estudo foi realizar o diagnóstico de aspectos da ocupação das áreas comuns do Campus da USP da Capital em relação à prática de atividade física, a fim de levantar elementos para a construção de um plano de gestão dessa atividade com base nas teorias e modelos da administração. Para isso, estudou-se os anos de 2013 e 2014, as características do território, ocupação das áreas comuns do Campus da USP pelas assessorias esportivas, as principais ocorrências relacionadas à prática esportiva registradas na Guarda Universitária, Ouvidoria da USP, Prefeitura do Campus e Sistema de Ambulância, os serviços oferecidos pelas assessorias esportivas, o comportamento do mercado destas assessorias presentes no Campus e o perfil do gestor de assessoria esportiva. Além disso, estudou-se a ocupação e o comportamento em termos de prática esportiva dos praticantes e a opinião destes sobre a prática de atividades físicas no Campus da USP. Foram analisados dados dos órgãos administrativos da USP relacionados à prática esportiva e aplicado questionário às assessorias e praticantes. Resultados: as principais ocorrências registradas na guarda universitária estavam relacionadas a furtos em veículos, seguidos de acidente pessoal e atropelamento, e ocorreram prioritariamente no período matutino; No serviço de ambulância a principal ocorrência foi relacionada a acidentes com queda de ciclistas; A principal reclamação está vinculada à prática de ciclismo tanto na Ouvidoria como na Prefeitura do Campus; Houve um crescimento expressivo do número de assessorias esportivas nos últimos dez anos; As assessorias esportivas em conjunto movimentam só em relação aos serviços de treinamento, cerca de 2 milhões e setecentos mil reais ao mês; Prioritariamente, as assessorias esportivas oferecem seus treinamentos no Campus da USP devido à demanda dos praticantes; O Campus da USP é escolhido como local para treino pelos praticantes principalmente devido a variação de percurso, a proximidade de casa ou do trabalho, ser um local arborizado, amplo, poder realizar treinos longos e ser considerado o melhor local para treinamento. Conclusão: a partir das análises apresentadas, pudemos obter o diagnóstico do uso do espaço, onde buscamos informações acerca do ambiente externo de forma a identificar e interpretar as tendências, visando analisar as informações e determinar quais apresentam oportunidades e ameaças para propor um plano de gestão / The objective of this study was to achieve a diagnosis of the occupation aspects concerning the common areas of USP Campus in São Paulo, the Capital of the State of São Paulo, with regards to the practice of the physical activities, aiming at an assessment of the elements for the elaboration of a management plan for these activities, based on administration theories and models. To accomplish this, we studied as references the occupation in the years 2013 and 2014; the characteristics of the territory; the occupation of common areas at the USP Campus by the running clubs; the main occurrences related to sports practice registered by USP Safety Department, Complaints Department, Superintendence, and Ambulance System; the services provided by the running clubs; the behavior of the running clubs market present in the Campus; and their profile. In addition to this, we also studied the occupation and behavior in terms of sports practice of the participants, their opinion about the practice of such physical sports at USP Campus. Data from USP Administrative Organs about sports practice was analyzed and a questionnaire was applied to the coaches and runners. Results: the main occurrences registered by USP Safety Department were related to vehicle thefts followed by running over, which occurred mainly in the morning. As for the Ambulance Service, the main occurrences were related cyclists to accidents and falls. The most important claims, both in the Complaint Department and in the Superintendence, regard the cycling practice. There has been a relevant growth in the number of running clubs in the past ten years. The running clubs together make around 2.7 million Reais monthly. They provide their running club services mainly at USP Campus due to the runners demand. USP Campus is chosen as a place for training among the runners thanks to the variety of routes, proximity to their houses and/or work, for being a green wide place, for the possibility of long training sessions, and for being considered the best place for training. Conclusion: based on the analysis presented we were able to obtain a diagnosis of the space use, where we obtained information about the external environment in order to identify and interpret the tendencies, aiming at analyzing the information and determining which represent opportunities and threats so as to propose a management plan

O objetivo desse estudo foi realizar o diagnóstico de aspectos da ocupação das áreas comuns do Campus da USP da Capital em relação à prática de atividade física, a fim de levantar elementos para a construção de um plano de gestão dessa atividade com base nas teorias e modelos da administração. Para isso, estudou-se os anos de 2013 e 2014, as características do território, ocupação das áreas comuns do Campus da USP pelas assessorias esportivas, as principais ocorrências relacionadas à prática esportiva registradas na Guarda Universitária, Ouvidoria da USP, Prefeitura do Campus e Sistema de Ambulância, os serviços oferecidos pelas assessorias esportivas, o comportamento do mercado destas assessorias presentes no Campus e o perfil do gestor de assessoria esportiva. Além disso, estudou-se a ocupação e o comportamento em termos de prática esportiva dos praticantes e a opinião destes sobre a prática de atividades físicas no Campus da USP. Foram analisados dados dos órgãos administrativos da USP relacionados à prática esportiva e aplicado questionário às assessorias e praticantes. Resultados: as principais ocorrências registradas na guarda universitária estavam relacionadas a furtos em veículos, seguidos de acidente pessoal e atropelamento, e ocorreram prioritariamente no período matutino; No serviço de ambulância a principal ocorrência foi relacionada a acidentes com queda de ciclistas; A principal reclamação está vinculada à prática de ciclismo tanto na Ouvidoria como na Prefeitura do Campus; Houve um crescimento expressivo do número de assessorias esportivas nos últimos dez anos; As assessorias esportivas em conjunto movimentam só em relação aos serviços de treinamento, cerca de 2 milhões e setecentos mil reais ao mês; Prioritariamente, as assessorias esportivas oferecem seus treinamentos no Campus da USP devido à demanda dos praticantes; O Campus da USP é escolhido como local para treino pelos praticantes principalmente devido a variação de percurso, a proximidade de casa ou do trabalho, ser um local arborizado, amplo, poder realizar treinos longos e ser considerado o melhor local para treinamento. Conclusão: a partir das análises apresentadas, pudemos obter o diagnóstico do uso do espaço, onde buscamos informações acerca do ambiente externo de forma a identificar e interpretar as tendências, visando analisar as informações e determinar quais apresentam oportunidades e ameaças para propor um plano de gestão / The objective of this study was to achieve a diagnosis of the occupation aspects concerning the common areas of USP Campus in São Paulo, the Capital of the State of São Paulo, with regards to the practice of the physical activities, aiming at an assessment of the elements for the elaboration of a management plan for these activities, based on administration theories and models. To accomplish this, we studied as references the occupation in the years 2013 and 2014; the characteristics of the territory; the occupation of common areas at the USP Campus by the running clubs; the main occurrences related to sports practice registered by USP Safety Department, Complaints Department, Superintendence, and Ambulance System; the services provided by the running clubs; the behavior of the running clubs market present in the Campus; and their profile. In addition to this, we also studied the occupation and behavior in terms of sports practice of the participants, their opinion about the practice of such physical sports at USP Campus. Data from USP Administrative Organs about sports practice was analyzed and a questionnaire was applied to the coaches and runners. Results: the main occurrences registered by USP Safety Department were related to vehicle thefts followed by running over, which occurred mainly in the morning. As for the Ambulance Service, the main occurrences were related cyclists to accidents and falls. The most important claims, both in the Complaint Department and in the Superintendence, regard the cycling practice. There has been a relevant growth in the number of running clubs in the past ten years. The running clubs together make around 2.7 million Reais monthly. They provide their running club services mainly at USP Campus due to the runners demand. USP Campus is chosen as a place for training among the runners thanks to the variety of routes, proximity to their houses and/or work, for being a green wide place, for the possibility of long training sessions, and for being considered the best place for training. Conclusion: based on the analysis presented we were able to obtain a diagnosis of the space use, where we obtained information about the external environment in order to identify and interpret the tendencies, aiming at analyzing the information and determining which represent opportunities and threats so as to propose a management plan

This thesis serves as an examination of the relationship between players’ salaries and teams’ revenues for the American Major League Soccer and English Premier League. Historically, the salary cap imposed on teams playing in Major League Soccer has been heavily criticized of holding the league back. Comparisons have been made to leagues such as the English Premier League which assert that the limitation keeping Major League Soccer from attaining similar success is the presence of the salary cap. Data was gathered from the twenty teams in Major League Soccer and the twenty teams in the English Premier League for each of two seasons, those played in 2015 and 2016. A regression analysis was performed with a binary dummy variable which served to indicate the presence of a salary cap. At an α of .05, the presence of a salary cap was found to be statistically significantly related to the revenues earned by teams. Additionally, at an α of .05, there was strong evidence to indicate a relationship between total paid salaries and total revenues earned by teams. This study serves to show one viable path by which financially underperforming teams can begin to increase their revenue streams.

abstract: ABSTRACT Elite experience and careers in judged female sports complicate the binary categories of retirement while they are especially exposed to cultures of abuse, pressure and subjectivity. This thesis is comprised of multiple voices and experiences from the elite female athletic perspective, including my autoethnographic narrative. Highlighted and discussed are the topics of sexual assault and abuse, family pressure on children to do and excel at sport, the National Team experience representing the United States and subjected bodies and judging. It is an aim of this thesis to culminate all of those factors in the final chapter and hold that the experience and the cultures of athletic identity within synchronized swimming, gymnastics and figure skating not only cannot be explained by current research on athletic identity through retirement but have the capability to retire undeveloped young women by overdeveloped athletic identities. Through a sampling of voices and experiences across different female judged sports, over three decades, the reader will observe similarities that cause these sports to have a culture of solidarity through the aspects they hold in common with each other. The narrative highlights pivotal moments in the lives of the elite female athlete within these sports, which add to the calculation of their athletic identities and the lack of their personal identities. Through reflection and analyses of not only my story, but the interviewees from my original research and that of Joan Ryan’s as well, I aim to voice a mutual experience of elite athletes. Consisting of multiple factors throughout many years we will see through my autoethnography, paralleling with other voices and experiences, how it all intersects and contributes to this: Who am I now and where do I go from here? / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Social Justice and Human Rights 2019