Among National Football League (NFL) fans, coaches, and analysts, there are many different views on how time-off effects team performance. Differences in how time-off is allocated to teams has also become a source of controversy as debates continue regarding which teams received the least favorable schedules. This investigation was concerned with identifying how time-off prior to a game affects the final score, when is the best time to have a bye week, and why some teams may benefit more from time-off than other teams. Twenty-one seasons were examined using ordinary least squares regressions to determine that there is at least about a .21 point advantage for each extra day of preparation time that a team receives prior to a game, relative to the time received by an opponent. This advantage is increased for older teams, less talented teams, and teams that are less familiar with their opponents. Unfamiliar opponents benefit from an additional day to prepare by about .38 points which accounts for approximately 2.6 points for a standard seven day bye week. Additionally, about 54.9 percent of teams defeat their opponents when coming off of a bye week by an average margin of victory of about 12.3 points compared to the approximately 8.7 points that non-bye week teams defeated bye week teams by on average. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 17, 2013. / bye, inequity, NFL, performance, rest, schedule / Includes bibliographical references. / Ryan Rodenberg, Professor Directing Thesis; Joshua Newman, Committee Member; Yu Kyoum Kim, Committee Member.

This is a study of the of Kiwi cultural identity as performed in and through American rugby. Drawing on the theories of Stuart Hall, Judith Butler and Sara Ahmed I look at how my New Zealand cultural identity and rugby playing body was (re)produced by myself and my teammates and coaches at the South City "Raiders" Rugby Football Club (SCRFC). The data for this study comes from my participant observation in SCRFC as a player for six months, during which I kept autoethnograpic field notes and conducted semi-structured conversational interviews. I discuss how my cultural identity project in this rugby space was primarily embodied and performed and that this resulted in pain playing a central part in my experiences. In this respect, what began as a study of cultural identity became a study of pain in the service of cultural identity. This leads me to theoretically explore pain as an empirical construct, arguing that pain must be considered both as a product and producer of cultural identities. As such I move to question Hall's predominantly discursive understanding of identity arguing that we need to move beyond textual reductionism to study cultural identities as subject to biological, affective and material (re)production, (re)constitution, and negotiation. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2013. / April 1, 2013. / Cultural Citizenship, Cultural Identity, Intersubjectivity, Pain, Performativity, Rugby / Includes bibliographical references. / Joshua Newman, Professor Directing Thesis; Jeffery James, Committee Member; Michael Giardina, Committee Member.

This research looks to extend beyond the sports economic theory to present a cultural economic conception of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Utilizing the theory of "spectacle" put forward by Guy Debord I conducted a critical discourse analysis of season one of the UFC's subsidiary realty TV show The Ultimate Fighter. Results indicated a specific construction with regard to the fighter-contestant identity as a member of the lower/working class and, as such, the positioning of the UFC as an emancipatory institution. Such construction is interpreted as creating cultural forms that have the potential to aid in the UFC's extraction of surplus value from its labor force. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 28, 2013. / Cultural economy, Mixed Martial Arts, Reality television, Spectacle, Ultimate Fighting Championship / Includes bibliographical references. / Joshua Newman, Professor Directing Thesis; Michael Giardina, Committee Member; Jennifer Proffitt, Committee Member.

For this dissertation, I conducted an organizational ethnography of the Big South Boosters department. Executives within the department granted me access to their organizational operations over a four month time period. A June to September timeframe was chosen because it was identified by members of the department as the "busiest" and "most important" for their fundraising efforts. I elected to study booster department operations due to the complex inter- and intra-organizational dynamics of this specific type of organization. Athletic departments are increasingly relying on external funding (e.g., tuition reallocations, student fees, public funding) to offset their operating costs. Funding athletic departments with university and student funds in consistently being met with resistance and is causing athletic department administrators to utilize alternative methods to cover the expenses (athletes, coaches, support staff, travel, etc.) associated with college athletics. Thus, booster departments, organizations charged with raising external funds from individuals and corporations, are as important as ever in modern college athletics landscape. For this research project, I became a participant (as) observer within the Big South Boosters department. Through ethnographic methods such as observation and interviews, I analyzed the organizational operations and dynamics that drive the representations of culture that were created by members of the department. Drawing upon a circuit of culture model, I examined the role that organizational processes (such as organizational communication, political skill, organizational politics, and organizational identification) played in the production and effectiveness of branding and fundraising activities. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 8, 2013. / Athletics, Boosters, Communication, Ethnography, Fundraising, Politics / Includes bibliographical references. / Joshua I. Newman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michael D. Giardina, Committee Member; Jeffrey D. James, Committee Member.

Price fairness is defined as the psychological judgment of the price as reasonable, just, and acceptable (Bolton, Warlop, & Alba, 2003; Maxwell, 2002; Xia, Monroe, & Cox, 2004). Although it has been investigated in various service business areas, there has been little research of price fairness in the sports business (Darke & Dahl, 2003; Kimes, 1994; Kahneman, Knetch, & Thaler, 1986a, 1986b; Radzi, Zahari, Muhammad, Aziz, & Ahmad, 2011). As sports consumers show unique consumption patterns, it is necessary to examine price fairness forsports consumers. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine price fairness of the college football ticket price for sports consumers based on level of trust. To test the hypothesis, a quantitative method was employed. Two scenario type questions were created, and an independent t-test was performed to test the hypothesis. The hypothesis failed to be rejected, as shown by the inferential statistical results (n=100). It was indicated that perceptions of price fairness of the college football ticket were not significantly different based on levels of trust. These findings contributed to an extension of existing research of price fairness into sports management areas. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2013. / June 13, 2013. / Fairness, Price, Sports Consumers, Sports Ticket / Includes bibliographical references. / Yukyoum Kim, Professor Directing Thesis; Jeffrey James, Committee Member; Janelle Wells, Committee Member.

Increasing pressure from the public has raised expectations that corporations will be better citizens of their communities and society as a whole (Bennet, 2002; Carroll, 1999b; Epstein, 1989; Van Marrewijk, 2003; Wood, 1991). As a result, corporations have engaged in corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. Research on this topic through mainstream management has mainly focused on the impact CSR activities have on consumer response (e.g., attitudes, behaviors, etc.) (Bhattacharya & Sen, 2001, 2004; Porter & Kramer, 2006). Research on CSR in the sport industry has followed a similar pattern, focusing on consumer responses to CSR activities. No research studies have explored the influence and perceptions pertaining to CSR activities in relation to important internal constituents (employees and volunteers) of sport organizations. Of particular interest is uncovering what employees and volunteers specifically believe are important CSR elements (ethical, discretionary, legal, economic), and what impact a sense of 'shared CSR values' with a respective sport organization would have on employee and volunteer responses. For example, will the perception of shared social values influence on organizational commitment provide insight on recruitment, retention and/or development strategies of employees and volunteers? Further, assessing any difference in sensemaking between these two groups would be of additional value to this line of enquiry, as the perceptions of the organization are understood as "tantamount to reality, since organizations are social constructions made up of and acting in accordance with shared perceptions," (Brickson, 2007, p. 865) particularly those of employees and volunteers of sport organizations. The present study explored how CSR impacts organizational members (employees and volunteers) of sport organizations. Specifically, the main purpose of the present study was to assess the level of perceived shared values as they relate to CSR (measured as corporate social orientation) between organizational members of sport organizations (i.e., employees and volunteers) and the sport organization. Further, the influence of the level of perceived shared corporate social orientation (CSO) on organizational identification was evaluated in the context of a proposed model, which included the relationship of perceived shared corporate social orientation on the organizational identification → value commitment relationship. Using a sample of sport organization employees and volunteers, the respondents completed an online survey composed of demographic items, the corporate social orientation scale, and items that measure organizational identification, value commitment and other outcomes that were not empirically tested (job satisfaction, volunteer satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors). Correlation analyses were conducted on tenure and CSO values congruence (on total CSO and each dimension); on CSO values congruence (on total CSO and each dimension) and organizational identification; and on organizational identification and value commitment. Difference on organizational member responses on economic and non-economic CSO dimensions (legal, ethical, discretionary combined) was tested using paired t-test. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the differences on male and female ratings on ethical and discretionary elements. Perceived shared corporate social orientation was assessed as an absolute difference between an individual's rating of CSO dimensions, and the individual's perception of an organization's CSO. The impact of the level of shared social values (measured through CSO congruence) on organizational identification and value commitment was assessed through moderated regression analysis. Results of the study are as follows: 1. The evidence did not support a four-factor corporate social orientation structure, based on the primary and alternative models. However, the parsimonious model (v2) showed both convergent and discriminant validity for the four CSO dimensions. 2. Length of tenure of the organizational member did not show a significant relationship with their measured corporate social orientation congruence across all dimensions (profit, legal, ethical, and discretionary). 3. Employee measures of ethical corporate social orientation congruence were positively and significantly correlated with organizational identification. 4. Volunteer measures of CSO total and all corporate social orientation dimension congruence (profit, legal, ethical and discretionary) showed strong positive correlations with organizational identification. 5. Organizational identification showed a strong positive correlation with value commitment for all organizational members and at the stakeholder level (employees and volunteers separately). 6. Perceived organizational corporate social orientation ratings on profit was significantly different (greater) than the ratings on perceived importance of non-economic elements (legal, ethical, discretionary) for the organization. 7. While female organizational members did show higher ratings on ethical and discretionary corporate social orientation levels than their male counterparts, there was no significant difference in their ratings. 8. Significant moderation effects were found for profit, legal and overall corporate social orientation congruence on the organizational identification-> value commitment relationship (all organizational members) 9. Significant moderation effects were found for ethical, non-economic elements and CSO total (employees); Legal dimension (volunteers) on the organizational identification → value commitment relationship. The findings provided preliminary knowledge to assist in better understanding corporate social responsibility in sport. However, it is acknowledged that the study was exploratory and did not clearly demonstrate discriminant validity for the four traditionally accepted dimensions of CSO when tested with organizational members within the sport context (profit, legal, ethical, and discretionary) (Carroll, 1979). For this reason, future research areas are suggested (in Chapter Five) to address the possible development of a CSO measure appropriate for the sport industry and also recommends other possible types of analyses that will be useful to the management of sport organizational member relationships as they relate to corporate social responsibility. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management and Recreation Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / February 19, 2010. / Corporate Social Responsibility, Sport Organizational Members / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey D. James, Professor Directing Dissertation; Gary Knight, University Representative; Michael Mondello, Committee Member; Yu Kyoum Kim, Committee Member.

Sport is often viewed as an apolitical, positive, socially integrative social practice that can lead to the development of people--socially, economically, politically and culturally. This functionalist rhetoric has led to the recent trend in development initiatives in the past two decades, which has led to the nascent field of Sport for Development. However, this functionalist view of sport has often disregarded the broader socio-historical, cultural and political roles that sport has played. For instance, the use of sport to assimilate indigenous people into the dominant western culture during the colonial era, often at the expense of indigenous peoples' own values, beliefs, and traditions. Specifically, I follow many critical scholars by suggesting that SFD programs that are conducted in indigenous communities are often planned, implemented and evaluated from a Western worldview, rather than from the worldview of the indigenous community (Darnell, 2010a; Darnell and Hayhurst, 2012; Forsyth and Wamsley, 2006; Giles, 2007; Nicholls, Giles and Sethna, 2010; Smith, 1999). Given this, in this research project I offer a critical commentary on SFD programs that are conducted within indigenous communities and suggest that there is a need to adopt a decolonizing praxis to SFD in indigenous communities. I provide this perspective by reflecting on a journey I took to visit the Suquamish Tribe of the Port Madison Reserve to talk to them about the Salish Tribal Canoe Journeys. I conclude by suggesting that there are key lessons that can be learnt from the Suquamish and the Salish Tribal Canoe Journeys in relation to adopting a decolonizing praxis to SFD in indigenous communities. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfilllment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Summer Semester, 2013. / July 1, 2013. / development, indigenous, indigenous rights, self-determination, Sport for development / Includes bibliographical references. / Joshua Newman, Professor Directing Thesis; Jeffrey James, Committee Member; Michael Giardina, Committee Member.

As technology development has made the world better, the benefits of such development are also increasingly related to sports activities. Many sports devices have been combined with Information Technology (IT). One great example is an IT-combined sport device called "Activity Tracker." It is a device that is worn on the body and records a user's body status such as calories burned, steps walked, or heart rates. With people's increasing attention to their health, it is expected that the popularity of the devices will increase. To aid in the sales of activity trackers in a competitive market, the manufacturers should be familiar with the impact of product cues such as brand, price, and design on consumers' perceived quality, which will influence their willingness to buy. The study was quantitative; paper and pencil questionnaires were utilized. The instruments were derived from three existing studies. The study participants were Florida State University undergraduate and graduate students; 200 questionnaires were distributed to students enrolled in Lifetime Activity Program (LAP) courses and/or visiting a recreation center on campus. The final sample size was 144 participants. The data was analyzed using several statistical methods with PASW Statistics 20.0. From the descriptive statistics, the frequency counts and/or mean scores were computed for profiling the participants. The Cronbach's alpha scores, and item-to-total correlations were utilized to assess the internal consistency of the factors measured with the questionnaires. The assumptions of multiple regression, including as normality, linearity, homoscedasticity, and multicollinearity were assessed. Multiple regressions were utilized to gauge the extent to which price, brand, and design influence perceived quality. As the final step, a simple regression was utilized to measure the relationship between perceived quality and willingness to buy. Examination of this data revealed several significant results regarding the relationships between product cues, perceived quality, and willingness to buy. While brand (t=6.779; p<.05; beta=.522) and design (t=5.934; p<.05; beta=.450) had a positive impact on perceived quality, price (t=-1.681; p>.05; beta=-.139) had no significant impact on perceived quality. Perceived quality (t=6.060; p<.05; beta=.453) had a positive impact on willingness to buy; however, the variance (20%) accounted for in willingness to buy was low, meaning that there may be mediating variables between perceived quality and willingness to buy. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Sport Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2014. / April 14, 2014. / Activity trackers, Perceived quality, Product cues, Willingness to buy / Includes bibliographical references. / Jeffrey James, Professor Directing Thesis; Yu Kyoum Kim, Committee Member; Janelle E. Wells, Committee Member.

Investigations on retention and graduation often focus on the overall issue of student persistence. Research has identified two variables that consistently predict persistence: the student's ability to integrate academically and socially, and the student's commitment to degree attainment. There has not been an abundance of supporting research on the subject dealing solely with student-athlete's integration and institutional and degree commitment. Therefore, there were two major purposes of this research. The first purpose was to examine the social and academic integration experiences of track and field student-athletes. The second purpose was to determine whether social and academic integration experiences will influence student-athlete's institutional and goal commitment to member institutions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Atlantic Coast Conference. A survey instrument developed by Pascarella and Terenzini (1980), originally designed to measure the integration and institutional and goal commitment constructs of Tinto's model of student departure, was administered to track and field student-athletes enrolled in member institutions of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Three-way Analysis of variance tests revealed significant mean differences in social integration and academic integration when measured by race. However, no significant mean differences emerged in social integration and academic integration experiences when measured by gender and classification. Additionally, no significant differences emerged in institutional and goal commitment when measured by gender, race, and classification. Finally, hierarchical multiple regression revealed social integration and academic integration significantly influenced institutional and goal commitment when controlling for background characteristics. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that persistence efforts are applicable to student-athletes. Although student-athletes have a unique academic structure and face the intense athletic demands of competing at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division IA level, it is important to foster social and academic integration experiences. Moreover, the benefits of positive student-athlete integration experiences will result in a positive interaction between institutional and goal commitment among student-athletes. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2007. / Date of Defense: June 27, 2007. / Higher Education, Guidance and Counseling, Commitment, Intercollegiate Athletics, Persistence / Includes bibliographical references. / Jerome Quarterman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joy Gaston Gayles, Outside Committee Member; Susan Losh, Outside Committee Member; Michael Mondello, Committee Member; B. Cecile Reynaud, Committee Member.

The purpose of this study was to survey female basketball student-athletes, participating in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) member institutions, in order to determine their academic, collegiate athletic, and career athletic motivation based on academic standing and ethnicity. Another purpose was to validate the Student-Athletes' Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ), a newly developed instrument used to measure student-athletes' motivation. The Expectancy Theory of Motivation was used to discuss the perception of valence exhibited by the female basketball student-athletes. The research population for this study was N = 111. The population represented female basketball players at nine member institutions of the ACC. Two of the institutions did not participate in the research study. The research sample for this study was n = 100, which yielded a 90% response rate. Previous research that formed the basis for this study included ethnicity and motivation of student-athletes, academic standing and motivation of student-athletes, and limited literature regarding female basketball student-athletes' academic motivation. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results revealed there was no significant difference between academic, collegiate athletic, and career athletic motivation when analyzing academic standing. Data results for ethnicity and motivation revealed there was no significant difference between academic motivation and collegiate athletic motivation, however, there was a significant difference when career athletic motivation and ethnicity were analyzed. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the SAMSAQ and the extraction method using principal axis factoring revealed two factors would be more beneficial in an explanation of variance instead of three or more factors. The two factors were noted as academic and athletic motivation. EFA enabled the researcher to determine the SAMSAQ may need to examine two constructs instead of three (academic, collegiate, and career athletic motivation). / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sport Management, Recreation Management, and Physical Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2005. / Date of Defense: June 9, 2005. / Women's Basketball, Motivation, Student-Athletes / Includes bibliographical references. / Jerome Quarterman, Professor Directing Dissertation; Susan Losh, Outside Committee Member; E. Newton Jackson, Jr., Committee Member; Aubrey Kent, Committee Member.