ISSN: 1543-9518|Vol. 24

About U.S. Sports Academy

The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited sports university created to serve the nation and the world with programs in instruction, research, and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare our men and women for careers in the profession of sports using modern technologies and traditional teaching methodologies.

NBA Referee Missed Calls: Reasons and Solutions

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

NBA Referee Missed Calls: Reasons and Solutions

ABSTRACT

This paper examines officiating in the NBA to determine if it has kept pace with the changes to the game.  This research concludes that since the game is so fast now with athletes that are bigger, stronger and faster than any time in NBA history, NBA officiating should consider changing as well.   Some possible modifications are adding more referees, allowing each official to sit out a portion of the game while being replaced by a fresh alternate, and using more cameras with referees viewing them remotely.

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2019-01-24T11:54:39-06:00January 24th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Management|Comments Off on NBA Referee Missed Calls: Reasons and Solutions
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Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

Authors:Tatyana Dzimbova, Hristo Nikolov, Radoslav Mavrevski, Stefan Kapralov

Corresponding Author:
Assoc. prof. Tatyana Dzimbova, PhD
66 Ivan Michailov Str.
Blagoevgrad, 2700 Bulgaria
tania_dzimbova@abv.bg
+359898939285

Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

ABSTRACT

Purpose. The purpose of the present study is to estimate if the athletes can satisfy their energy needs by diet, if they are well hydrated before training, and if the training is effective.

Methods. Ten players of the football team in the B professional league participated in the study (age 23.44 ± 5.98 years, weight 70.64 ± 4.57 kg, height 176.4 ± 7.35 cm; ±SD). Their body composition was analyzed with the Body Composition Analyzer IoI 353 and they completed food questionnaires. Blood lactate concentrations were determined using the biochemical analyzer BIOSEN – C Line, EKF Diagnostic. The heart rates of the subjects are recorded using the activePULS, MEDION AG. Data was processed using SPSS and Graphpad Prism software.

Results. According to the data obtained from the food questionnaires all subjects received the necessary amount of energy to fully meet their energy needs. From the multiple linear regression, it is seen that the highest value has the standardized coefficient in front of the carbohydrate intake which means that it has the greatest influence (about 65%) on total energy intake. The heart rates of participants in the study range from 78 to 90% of the predicted maximum, i.e., high intensity. Differences in blood lactate concentration before and after exercise are significant, evidence of effective performance on training.

Conclusions. We can conclude that according to the nutrition questionnaire the athletes received a sufficient amount of macronutrients and sufficient amount of energy for their training needs. The change in blood lactate concentrations and heart rate during training is indicative of the responsible attitude of the players, and therefore the target endurance is most likely to be achieved.

Applications in Sport. Reported methods could be a useful tool for coaches to track the recovery and preparation of the athletes in season and to evaluate their performance during a scheduled training session.

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2019-01-10T14:36:51-06:00January 17th, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session
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Comparison of Coinciding Anticipation Timing and Reaction Time Performances of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players in Different Playing Positions

Authors:Ahmet Rahmi Günay * (1), Halil Ibrahim Ceylan (2), Filiz Fatma Çolakoğolu (3), Özcan Saygın (4)

(1, 2, 4) Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Turkey. (3) Gazi University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Turkey.

Corresponding Author:
Halil Ibrahim Ceylan, Research Assistant
Mugla Sitki Kocman University, Faculty of Sports Sciences
Kotekli/Mugla, 48000
halil.ibrahimceylan60@gmail.com
002522111951

(1) Ahmet Rahmi Günay is a lecturer and doctoral student at the Gazi University studying Health and Coaching Sciences. He is also a Volleyball trainer.

 (2) Halil İbrahim Ceylan is a Research Assistant and doctoral student at the Mugla Sitki Kocman University studying Health and Coaching Sciences. 

(3) Filiz Fatma Çolakoğlu is a Professor at the Gazi University studying Training Sciences.

(4) Ozcan Saygin is a Professor in Sports Exercise Science at the Mugla Sitki Kocman University studying physical activity and fitness

Comparison of Coinciding Anticipation Timing and Reaction Time Performances of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players in Different Playing Positions

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to compare coinciding anticipation timing (CAT) and reaction time performance of adolescent female volleyball players in different playing positions. Twenty-eight adolescent volleyball players (14 Outside players and 14 Middle players), who played volleyball in licensed infrastructure leagues and trained 5 days a week regularly, with an average age of 15.0 ± 0.94 years, participated voluntarily. A Bassin Anticipation Timer was used to measure the CAT performance of the volleyball players at different stimulation speeds: Slow- 3 mph (1.34 m/s) and Fast- 8 mph (3.58 m/s). Visual, auditory, and mixed reaction times were measured with the Newtest 1000 Instrument. When the absolute error scores of volleyball players were compared according to playing positions, a statistically significant difference was found in the fast speed condition (t = -2.090, p = .047). A statistically significant difference was also observed in the mixed reaction time scores (t = -2.163, p = .040). Middle players had better CAT scores in the Fast condition and mixed reaction time performances than outside players. This is thought to be due to the different responsibilities of middle players in the game as compared with outside players. Because both offensive combinations and block responsibilities are more diversified for Middle players, CAT and reaction time performance of middle players are of greater importance. In order to reach top level performance, it is thought that a number of special exercises, in addition to volleyball training, should be done to improve the CAT performance. It is recommended to repeat the research in different age groups, different categories and different positions.

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2019-01-10T15:43:26-06:00January 10th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Coaching|Comments Off on Comparison of Coinciding Anticipation Timing and Reaction Time Performances of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players in Different Playing Positions
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International Students Participating in Campus Recreational Sport

Authors:James Allen and Robert Lyons

Corresponding Author: James Allen, PhD
Blair College of Health
Queens University of Charlotte
1900 Selwyn Avenue
allenj5@queens.edu
704-337-2426

James Allen is an Associate Professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

Robert Lyons is an Associate Professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

International Students Participating in Campus Recreational Sport

ABSTRACT

Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between cultural heritage and sport participation behavior (11,22,24). Not far from this notion, yet underrepresented in the literature, is the review of international students participating in campus recreational sport. Specifically, the impact of cultural identity on campus recreational sport participation patterns. Campus recreational sport programming has the potential to assist international students with acclimating to their new environment. Therefore, it is essential for administrators of campus recreational sport to recognize the cultural dynamics among international students and their participation behavior. A sample of international students attending universities in the United States was obtained and 8.2% of those targeted (N=242) responded to the survey. Findings indicated that international students use their campus recreational sport participation in a variety of ways. While some utilize their sport participation to maintain their cultural identity, others use it to cross cultural boundaries and acclimate to a new multi-cultural environment. Others expressed elements of exclusion and marginalization pertaining to campus recreational sport programs. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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2019-01-10T14:12:32-06:00January 3rd, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off on International Students Participating in Campus Recreational Sport
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Preferred leadership Styles of Student Athletes in a Midwest NAIA Conference

Authors: Todd D. Pitts, Ed. D, Gerald Nyambane, Ph.D., Stephen L. Butler Ed.D.

Corresponding Author:
Todd D. Pitts, Ed.D
6191 Kraft Avenue
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512
tpitts@davenport.edu
616-554-4716

Todd D. Pitts is an Associate Professor of Sports Management at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also serves as the university’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to the NCAA.

Preferred Leadership Styles of Student-Athletes in a Midwest NAIA Conference

ABSTRACT
This study examined the leadership preferences of student-athletes competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) conference located in the Midwest region of the United States. Using Chelladurai’s Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) instrument, quantitative data were collected from student-athletes (N = 758) representing 9 universities competing in the conference. All 5 dimensions of leadership behavior were compared across student-athletes’ gender, coaches’ gender, task dependence nature of the sport played, and whether or not the student-athlete’s institution identifies itself as faith-based, or non-faith-based. The results from 2 sample t-tests indicated that training and instruction and positive feedback were the most preferred leadership dimensions. The results also confirmed findings from previous studies that autocratic behavior is the least preferred leadership dimension. In addition, the democratic behavior leadership dimension was preferred more by student-athletes participating in independent sports than student-athletes in team sports; corroborating findings in recent studies. (more…)

2018-11-21T11:37:24-06:00December 27th, 2018|Leadership, Research|Comments Off on Preferred leadership Styles of Student Athletes in a Midwest NAIA Conference
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