With the rising popularity of esports, it is more important than ever to examine this male dominated sport along gendered lines. In competitive video game spaces, women are targets of harassment and toxic speech more often than men, leading to the need for coping strategies. This thesis looked at collegiate esports teams to see if men and women felt similarly about team culture and inclusion while playing on these teams. The hypotheses of this study predicted correlations between variables related to team culture, inclusion, and coping strategies along gendered lines. Results indicated that all players used gender masking the least of the all the coping strategies, women report using avoidance as a coping strategy more than men, team culture was positively correlated with inclusion, and that women feel less included on their esports teams than men. A discussion along with future directions followed and largely advocated for the separation of esports teams by gender to alleviate institutional access disadvantages that women have when playing competitive video games. / MACOM / Esports is the name for competitive video games. Esports are often played in teams, such as on games which require two or more players to collaborate for the common goal of winning. While gender and video games has been studied extensively, as well as on women in professional esports; however, women's influence on collegiate esports has not been studied as broadly, and this paper takes a culture-creation perspective on this topic. This study looked at three different variables: team culture, inclusion, and coping strategies for harassment. Then the survey was distributed to colligate esports players to see how these are impacted on gendered lines. This paper found that all players used gender masking the least of the all the coping strategies, women report using avoidance as a coping strategy more than men, team culture was positively correlated with inclusion, and that women feel less included on their esports teams than men. A discussion along with future directions followed and largely advocated for the separation of esports teams by gender to alleviate institutional access disadvantages that women have when playing competitive video games.

This paper uses a logistic regression model to assess the impact capital investment has on the probability of winning a game in the franchised 2018 North American League Championship Series. We have taken data from every game played across a variety of predictors to find that, though significant, capital difference provides at best an approximately 12% predictor of win probability. While other covariates tested provide statistical significance, the variability of these covariates make it hard to say with confidence what optimal in-game strategy is, beyond previously obvious notions of win condition.

Since the creation of the internet there has been a development towards a globalized community of people. With the potential for connectivity between people all over the world subcultures are inevitably created. One such subculture is eSports. Over the past decade eSports has seen a steady increase in popularity. Recently, partly as a result of the streaming revolution, this increase has intensified and traditional media look to the internet for inspiration and help on what to do to evolve their business into the future. This paper looks to combine data from interviews conducted with people active and working in the eSports industry with theories and research in innovation, creativity, intelligence gathering and trendspotting with the goal of finding answers to What triggers innovation within the eSports industry? as well as provide suggestions for further research. The researchers suggest that eSports is a novel and unique area with high potential for new scientific developments within innovation and creativity as well as a varied field of other sciences. Culture and Open Innovation are, amongst others, suggested to be important factors for enabling change in the eSports industry.

Introducció: Els estudis indiquen que un percentatge molt elevat dels adolescents que viuen en països industrialitzats no assoleixen els mínims recomanats d’activitat física (AF) (Hallal et al., 2012). La pràctica esportiva no sempre és eficaç alhora de promoure altres estils de vida (Lisha & Sussman, 2010). Objectius: (i) Estudiar els nivells d’AF i pràctica esportiva entre els adolescents d’Osona. (ii) Trobar associacions entre nivells d’AF i altres estils de vida. Metodologia: Els adolescents nascuts l’any 1995 a Osona varen ser omplir un qüestionari el 2011 (n=695), el 2012 (n=668), el 2013 (n=411) i el 2014 (n=180). Resultats: (i) Els nivells d’AF durant el temps de lleure disminueixen en el pas de l’adolescència a l’edat adulta; (ii) associacions positives entre el consum d’alcohol i tabac i la pràctica esportiva entre els nois; i (iii) els adolescents d’Osona es passen > 700’ al dia asseguts. Discussió: És bàsic promoure la pràctica esportiva durant l’adolescència, però també la importància dels clubs esportius alhora de promoure l’adquisició d’estils de vida saludables. / Introduction: Global studies reveal that a high percentage of adolescents are physically inactive (Hallal et al., 2012). Sports participation in adolescence is not always better at promoting healthy lifestyles than regular physical activity (PA). Aims: To observe the tracking of sport participation and PA among a group of adolescents from high school to university and to observe how this affects their lifestyle behaviours. Methods: Adolescents born in 1995 from Osona completed a questionnaire in 2011 (n=695), 2012 (n=668), 2013 (n=411) and 2014 (n=180). Results: Levels of PA at leisure time drastically reduced from late adolescence to early adulthood. The higher prevalence of alcohol consumption was in team sport players compared to other groups. Adolescents spend >700’ a day in a sitting position during weekdays. Discussion: Sport clubs (including coaches, venue and management team) have to put more effort to avoid the acquisition and maintenance of unhealthy habits (alcohol and tobacco consumption) among their athletes.

Esta pesquisa tem como escopo geral um fenômeno que articula espetáculo e jogos digitais, chamado de eSport. Trata-se de uma cena competitiva de jogos digitais, composta de torneios, partidas transmitidas online e ao vivo para milhares de espectadores, além de patrocinadores e rotinas de treinamento. Dependendo do jogo em questão, diferentes competências são exigidas para um desempenho vitorioso, como reflexos rápidos, leitura e interpretação de informações que emergem durante uma partida, e comunicação para a coordenação de um time. Sobretudo, é uma expressão cultural que reverbera em aspectos sociais e tecnológicos diversos, sendo que interessa aqui deter-se sobre a subjetivação acerca dos jogadores quando se leva em conta os algoritmos de um jogo digital (o audiovisual produzido por eles, compondo espacialidades diversas, e as regras, que moldam a temporalidade de uma sessão de jogo). Argumenta-se que os jogadores, de modo geral, integram uma densa máquina social e tecnológica, onde a produção de mercadoria e de subjetividades acontece tanto na aquisição de periféricos e jogos quanto na própria atividade que engendra o jogo. Essa máquina se faz mais visível no nicho dos eSports, onde exploramse as lógicas que compõem o jogo e as capacidades do jogador. Entre as rotinas de treinamento dos jogadores profissionais e o parâmetro intangível que decide o sucesso de um jogo, a diversão, há uma zona cinzenta, já evidente em técnicas de gamification, onde atividade laboral e entretenimento embaralham-se. Daí a necessidade de se abordar criticamente que tipo de usuário resulta dessa relação específica com as tecnologias envolvidas em jogos digitais. / The scope of this research is a phenomenon that articulates spectacle and digital games, called eSport. eSport is a competitive scene comprising digital games, championships, sponsors, training routines and matches transmitted online and live to a crowd of hundreds of thousands. Depending on the game, different skills are required to achieve a competitive performance, such as sharp reflex, reading and interpretation of information that emerges during a match, and communication to ensure the team\'s coordination. Above all, it is a cultural expression that echoes in a multitude of social and technological aspects, emphasizing here the subjectivation of the players, considering the algorithms (that is, the audiovisual produced by them and the rules, that shape the temporality of a game session) that compose them. It argues that the players, broadly speaking, are part of a dense social and technological machine, where the production of commodities and subjectivities happens when someone purchases equipments and digital games, but also during and within the very activity that comprises the game.This machine makes itself more visible at the eSports niche, where the logics that compose the game and the capacities of the player are exploited. Between the training routines and the intangible parameter which decides the success of the game, called fun, there is a grey area, clear enough in gamification techniques, where labor and entertainment are shuffled. Hence the need to critically engage the type of user that results from this specific relation with technologies involved in digital games.

En la primera part de la tesi l’autor s’identifica amb un model d'entrenador que té en consideració la comunicació dels seus esportistes i que, com a conseqüència, utilitza estratègies d’aprenentatge cooperatiu. Sota l'enfocament constructivista en educació i la perspectiva sociocultural l’autor va construint un perfil d'entrenador que veu a l'esportista com un agent actiu i entén la cooperació com un procés de comunicació. En la segona part, el disseny i desenvolupament de la recerca, es contextualitza la recerca, s'exposa la metodologia i els instruments utilitzats per l'obtenció de la informació. Les dades bàsiques s’obtenen a partir dels diàlegs que es produeixen a dins del vestidor d’un equip de bàsquet infantil. Analitzades les dades es justifica la utilització de la narrativa com la forma més adient per representar-les. Finalment es narra l'experiència des de l'etnografia. L’autor utilitza l'escriptura com un mètode de recerca per mostrar la relació entre cooperació i competició i trencar amb dicotomies establertes com la d’entrenador cooperatiu / entrenador tradicional o cooperació / competició. / In the first part of the thesis, the author identifies himself as a trainer who takes into consideration the communication among his players and, as a consequence, uses strategies from cooperative learning. Under the constructivist approach in education and the sociocultural perspective, the author built a coach’s profile which sees the athletes as an active agent and understands the cooperation as a communication process. In the second part, it is introduced the design and development of the research. The research is set in a context by exposing the methodology and the tools used for gathering information. The row data is recorded and recollected from the team’s dialogues inside the changing room. After the analysis of the data, the use of the narrative is justified as the most adequate way to represent it. Finally, the information is ethnographically narrated. The author uses the writing as a research method that shows the relationship between cooperation and competition and also breaks up previous dichotomies established such as cooperative coach / traditional coach or cooperation / competition.

L’objectiu final d’aquesta Tesi és identificar aspectes crítics de la utilització del servei en el voleibol i voleibol de platja d’alt nivell. Per aconseguir-ho quatre estudis, emmarcats dintre de l’anàlisi del rendiment esportiu, es van dur a terme. Els resultats de les nostres investigacions mostren que el servei és una habilitat tècnica important en les disciplines del voleibol però no pot explicar per si mateixa el resultat d’un partit. No obstant això, sembla un element clau en la prevenció d’atacs contraris eficaços i el seu resultat està clarament influenciat per les habilitats executades en salt. Una execució reeixida del servei és una qüestió complexa, i té una component física, tècnica, estratègica i tàctica. Una correcta utilització d’aquesta habilitat tècnica és fonamental per desequilibrar el resultat d’un partit. Ara bé, altres aspectes han estat identificats també com a rellevants per tenir èxit en un partit de voleibol o voleibol de platja / The ultimate goal of this Dissertation was to identify critical aspects of the use of service in high-level volleyball and beach volleyball. To address this purpose four studies on different aspects of service performance, framed into the field of performance analysis, were conducted. The results of our investigation show that service is a very important skill in volleyball disciplines but it cannot explain by itself the result of a match. Nevertheless, it seems a key element in preventing an effective attack. Service behavior and its ability to impair the opponent’s game is clearly influenced by jump abilities. The successful execution of the service is a complex issue, and has a physical, technical, strategic and tactical component. Proper use of this technical skill is capital in making the result of a match uneven. However, some other aspects have been identified as relevant to success in a volleyball or beach volleyball match.

El presente estudio tiene por objeto determinar la importancia de las finalizaciones realizadas en la fase de ataque por los jugadores que ocupan el puesto específico de extremo en balonmano. Prioritariamente valoramos su participación en función del resultado final de los partidos y de la clasificación final obtenida por los equipos. Relacionamos a su vez las acciones que llevan a cabo este grupo de jugadores con otras variables como el tiempo de partido, el marcador parcial en el momento de la finalización, las fases del juego, las situaciones numéricas, los sistemas defensivos, el tipo de lanzamientos utilizados o la localización de los mismos, con la intención de concretar la participación de estos jugadores en el desarrollo colectivo del juego. La investigación se centra en el análisis de la totalidad de encuentros de balonmano que los Equipos nacionales de doce países disputaron en los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín 2008. A partir del establecimiento de un marco teórico que describe las características básicas del balonmano, y la utilización de la metodología observacional como metodología específica para el desarrollo de la investigación, se ha construido un instrumento ad hoc para llevar a cabo la observación y se ha utilizado el programa informático Dartfish para registrar los datos. Este programa posibilita tanto la obtención de datos que pueden ser valorados estadísticamente como la creación de un banco de imágenes utilizables tanto desde la óptica de la investigación como desde la del entrenamiento. Las conclusiones de este trabajo confirman la relación entre una mayor finalización de acciones de ataque del grupo de jugadores extremos y la obtención de resultados positivos, estableciendo además algunas pautas de conducta dentro del funcionamiento colectivo en función de las variables estudiadas. PALABRAS CLAVE: Extremo, balonmano, finalización, observación / El present estudi te per objecte determinar la importància de les finalitzacions realitzades a la fase d'atac per els jugadors que ocupen el lloc específic d'extrems a l'handbol. Prioritàriament valorem la seva participacions en funció del resultat final dels partits i de la classificació final obtinguda pels equips. Relacionem a l'hora les accions que porten a termini aquest grup de jugadors amb d'altres variables com el temps de partit, el marcador parcial en el moment de la finalització, les fases del joc, les situacions numèriques, els sistemes defensius, el tipus de llançaments utilitzats o la localització dels mateixos, Amb la intenció de concretar la participació d'aquets jugadors en el desenvolupament col·lectiu del joc. La investigació es centra en l'anàlisi de la totalitat de partits d'handbol que els Equips nacionals de dotze països van disputar en els Jocs Olímpics de Pequín 2008. A partir de l'establiment d'un marc teòric que descriu les característiques bàsiques de l'handbol i la utilització de la metodologia observacional com a metodologia específica per el desenvolupament de la investigació, s'ha construït un instrument ad hoc per realitzar la observació i s'ha utilitzat el programa informàtic Dartfish per registrar les dades. Aquest programa possibilita tant la obtenció de dades que poden ser valorats estadísticament com la creació d'un banc d'imatges utilitzables tant des de l'òptica de la investigació com des de la de l'entrenament. Les conclusions d'aquest treball confirmen la relació existent entre una major finalització d'accions d'atac del grup de jugadors extrems i l'obtenció de resultats positius, establint a més a més algunes pautes de conducte dins el funcionament col·lectiu en funció de les variables estudiades. / ABSTRACT:The aim of this study is to determine the importance of move completion in the attack phase by players who occupy the specific position of wing in handball. Mainly we consider their participation in relation to the final outcome of the matches and the final classification obtained by the teams. In order to understand the performance of these players in the collective development of the game, we also relate the actions undertaken by this group of players with other variables such as duration of the match, partial score at the end of the match, phases of the game, numerical situations, defensive systems, the type of throws used or the location of the site. The research focuses on the analysis of all the matches of twelve national handball teams at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008. Starting with the establishment of a theoretical framework that describes the basic characteristics of handball, and the use of observational methodology as specific methodology for the development of this research, an ad hoc tool has been designed to carry out the observations, and the software Dartfish has been used to record data. This program enables both the statistical treatment of registered data, as well as the creation of a bank of images suitable for research as well as for training. The conclusions of this study confirm that most completion/termination of offensive actions by the players correspond with victory in the meetings and a better final classification. Besides, the analysis of the actions completed by the wing players according to the different variables taken into consideration, leads to an understanding of the specific behaviour that this group of players show in each of the situational frames analyzed. KEY WORDS: Wing, handball, completion, observation.

Esta pesquisa tem como escopo geral um fenômeno que articula espetáculo e jogos digitais, chamado de eSport. Trata-se de uma cena competitiva de jogos digitais, composta de torneios, partidas transmitidas online e ao vivo para milhares de espectadores, além de patrocinadores e rotinas de treinamento. Dependendo do jogo em questão, diferentes competências são exigidas para um desempenho vitorioso, como reflexos rápidos, leitura e interpretação de informações que emergem durante uma partida, e comunicação para a coordenação de um time. Sobretudo, é uma expressão cultural que reverbera em aspectos sociais e tecnológicos diversos, sendo que interessa aqui deter-se sobre a subjetivação acerca dos jogadores quando se leva em conta os algoritmos de um jogo digital (o audiovisual produzido por eles, compondo espacialidades diversas, e as regras, que moldam a temporalidade de uma sessão de jogo). Argumenta-se que os jogadores, de modo geral, integram uma densa máquina social e tecnológica, onde a produção de mercadoria e de subjetividades acontece tanto na aquisição de periféricos e jogos quanto na própria atividade que engendra o jogo. Essa máquina se faz mais visível no nicho dos eSports, onde exploramse as lógicas que compõem o jogo e as capacidades do jogador. Entre as rotinas de treinamento dos jogadores profissionais e o parâmetro intangível que decide o sucesso de um jogo, a diversão, há uma zona cinzenta, já evidente em técnicas de gamification, onde atividade laboral e entretenimento embaralham-se. Daí a necessidade de se abordar criticamente que tipo de usuário resulta dessa relação específica com as tecnologias envolvidas em jogos digitais. / The scope of this research is a phenomenon that articulates spectacle and digital games, called eSport. eSport is a competitive scene comprising digital games, championships, sponsors, training routines and matches transmitted online and live to a crowd of hundreds of thousands. Depending on the game, different skills are required to achieve a competitive performance, such as sharp reflex, reading and interpretation of information that emerges during a match, and communication to ensure the team\'s coordination. Above all, it is a cultural expression that echoes in a multitude of social and technological aspects, emphasizing here the subjectivation of the players, considering the algorithms (that is, the audiovisual produced by them and the rules, that shape the temporality of a game session) that compose them. It argues that the players, broadly speaking, are part of a dense social and technological machine, where the production of commodities and subjectivities happens when someone purchases equipments and digital games, but also during and within the very activity that comprises the game.This machine makes itself more visible at the eSports niche, where the logics that compose the game and the capacities of the player are exploited. Between the training routines and the intangible parameter which decides the success of the game, called fun, there is a grey area, clear enough in gamification techniques, where labor and entertainment are shuffled. Hence the need to critically engage the type of user that results from this specific relation with technologies involved in digital games.

Problem: Esports budgets and earnings have significantly increased in the past years whichhas increased the level of involvement of corporate sponsors in esports. Ironically, researchaimed at sponsorship within esports is not so abundant. Therefore, due to the lack of knowledge and information about sponsorship in esports and sponsor relationships withesport consumers, this thesis aims to connect already established sponsorship theories withthe new emerging market of esport events and competitions. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to investigate how consumer purchase decisionsand perceptions are affected by sponsored products in esport within Sweden.Research question: From the purpose we arrived at the research question “What factorsaffect a consumer’s purchase decisions and perceptions of sponsored products in esportswithin Sweden”. Method: To achieve the purpose of our study, a quantitative research method has been used,conducting survey research to gather empirical data. For this research, we have used alreadyestablished concepts and theories based on sponsorship, brand image, and image transfer tofulfil the purpose of this research. Results: Consumers within Sweden can be affected by multiple factors such as the playersor the esports teams who use a specific product, the values shared with the sponsor, andperception of the esports teams or/and player. Conclusion: From the results of the questionnaire and the subsequent results from thestatistical analysis we managed to quantify the effects of sponsorship from the differentperspectives as well as the relationships between brand to consumer, brand to event, and brand to product.