Sports Management – Page 5 – The Sport Journal

Ensuring the Business Sustainability of Minor League Baseball After the COVID Global Pandemic

Authors: Mark Mitchell, Jacob Voegel, and Sara Nimmo

Corresponding Author:

Mark Mitchell, DBA
Professor of Marketing
Associate Dean, Wall College of Business
NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR)
Coastal Carolina University
P. O. Box 261954
Conway, SC 29528
mmitchel@coastal.edu
(843) 349-2392

Mark Mitchell, DBA is Professor of Marketing at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

Jacob Voegel, PhD is Assistant Professor of Management at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

Sara Nimmo is a 2022 Honors Graduate of Coastal Carolina University. She served as a Marketing Intern during the 2021 season of minor league baseball, the first season after the 2020 cancelled season.

Ensuring the Business Sustainability of Minor League Baseball After the COVID Global Pandemic

ABSTRACT

The COVID global pandemic greatly impacted the sports industry as leagues had drastic budget cuts and were forced to compensate for the lost revenues. The purpose of this study is to examine the strategies used by Minor League Baseball (MiLB) teams and leagues to ensure their survival in the short-term and to sustain their operations in a post-COVID environment. Consultation with officials of a local minor league team, in addition to extensive information search, identified the strategies used by teams and leagues. A cluster analysis was then performed to classify the strategies into categories of similar topics. The results suggested teams and leagues took an “Income Statement Approach” to ensuring their survival. That is, they focused on: (a) maximizing revenue and finding new revenue sources; while (b) finding ways to reduce operating expenses. Minor league baseball teams navigated the loss of the 2020 season and the adjusted operations of the 2021 season to return to more-normal operations in the 2022 season. Lessons learned during the COVID period were applied to streamline their operations in the short-run and to ensure the sustainability of their business in the long-run. Coaches seek to develop an ‘adjust-and-adapt mentality’ in their athletes. The COVID global pandemic forced all of society to adopt this approach. Minor league baseball leagues and teams adopted this approach and they successful sustained their operations. Today, the industry continues to be a vital source of family entertainment and community pride while concurrently serving as the primary development path for the Major League Baseball (MLB) players of the future.

(more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2022-10-14T15:02:26-05:00October 28th, 2022|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off

The relation of achievement goals to sense of community in an adult recreational sports league: A multi-level perspective

Authors: Eric Legg¹, Mary S. Wells², John P. Barile³

¹School of Community Resources & Development, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ
²Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
³Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI

Corresponding Author:
Eric Legg, Ph.D.
411 N Central Ave; Suite 550
Phoenix, AZ 85015
eric.legg@asu.edu
602-496-1057

Eric Legg, Ph.D. an Associate Professor in the School of Community Resources & Development at Arizona State University in Phoenix, AZ. His research focuses on recreational sports, and community development.

Mary S. Wells is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Toursim at the University of Utah. Her areas of research focus on creating sport and recreation that help youth and adults develop positively

John P. Barile is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawaii, Manoa in Honolulu, HI. His research focus on health, quality of life, and quantitative methods.

The relation of achievement goals to sense of community in an adult recreational sports league: A multi-level perspective.

ABSTRACT

Psychological sense of community (PSOC) has important positive associations with a number of other indicators of quality of life. One community where PSOC may develop is in adult recreational sports. Indeed, voluntary “communities of interest” appear to be replacing traditional geographic communities as places where individuals experience PSOC. Despite the possibility of PSOC developing within adult recreational sports, however, limited research has explored specific elements in this setting which may lead to PSOC. This study addresses that gap by assessing the relation of both individual and team-level achievement goal orientations to PSOC. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to examine the link between achievement goal orientations at both the individual and group levels to PSOC. Researchers collected data from 155 participants, nested within 40 teams. Questions were related to achievement goal orientations and feelings of PSOC. Results suggest that individuals with individual ego orientation are less likely to develop PSOC (p=.031); however, individuals on teams with high task-orientations are more likely to develop PSOC (p=0.047), and further, the negative impact of individual ego-orientations is moderated when participating on a team with an overall high task-orientation (p=.032). No significant relations were detected between individual task-orientation (p=.051), team-level ego orientation (p=.087), individual income (p=.449), or the number of years a participant had played on a team (p=.852) and PSOC. Results extend our understanding of the impact of achievement goal theory and PSOC, by recognizing the role of collective (team) goal orientations.

(more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2022-07-22T08:20:47-05:00July 22nd, 2022|Sports Management|Comments Off

How the Houston Astros Cheating Scandal Affected Public Trust in Major League Baseball: A Historical Research Approach

Authors: Ben Donahue

Corresponding Author:
Ben Donahue
8665 N. Farmdale Street
Spokane, WA 99208

Ben Donahue has worked for over 25 years in sports at the k-12, college, and professional levels. His experience includes athletic director, game-day operations and guest relations, football operations, coach, and baseball scout. Currently, he is a private-school teacher and contributing writer for brownsnation.com and profootballhistory.com

ABSTRACT

This study used historical research methods to assess how Major League Baseball (MLB) disciplined the Houston Astros in response to the cheating scandal that surfaced in 2019. Furthermore, this study examined how the public reacted to MLB’s sanctions imposed on the Astros and how those sanctions affected public trust (including media and fans). The author researched several responses from the national media and baseball fans that were made during the MLB investigation and following the league’s publicity of the selected disciplinary actions. After interpreting the public statements from various media reports, the author coded the responses into specific themes and then analyzed and interpreted the themes. This analysis was used to better understand how and why the scandal happened in the first place and the public’s visceral reaction to it.

The results of the study show that, while cheating in baseball has long been recognized with a wink by MLB insiders; media and fans have a harsh and negative reaction to cheating. Key to these reactions is how cheating ruins the integrity of the game, how the guilty player or team benefited from their deceptive practices, how guilty parties were disciplined, and if the event was likely to happen again based on how the action was disciplined. The conclusions of this study suggest that MLB administrators should invoke harsher penalties on their players, coaches, and teams who engage in willful deceit. The consequences of lighter penalties run the risk of public alienation and loss of revenue. The applications of this study can be used by other sports organizations as a guide on how to resolve sensitive matters while upholding the integrity of the sport and appeasing their fan base.

(more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2022-05-25T14:45:03-05:00May 27th, 2022|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off

Changes in Vertical Jump Height and Sprint Time During a Congested Match Schedule in Youth Female Soccer Players

Authors: Joanne Spalding¹, Andrew R. Dotterweich², Jeremy Gentles², Brandi Eveland-Sayers², Adam L. Sayers²

¹Department of Health & Human Performance, Milledgeville, United States of America
²Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation, and Kinesiology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, United States of America

Corresponding Author:
Andrew R. Dotterweich
East Tennessee State University
Department of Sport, Exercise, Recreation and Kinesiology
P.O. Box 70671
Johnson City, TN 37614
O: 423-439-5261
F: 423-439-5383
dotterwa@etsu.edu

Andy R. Dotterweich, PhD, is a Professor of Exercise Science at East Tennessee State University. His research interests include youth sport, recreation management and policy, physical activity, long-term athlete development and community development.

Joanne Spalding, PhD, is a lecturer in Exercise Science at Georgia College and State University. Her research interests include long term athletic development and monitoring at the club, high school, and college level.

Jeremy Gentles, PhD is an Associate Professor of Sport Science and Coach Education at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. His research interests include long term athlete monitoring, biochemical responses to exercise and sport technology.

Brandi Eveland-Sayers, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Exercise Science at East Tennessee State University. Her research interests include physical literacy, exercise adherence in youth, and long term athlete development.

Adam L. Sayers, PhD, is a faculty member in Global Sport Leadership at East Tennessee State University. He is also a network professional sport scientist for the United States Soccer Federation Youth Women’s National Teams, and a national instructor for USSF Coach Education.

Changes in Vertical Jump Height and Sprint Time During a Congested Match Schedule in Youth Female Soccer Players

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine changes in jump height and sprint time and to assess the relationship between relative changes in jump height and accumulated training load during a congested match schedule in youth female soccer players. Methods: This study included data from 14 youth female soccer players who performed countermovement jump testing pre- and post-match, post-tournament, as well as sprint testing pre- and post-tournament. A one-way repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare changes in jump height over the course of the tournament. A paired sample t-test was performed to compare sprint time between pre- and post-tournament, and Pearson product moment correlations were used to determine the relationship between percent change in jump height and accumulated training load. Results: Jump height decreased significantly (p < 0.001) between time periods during the tournament, and sprint time increased significantly (p = 0.001). There was no significant relationship between percent change in jump height and accumulated training load. Conclusion: This study found that jump height decreased over the course of the tournament and there was a significant increase in sprint time from pre- to post-tournament. Applications in Sport: These results suggest that appropriate recovery strategies and training are needed to assist players in coping with the demands of a congested youth soccer schedule.

(more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2022-03-10T08:29:19-06:00March 11th, 2022|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off

Servant Leadership and the Relationship to Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Division I Athletic Departments

Authors: R. Michael Ross, Mark C. Vermillion

Department of Sport Management, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS, USA

Corresponding Author:
R. Michael Ross, EdD
1845 Fairmount, Campus Box 127
Wichita, KS 67260-0127
mike.ross@wichita.edu
316-978-5980

R. Michael Ross, EdD, is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS. His research interests include organizational leadership in sport, and best practices in sport management education.

Mark C. Vermillion, PhD, is currently a Professor and Interim Associate Dean of the College of Applied Studies at Wichita State University in Wichita, KS, and serves as the Chair of the Department of Sport Management at WSU.

Servant Leadership and the Relationship to Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness in Division I Athletic Departments

ABSTRACT

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between observed servant leadership behaviors of Division I athletic directors and self-reported basic work-related psychological needs satisfaction of Division I administrative (e.g., non-coaching) athletic department employees. This study examined the relationship between servant leadership behaviors in Division I athletic directors and the three elements of basic work-related psychological needs satisfaction including autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Methods

A sample of athletic department employees in 35 randomly selected Division I athletic departments (n = 230) were sent an electronic survey via email that included questions on demographics, the seven-item Servant Leadership Scale (SL-7), and the 12-item adapted Work-Related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale (W-BNSA).

Results

The results of this study revealed a statistically significant, positive relationship exists (p < .001) with observed servant leadership behaviors in athletic directors and the athletic department employees’ work-related psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Conclusions

This finding supported the view that greater levels of servant leadership behaviors in Division I athletic directors were associated with greater work-related basic psychological needs satisfaction of Division I athletic department employees.

Applications in Sport

The results of this research provide an opportunity for athletic directors at the highest level of intercollegiate competition (Division I) to adopt a leadership style that can contribute to the three components of basic psychological needs satisfaction in their employees.

(more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2022-02-17T08:06:07-06:00February 11th, 2022|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off