This dissertation is comprised of three studies which examine, among other issues, racial economic disparity. The first study examines racial and gender wage gaps and considers preferences among supervisors and workers as possible sources of wage differentials. After controlling for various wage determinants, I find little statistical evidence of a racial wage gap. However, I do find evidence of a significant gender wage gap. Also, the race of an individual‟s supervisor is found to be unimportant, but workers with male supervisors are found to earn significantly higher wages than workers with female supervisors. The results reveal little evidence of employee discrimination. However, it is found that both white and male workers receive a wage premium when working for a white male supervisor. I find these results to be strongest for, and possibly driven by, small firms in the South. The second study examines the factors that Bowl Championship Series (BCS) universities use in their decision to offer athletic scholarships to high school football players. I find that a player‟s physical characteristics are important in determining the number of scholarship offers he will receive as well as his athletic performance in high school. However, a player‟s high school grade point average is not a significant determinant of the number of scholarship offers he receives. The analysis also indicates a significantly higher labor market demand for African-American high school football players, and there is also evidence of racial position segregation as well. The third study analyzes the relationship between the racial makeup of counties and economic growth and convergence in the southern U.S. The results provide strong evidence that spatial dependence is present in the data, and it is determined that the spatial lag model is appropriate for modeling the data. Significant evidence of conditional beta-convergence among the counties in the sample is found. The results also reveal that the balanced growth paths of counties are inversely related with the percentage of the county population that is African-American. That is, counties with a higher concentration of African-Americans tend to exhibit relatively slow rates of income growth.

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The deregulation of snacks by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) permits institutions to provide enhanced snacks incidental to participation. Athletes may now have the opportunity to improve their diet quality. The purpose of this research was to assess the consumption of fruits and vegetables as well as body composition of Division I collegiate athletes. The sample included 19 American football players and 8 volleyball players. Paired t-tests were performed to compare fruit intake, vegetable intake, and body fat percentage pre- and post-deregulation of snacks. Linear regression models were used to determine correlations between change in fruit intake and change in body fat percentage and change in vegetable intake and change in body fat percentage. There were no significant differences in the paired t-tests; however, there was a significant correlation in increasing fruit intake, vegetable intake, and decreasing body fat percentage among football players. Results suggest that regular contact with a Registered Dietitian may improve diet quality, and providing nutrient-dense foods planned by a Registered Dietitian to college athletes may improve body fat percentage.

The goal of this study was to develop a detailed understanding of the academic, athletic, and psychosocial needs and issues of African American male student-athletes attending a predominately White public flagship institution of higher education during their transitional first year and determine if, how, and who were meeting these needs. In addition to the well-known lower graduation rates and academic struggles of African American male football players, there are numerous psychosocial and cultural issues and barriers these young men face during their transition such as commitment, discrimination, and isolation (Hyatt, 2003). Mentoring has been used as a tool for developing organizational members in many different contexts and disciplines such as business (Kram, 1985), higher education (Johnson, 2007), and sport management (Jones, Harris, & Miles, 2009). Further, since African American male student-athletes have an array of academic and psychosocial needs, researchers need to look beyond the traditional model of having one primary mentor and explore the potential of a “critical mass” or network of mentors. Twelve first-year African American male student-athletes participated in semi-structured interviews at the conclusion of the first and second semesters of their first year of college. Additional key institutional stakeholders included four upperclassmen African American male student-athletes, three former African American male student-athletes and four faculty and staff members, also participated in interviews with the researcher to add further insights into the first-year experience. Results indicated that African American male student-athletes went through five major transitions: an academic transition, an athletic transition, an athlete status transition, a transition into a less diverse environment, and a transition away from home. Ideal mentors for these individuals were typically African American men who provided role modeling, promoted critical thinking through interactive dialogue, and gave advice on personal and academic issues. Mentoring networks for this population must at least include African American males from the faculty and staff at the university and professionals in the community along with older teammates. Research findings will be of interest to researchers, administrators (academic and athletic), and practitioners who desire to improve the academic, psychosocial, athletic, and overall college experience of African American male student-athletes. / text

The purpose of this study was to determine the importance recent recruits of football programs placed on athletic facilities (specifically football facilities) in the selection of a NCAA Division I-A football team. Specifically, the opinions of recruited freshman at selected NCAA Division I-A football programs in the Big Ten Conference were examined.Participants completed a 21 item questionnaire that ascertained the football players opinions of how football facilities influenced their decisions to play football at the institution, their opinions on how the university and the football program influenced their decision to play football at that institution, and a ranking of 11 facility factors. Athletes (N = 88) representing three schools in the Big Ten Conference completed the questionnaire. The most influential factors in the recruiting process were coaching staff (M = 1.65, SD = .98) and the strength and conditioning facilities (1Vi = 2.02, SD = 1.06). Furthermore, this study found that the top five facility factors that NCAA Division I-A football players rank are strength and conditioning facilities, an academic lab, location of facilities, stand-alone facilities, and an indoor turf field. / School of Physical Education

The current study examined the impact of a recently restarted football program and a new on-campus stadium on the alumni and students of a Division I FCS commuter school. Results showed that alumni felt more connected to the university because of the new football program, they were more satisfied with their overall game-day experience, and the new football stadium was more likely to increase their game attendance when compared to students. Supplementary analysis highlights key differences in how each group rated individual elements of the game-day experience and the mediums used by each group for obtaining team-related information.

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Throughout the history of college football, there have been efforts to reform the system and stop improprieties, yet conflict between gaining academic and athletic prowess at colleges remained a central theme. In the 1980s, the Jan Kemp trial involving the University of Georgia demonstrated this clash between revenue-generating athletics and academic integrity. This historical study is an in-depth analysis of archives, legal documents, interviews, and other textual evidence that demonstrated how the factors surrounding the Jan Kemp case evolved and how key administrators and faculty members reacted to pressure related to academic and athletic conflicts. An analysis of past reform efforts in college football identified presidential control, commercialization of athletics, and corruption of the student-athlete ideal through preferential treatment as the key issues universities must address in relation to their football programs. An analysis of the University of Georgia in relation to these issues showed that pressure to increase revenue from football led to a lack of presidential control over academic-athletic conflicts and allowed preferential treatment of athletes to persist at the expense of academic integrity.

This study deals with an investigation of letterman in track in North Texas State Teachers College during the ten- year period of 1930-31 through 1939-40, as compared with football lettermen of the same period. More especially, it is a study of the program, the accomplishments, and the later occupations followed by the individual athletes who earned letters in track. The status of the athletes was considered from the standpoint of their athletic and scholastic attainments as well as their social activities while in college, The athletes were also considered from the standpoint of position and location since leaving college. It is recommended that in the near future a similar study be made of the other sports in North Texas State College to parallel this study.

No description available.