General – Page 2 – The Sport Journal

Controlled but Autonomous: An examination of autonomy deficit in the pursuit of practice in sport

Authors: Joar Svensson¹ and Scott Barnicle²

¹Department of Sport Science, Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden
²College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

Corresponding Author:
Scott Barnicle, PhD, CMPC
WVU – College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences
375 Birch Street
Morgantown, WV, 26505
Scott.barnicle@mail.wvu.edu
207-751-7229

Joar Svensson is a graduate student in sport and exercise psychology at Halmstad University in Halmstad, Sweden. His primary research interest is in self-determination theory and is continuing to expand his research interests as part of his graduate work.

Scott Barnicle, PhD, CMPC, is the program coordinator and teaching assistant professor in the Sport and Exercise Psychology program at West Virginia University. His research interests are in the areas of sport enjoyment, applied mental skills training, and teaching methods in the field of sport and exercise psychology.

Controlled but Autonomous: An examination of autonomy deficit in the pursuit of practice in sport

ABSTRACT

Self-determination theory posits three basic psychological needs, competence, relatedness, and autonomy (6). Autonomy is defined as being the perceived origin or source of one’s own behavior (2). The limits of this perception have not yet been tested. The current study set out to investigate whether athletes could be controlled while still feeling autonomous. A questionnaire about level of control and perception of autonomy was created. Participants were recruited (N=39) and answered the questionnaire. Results indicated that level of control over the sport and autonomy was significantly negatively correlated whereas control over practice and autonomy had no significant correlation. Athletes in controlling sports could therefore need extra autonomy support to satisfy their needs. As no significant correlations were found between control over practice and autonomy, practice sessions could possibly be very controlling without any major ramifications. The factors influencing this relationship need further investigation in differing sports and populations.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-11-20T15:34:34-06:00November 10th, 2020|General, Research|Comments Off

Are NBA Players Paid to Perform in the Clutch?

Authors: Kevin Sigler

Corresponding Author:
Kevin Sigler, PhD
601 College Road
Department of Economics and Finance
Cameron School of Business
UNC Wilmington
Wilmington, NC 28403
siglerk@uncw.edu
910-200-2076

Kevin Sigler is Professor of Finance in the Cameron School of Business, UNC Wilmington

Are NBA Players Paid to Perform in the Clutch?

ABSTRACT

The star players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) are paid extremely well. In the 2018-19 season there were 60 players in the NBA that were paid $17 million or more for their services. Stephen Curry was the highest paid at $37.5 million (Table 1). LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook tied for second at salaries of $35.7 million (1). This study examines if the highest 60 paid NBA players are compensated for performing in the clutch. The research finds that the pay for the sample of highly paid NBA players is related to their field goal percentage and to assists to other players during the last four minutes of close games when the score is within five points. Their pay is tied significantly to field goal attempts in the last minute of close games as well. It appears from the results that NBA organizations reward players who at the end of close games make shots, are able to handle the ball, and set up their teammates to score as well as be willing to take shots in the last minute of tightly contested games.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-02-19T09:49:46-06:00February 28th, 2020|General|Comments Off

Branding in women’s sports: A literature review

Authors: Isabell Mills

Corresponding Author:
Isabell Mills, PhD
1400 E Hanna Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46227
millsi@uindy.edu
219-805-3791

Isabell Mills is an assistant professor of sport management
at the University of Indianapolis. Her research areas are sport and fitness
branding.

Branding in women’s sports: A literature review

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to explore the gaps in the branding literature as it pertains to women’s sports. The review included 11 articles from sport management and business journals, investigating personal branding, team branding, and media coverage. Additionally, the review explored the practical implications as well as avenues of future research (i.e., conceptual model).

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T12:04:47-05:00November 22nd, 2019|General, Sports Marketing, Women and Sports|Comments Off

From Gold to Glory: An Analysis of U.S. Olympic Boxers in the Professional Ranks

Authors:Robert G. Rodriguez, Mark R. Joslyn, Emily Gruver

Corresponding Author:
Robert G. Rodriguez, Ph. D.
Associate Professor, Political Science
Texas A&M University-Commerce
P.O. Box 3011
Commerce, TX 75429
robert.rodriguez@tamuc.edu
903-886-5317

Robert G. Rodriguez is an associate professor of political science at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

Mark R. Joslyn is a professor of political science and graduate director at University of Kansas.

Emily Gruver is an Honors Student at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

From Gold to Glory: An Analysis of U.S. Olympic Boxers in the Professional Ranks

ABSTRACT

The uncertain connections between Olympic and professional success in boxing lead us to question just how significant Olympic medals are in determining whether an Olympian will win a professional world title. We analyzed all U.S. male boxers that competed through the 2012 Olympic Games, with the exceptions of 1980 and 1904. We then developed a multivariate logistic model determining the probability of Olympians winning professional championships; a comparison of the probability of winning a professional world title between those who won a medal versus those that did not and differences among medal winners. Further, we examined the time it took for medalists/non-medalists to win professional world championships. Our results demonstrate that American Olympic boxing medalists are significantly more likely to win a professional world championship than those who participated in the games but did not win a medal. A gold medal effects the probability of winning a world championship the most among medal winners, slightly more so than silver medalists, while bronze medalists cannot be distinguished from non-medalists in the likelihood of achieving a pro title. In terms of time to winning a professional title, American Olympic medalists are three times more likely to win professional world titles than non-medalists, and they take significantly less time to do so.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T16:19:00-05:00March 28th, 2019|General|Comments Off

Investigation of Attention, Concentration and Mental Toughness Properties in Tennis, Table Tennis, and Badminton Athletes

Authors: Gulsum Bastug * (1), Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Turkey.

Corresponding Author:
Gulsum Bastug, PhD
Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences
Kotekli/Mugla, 48000
gbastug@mu.edu.tr
002522111951

(1) Gulsum Bastug, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences is a doctoral professor. She works in the field of exercise and sports psychology.

Investigation of Attention, Concentration and Mental Toughness Properties in Tennis, Table Tennis, and Badminton Athletes

ABSTRACT
The aim is to examine the attention, concentration, and mental toughness characteristics of tennis, table tennis, and badminton athletes. A total of 61 athletes participated in the study, with a mean age of 21.18 ± 2.96, playing tennis, table tennis, and badminton. The Concentration Endurance Test (d2 attention test) developed by Brickenkamp (1966) was used to determine the level of attention of the athletes participating in the study. The Letter Cancellation Task, developed by Kumar and Telles (2009), was used to determine the concentration level, and Sheard et al. (2009) developed the “Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire-SMTQ-14”. In the Analysis of Data, the ANOVA test was used to identify differences between groups, and Tukey Honest Significant Difference (HSD) analysis was used to determine which branches were different. As a result; concentration performance was significantly different between the groups. It was determined that tennis athletes were more successful in concentration performance than table tennis and badminton athletes.
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U.S. Sports Academy2018-05-25T14:13:23-05:00July 3rd, 2018|General, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off