2019 – Page 6 – The Sport Journal

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

How NCAA Division I, II, and III Men’s College Basketball Coaches Perceive Themselves as Leaders

Authors: Matthew Raidbard

Corresponding Author:
Matthew Raidbard, Ed.D.
9501 South King Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60628
mraidbard@gmail.com
847-826-2827

Matthew Raidbard has been a men’s college basketball coach for the past twelve years. He has also served for the past three years as a senior level college athletics administrator. His research focus is determining the best leadership style and leadership behaviors for athletic coaches to practice in order for them to be successful.

College Basketball Coach Leadership Perception: A Review and Recommendations

ABSTRACT

A quantitative design was used by this study to determine how Division I, II, and III men’s college basketball head coaches perceive themselves as leaders. A leadership survey was emailed to all Division I, II, and III men’s college basketball head coaches, and the head coaches who chose to complete the leadership survey comprised the population for this study. The head coaches who met the study’s definition of a successful head coach were sorted into a separate sub-population. Data analysis was conducted on the data collected from the completed leadership surveys and the best leadership style and leadership behaviors for athletic coaches to practice were determined based on the head coaches’ responses. This study determined that transformational leadership was the best leadership style for athletic coaches to practice when the autocratic leadership behavior that athletic coaches should centralize their authority and be the sole decision-makers was also practiced. Additional analysis conducted on the data determined that there was a small degree of correlation between the perceived and actual leadership styles of the head coaches who completed the leadership survey, which indicated that athletic coaches could benefit from leadership training that taught them the best leadership style and leadership behaviors to practice, and how to practice them.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-03-22T11:22:33-05:00March 22nd, 2019|Leadership|Comments Off

Positive and Negative Events Predict Burnout and Engagement in Athletes and Non-Athletes

Authors: Donna Webster Nelson, Merry J. Sleigh, & Alyssa M. Nelson

Corresponding Author:
Donna Webster Nelson, Ph.D.
801 Oakland Avenue
Rock Hill SC, 29733
nelsond@winthrop.edu
803-323-2636

Positive and Negative Events Predict Burnout and Engagement in Athletes and Non-Athletes

ABSTRACT

The researchers compared predictors of engagement and burnout in adolescent athletes and non-athletes by focusing on daily positive and negative performance-related events (e.g., performing well in team practice) and interpersonal events (e.g., sharing a laugh with teammates). Participants were recent high school graduates who retrospectively reported participation in high school sports or heavy investment in alternate activities (e.g., marching band). The athletes and non-athletes were similar in how many hours they practiced and competed each week, frequency of activity-related travel, and performance level. In addition, the two groups did not differ in the extent to which their high school identity and self-esteem were based on their participation. Results revealed no overall differences between the two groups on engagement or burnout. For both groups, positive performance events predicted activity engagement (characterized by dedication, vigor and enthusiasm). However, the experiences of athletes versus non-athletes differentially predicted burnout (marked by emotional and physical exhaustion). In athletes, burnout related to both performance and interpersonal events. In non-athletes, burnout was only related to performance events. In addition, burnout was positively associated with coach focus on winning (a situation more common for athletes) and negatively associated with coach focus on fun (a situation more common for non-athletes). These findings indicate that experiencing positive and negative events is a precursor for engagement and burnout in high school athletes and non-athletes. Promoting positive (relative to negative) events during training, practice, competitions or performances could enhance benefits and prevent maladaptive outcomes of participation in extracurricular activities. Positive social interactions may be particularly important for preventing burnout in adolescent athletes.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-03-01T09:13:45-06:00March 1st, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Student-Athletes vs. Athlete-Students: The academic success, campus involvement, and future goals of Division I student athletes who were university bound compared to those who would not have attended a university had they not been an athlete.

Authors: Brenda L. Vogel, Jeff Kress, and Daniel R. Jeske

Corresponding Author:
Jeff Kress, Ph.D.
Department of Kinesiology
1250 Bellflower Blvd. – MS 4901, HHS2-103
Long Beach, CA 90840
jeff.kress@csulb.edu
949-375-3958

Brenda L.Vogel is a Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Director of the School of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Emergency Management at California State University, Long Beach. She served as the CSULB NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative from 2007-2015.

Jeff Kress is an Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at California State University, Long Beach and teaches in the area of Physical Education Teacher. His research interests have been in the area of sport performance enhancement through psychological methods.

Daniel Jeske is a Professor, in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Riverside. He has served as the UCR NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative. He is an elected Fellow of the American Statistical Associationand an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and is a co-inventor on 10 U.S. Patents and is currently the Editor-in-Chief of The American Statistician.

Student-Athletes vs. Athlete-Students: The academic success, campus involvement, and future goals of Division I student athletes who were university bound compared to those who would not have attended a university had they not been an athlete.

ABSTRACT

This study examined the differences between two groups of Division I student athletes: those who would have attended a 4-year university regardless of their participation in athletics and those who would not have attended a 4-year university had it not been for the opportunity afforded them through their athletic ability. The researchers examined a number of academic factors including GPA, participation in intensive academic experiences, class participation and preparation, perception of academic experience, importance of graduation, major selection, and participation in extracurricular activities, future goals, and identification as an athlete or student. The data from the NCAA’s Growth, Opportunities, Aspirations and Learning of Students in College (GOALS) survey that was administered to a nationwide, random sample of NCAA student athletes in 2006 are discussed. Our results suggest that there were significant differences between the two groups in several of the domains measured. For example, our findings suggest that student athletes who identify as athletes first and students second think less about academics when choosing a college, are less likely to major in mathematics and science, are less likely to select a major to prepare for graduate school or a specific career, have lower GPAs, are less likely to participate in classes, are less likely to be involved in extracurricular activities, are less willing to sacrifice on athletics participation for academics, feel graduation is less important to them and to their families, and believe becoming a professional athlete is more likely. Implications for the NCAA and college athletics programs are discussed.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T11:48:36-05:00February 21st, 2019|Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Biomechanical Comparison of “Dead” and “New” Pointe Shoes in Female Professional Ballet Dancers

Authors: Jessica Aquino, MS and Tal Amasay, PhD

Corresponding Author:
Tal Amasay, PhD, CSCS, EPC
11300 NE 2^nd Ave
Miami Shores, FL 33161
tamasay@barry.edu
305-899-4893

Jessica Aquino has a master degree in movement sciences, is a certified athletic trainer, and work with professional Ballet dancers. Tal Amasay is associate professor at Barry University and the head of the Motion Analysis Center. He is a certified exercise physiologist and certified strength and conditioning coach

Biomechanical Comparison of “Dead” and “New” Pointe Shoe in Female Professional Ballet Dancers

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Available research on pointe shoes often compare pointe shoes to other dance footwear, however there is a lack of studies comparing dancers’ biomechanics when using “new” pointe shoes and pointe shoes that have worn down, “dead”. The aim of this study was to examine the biomechanical differences exhibited by professional ballet dancers while performing relevé, sous-sus, and pirouette in “dead” and “new” pointe shoes. Methods: Thirteen female (20.9 ± 1.9 years old) professional ballet dancers were asked to perform three trials of relevé, sous-sus, and pirouette in “new” pointe shoes and “dead” pointe shoes. Center of pressure sway area and ground reaction forces in the anterior-posterior, medial-lateral, and vertical directions were recorded using one AMTI force plate. Results: The “dead” pointe shoe condition had significantly higher sway area during relevé, sous-sus, and single pirouette (103 ± 95 mm²; 256 ± 133 mm²; 178 ±129 mm², respectively) than the “new” pointe shoe condition (50 ± 65 mm²; 110 ± 64 mm²; 77 ± 39 mm², respectively), p-value < 0.05. In addition, peak ground reaction force in the anterior-posterior direction during relevé movement was higher in “new” pointe shoes (35 ± 6% body weight) than in “dead” pointe shoes (32 ± 6% body weight), p-value = 0.019. No significant differences were observed for the other dependent variables. Conclusions: A larger sway area was observed in “dead” pointe shoes compared to “new” pointe shoes, which indicates that the participant had less balance in the “dead” pointe shoes than in the “new” pointe shoes. The larger sway area in “dead” pointe shoes may indicate that decrease in shoe integrity may contribute to decrease in the support and stability of the pointe shoe while the ballet dancer maintains the ‘en pointe’ position. Moreover, higher forces in the anterior direction state that the dancers can apply more forces in the “new” point shoe. Application in sport: These results can educate ballet teachers and ballet dancers about the mechanical changes in “dead” pointe shoes, which may lead to injury and reduce in performance. Furthermore, these results may lead to enhancements in footwear design.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-02-13T08:47:53-06:00February 14th, 2019|Research, Sports Health & Fitness|Comments Off