Three groups of females: contact athletes (basketball players), noncontact athletes (tennis and golf players), and nonathletes, were tested to determine their perceptual reactance. It was predicted that since women contact athletes tolerate more pain than women noncontact athletes and nonathletes, they should reduce their estimations of the test block more than noncontact athletes and nonathletes. It was also predicted that since women noncontact athletes tolerate more pain than women nonathletes, they should reduce their estimations of the test block more than the nonathletes. These predictions parallel previous findings for men. The results demonstrated no significant differences between the three groups in their estimations of the test block, lending evidence to suggest that Petrie's theory of perceptual reactance is not as generalizable a construct for women as it is for men.

The personality profile of 25 United States Auto Club sprint car drivers was compared to the previously established profile compiled by Dr. Keith Johnsgard, Dr. Bruce Ogilvie, and Kenneth Merrit on 30 highly successful Formula I and Sports Car Club of America sports car drivers using the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) as the instrument of differentiation. Although no statistical significance was attached to the difference between means of the two groups due to a lack of variance estimates for the 15 scales that comprise the EPPS regarding the sports car driving group, quite similar scores were obtained on 13 of the 15 scales with the sprint car driving group having an apparent greater need for aggression and an apparent lesser need for abasement than did the sports car driving group. In addition, an attempt was made to delineate group specific personality characteristics of the USAC sprint car drivers by comparing the EPPS profile of the more successful group with that of the less successful group. In this instance, a one way analysis of variance was performed between the two groups. Results showed no statistically significant difference between the overall profile of the two groups.

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the existence of reputational capital among Major League Baseball teams. Previous studies have shown that there is a strong relationship between past performance and current attendance at professional baseball games. Using reputational capital as an explanation, this paper provides a general discussion of this relationship. The discussion of reputational capital is followed by an empirical analysis which includes several model specifications designed to show the effects of past performance on current attendance. One series of models uses cross-sectional data to measure the effects in general across the league and another series of models uses time series data to show some specific examples and how the relationship holds up through time. The results of the empirical study show that there is generally a strong relationship between past performance and current attendance, although from team-to-team the magnitude of the effect varies. Consistent with economic and marketing theory, the results show that baseball teams accumulate and deplete reputational capital.

This paper examines the determinants of FIFA World Cup performances of nations. The study incorporates socioeconomic, cultural, demographic and football-specific factors to investigate how World Cup results can be explained. A linear regression is used to study the last five tournaments, and the model finds that being seeded for the draw, and the host country effect are statistically significant variables. Additionally, I discover two new variables – namely, having a star player and having become a member of FIFA before 1924, as being statistically significant in my analysis.

Over the years there have been a lot of undrafted free agents that have had successful careers in the NFL. The monopsony structure for rookies entering the NFL and the fact that undrafted free agents get to pick what team they play for suggests that there is an advantage in not getting picked in the draft. To explore this possibility, this paper compares the probabilities of remaining in the NFL for undrafted free agents and seventh round draft picks through logit regressions and survival analysis. In doing so, this paper describes the processes the NFL takes in order to find the most elite talent and how they distribute the talent throughout the whole league. The results find that undrafted free agents have a higher probability of exiting at the beginning of a career when compared with seventh round draft picks, but there is evidence that those probabilities start to converge later in careers. Additionally, there is evidence that there are NFL teams and position groups that do better and worse in retaining undrafted free agents, suggesting that there is a way to take advantage in going undrafted.

The general problem was to determine if there was a significant relationship among collegiate swim team training methods, final team standings and individual team member’s placement by event in the 1976 NCAA Division I Swimming Championship Meet.

It would facilitate the coaching process if coaches could compare the various levels of cardiovascular fitness that their swimmers have attained. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between maximum oxygen uptake and the 12, 9, 6 and 3 minute aerobic swim performance tests in intercollegiate male and female swimmers.

This is a survey and analysis of the set up of the following standards for awards in its constitutional athletic and non-athletic award systems of a large percentage of the high schools of the Central Section, California Interscholastic Federation. For the purposes of this study, data on the following questions is necessary: (1) The nature of awards in the high schools involved in the study. (a) What types of awards, sizes of awards, etc. are being given for each of the different sports? (b) What types of awards are given for achievement in other areas of the school activity program?; (2) What is the basis for receiving an award in each of the activities in which an award may be earned?; (3) To what extent if any are the other areas of possible awards included within the athletic award system”; (4) What is the opinion of the men in the field on the feasibility and desirability of a more encompassing award system?

Throughout the decades, both professional and amateur athletes has been trying to enhance their performance with regard to hitting a baseball. Even through the methods for attaining this goal have changed many times since the early beginnings of the sport, there remain differing opinions as to the best method of acquiring a high level of hitting efficiency. For the purpose of this study, hitting efficiency will be defined as the degree of solid contact made by the performer when attempting to hit a baseball. It was the intention of Coach Al Endriss (1986) to invent a hitting aid that would not only increase the amount of solid contact by his players, but also produce less strikeouts and consequently, more productive hitting. Endriss' philosophy is that the more solid contact the hitter can achieve, the greater chance there is of reaching base safely. These concepts sparked the beginning of the Thunderstick, which is now produced from sizes for the little leaguer to the intercollegiate athlete who seek to sharpen their visual-motor skills. The Thunderstick is recognized as registered trademark of the Easton Aluminum Company. For a comparative diagram of the Thunderstick and a regulation aluminum bat, refer to Appendix A. The Thunderstick is a specially designed batting device that possesses unique and revolutionary characteristics that separate it from a regulation aluminum bat. A review of the literature on batting practice techniques revealed several different methods by which an individual can increase his hitting skills through a variety of practice drills such as the batting tee drill, soft-toss drill, screen-toss drill, and live hitting off a pitching machine. The practice drill that was chosen for this study, to be used in combination with the Thunderstick, was the batting tee drill. A need to gain more knowledge of the specific ways that athletes of all ages may improve their hitting skills through practice techniques would appear to facilitate the question posed as to how using the Thunderstick affects hitting efficiency. If it can be proven as a valid and reliable means of increasing solid contact, the Thunderstick would prove helpful to the entire population of participating baseball players.

The teaching of organized physical education for girls in our schools is rather new in comparison to the number of years schools have existed. In some states physical education is not part of the curriculum but in others, such as California, it is required by law. When one realizes that physical education in the schools is in its infancy one becomes aware of the fact that source materials must therefore be inadequate. Hockey, although an ancient sport, is one of the comparatively newest field sports in the curriculum of the physical education program in the United States. As a result there is still a dearth of printed information available for the teacher. The lack of adequate source materials is felt especially by those who teach the advanced students of hockey. It may be assumed then, that there is a great need today for printed matter which would be used as source materials by the many teachers of hockey.