Sports Studies and Sports Psychology – Page 2

Participation Trophies along with Grade Inflation Are Hurting More Than Helping

Authors: Matthew J Williams D.S.M.
Department of Education, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, VA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Matthew J Williams
1 College Avenue
Wise, VA 24293
[email protected]
785-452-2353

Matthew J Williams D.S.M., M.B.A., M.S., is an Associate Professor of Sport Management at The University of Virginia’s College at Wise. His areas of research interest include NASCAR, COVID-19, college athletics, professional sports, and sport management issues.

Participation Trophies along with Grade Inflation Are Hurting More Than Helping

ABSTRACT

In the early 1900’s we had a philosophy that children who participated in sports would be better citizens in the United States. We believed that sports would allow children to experience responsibility, success, failure, and disappointment in a controlled safe environment. In the last 25 years, times have changed, and we have used sports to reward children with participation trophies regardless of how well they played or their contribution to the team. This change in philosophy has now moved into education and students believe that if they show up to class or do minimal work in the classroom, they should be rewarded with a higher grade than they deserve. This type of behavior has created grade inflation.

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U.S. Sports Academy2022-12-14T16:22:04-06:00December 16th, 2022|Commentary, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Engaging Undergraduate Student-Athletes in Research and Publication Opportunities

Authors: Erin B. Jensen¹, Desislava Yordanova, Lauren Denhard, Kira Zazzi, Jose Mejia, Timothy Shar, Julia Iseman, Tucker Hoeniges, and Madison Mitchell

¹Department of English, Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC, USA

Corresponding Author:
Erin B. Jensen, PhD
100 Belmont-Mount Holly Road
Belmont, NC, 28210
[email protected]

Erin B. Jensen, PhD, is an Associate Professor of English at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC.

Desislava Yordanova majored in biology and was on the Acro-tumbling team. She is in a Masters in Public Health program.

Lauren Denhard is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in writing. She is a member of the golf team.

Kira Zazzi is a marketing major and was on the cycling team.

Jose Meji is majoring in economics and finance and was on the golf team.

Timothy Shar is majoring in math and was on the soccer team.

Julia Iseman was a psychology major and a member of the triathlon team, cross-country team, and track and field team. She plans to pursue a Masters in Psychology

Tucker Hoeniges is majoring in business and is a member of the cycling team.

Madison Mitchell majored in marketing and was a member of the field hockey team.

Engaging Undergraduate Student-Athletes in Research and Publication Opportunities

ABSTRACT

Universities and colleges are increasing opportunities for undergraduate research and publication for students; less studied is how to engage and encourage student-athletes to participate in such activities. Student-athletes often do not engage in undergraduate research activities due to time constraints of practicing and competing on their respective athletic teams and their full-time enrollment in college classes. This case study focuses on the experiences of eight undergraduate student-athletes and their faculty mentor who decide to co-author an article (this specific one) about their experiences in pursuing undergraduate research and publication. Through the experience of writing this article, we argue that undergraduate student-athletes can succeed in undergraduate research and publication, but are more successful when working with a mentor. We provide suggestions for what worked best for us to be able to be involved in this project. We also discuss the benefits to our own academic achievements and our increased confidence in our writing and research skills.

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U.S. Sports Academy2022-09-26T14:54:27-05:00September 9th, 2022|Leadership, Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Female Youth Competitive Cheerleaders

Authors: Reeti Douglas, Neha Tripathi, Ashley Allen, Cait Ennis, Jessica Judy, Emily Klink, and Jenelle Mrugalski⁷

Department of Occupational Therapy, Wingate University, Wingate, NC, USA

Corresponding Author:
Reeti Douglas, OTD, OTR/L
Department of Occupational Therapy
Wingate University
220 N Camden St
Wingate, NC 28174
[email protected]
704-233-8973

Reeti Douglas OTD, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy at Wingate in Wingate, NC. Her research interests focus on pediatric and youth sports rehabilitation, pediatric and youth athlete mental health, and pediatric and adolescent hand rehabilitation.

Ashley Allen, Cait Ennis, Jessica Judy, Emily Klink, and Jenelle Mrugalski are doctoral students in the Occupational Therapy program at Wingate University. Their research interests include pediatrics, mental health, and sports rehabilitation.

Psychosocial Impact of COVID-19 on Female Youth Cheerleaders

ABSTRACT

Purpose: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, national restrictions were implemented limiting social gatherings and disrupting many facets of everyday life including sports. To gain a better understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the social and emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents in sports, the present study examined parental perspectives of female youth competitive cheerleaders during the national pandemic.

Methods: A sample of 97 parents of female youth competitive cheerleaders completed an online Qualtrics survey investigating their perspectives on the psychosocial wellbeing of their children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative analysis to determine general findings from the survey results. Results revealed that all age groups (5-18 years old) reported high levels of frustration (≥63.7%), all hours of training (1-14 hours a week) reported high levels of frustration (≥63.1%), and all levels of cheer (Level 1-6) reported high levels of frustration (≥62.9%). All age groups (≥67.1%), all hours of training (≥60.1), and levels 2-5 of cheer (≥ 57.1) reported high levels of feelings of loneliness during the pandemic. For all age groups, an increased interest in watching television or playing video games was reported as high (≥66.6%). Parents of level 2-6 cheerleaders (≥57.1) and cheerleaders who trained 5-14 hours a week (≥ 57.9) reported high levels of restlessness without participating in cheer activities.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, female youth competitive cheerleaders experienced high levels of frustration, loneliness, and restlessness and spent more time engaging in sedentary activities rather than participating in active sports-related functions and practices.

Applications in Sports: This study found that the impacts of COVID-19 on the psychosocial wellbeing of youth athletes include increased levels of frustration, loneliness, and restlessness, which can be attributed to decreased participation in sports. The findings of this study provide data to support the importance of addressing psychosocial needs with female youth athletes and addressing the benefits of sports for leisure occupation and social participation. Implications of this study can be applied to healthcare professions and athletic departments to guide future research and programs regarding sports and youth.

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U.S. Sports Academy2022-05-24T11:12:25-05:00May 20th, 2022|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Examining Media Framing of Openly gay NFL Player Carl Nassib

Authors: Edward M. Kian, Ph.D.
School of Media & Strategic Communications, Oklahoma State University, OK, USA

Corresponding Author:
Edward M. Kian, Ph.D.
School of Media & Strategic Communications
Oklahoma State University
201 Paul Miller Building
Stillwater, OK 74078
[email protected]
407-927-5403

Dr. Edward (Ted) M. Kian, Ph.D. is a full professor of Sports Media in the School of Media & Strategic Communications at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Kian’s research focuses on sport media, specifically examining portrayals of gender and LGBT in content, new media, attitudes and experiences of sport media members, and sport marketing.

Examining Media Framing of Openly gay NFL Player Carl Nassib

ABSTRACT

This researched examined mainstream media framing of Carl Nassib becoming the first active, established NFL player to come out as gay. Purpose: Media have historically framed the NFL as a rugged, masculine sport, but media have also been supportive of the few former professional athletes who came out as gay or bisexual. This study examined how media framed an active gay athlete in what is construed as the United States’ most masculine sport. Methods: A textual analysis was conducted to examine media framing of Nassib and his coming out in articles published in the five most popular sport-focused U.S. websites over a two-week period following his announcement. Theories on masculinity were used to guide the study. Results: Four primary themes emerged from the data, most of which showed media were very supportive of Nassib publicly coming out and hailed it as a watershed moment in American sport. Conclusions: Media were supportive of an openly gay player and contended football was ready for this announcement. Applications in Sport: Media will be supportive of the vast majority of openly gay athletes who use sport as a platform to reveal their sexual orientation, and thus coaches and sport organizations should not fear players coming out.

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U.S. Sports Academy2022-04-07T09:29:42-05:00April 8th, 2022|Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

The Influence of COVID-19 Upon Perceptions Of Parent Identity and Role Among Youth Sport Spectators

Authors: Jerry F. Reynolds II, Kristin E. Trainor, and Matt Moore

Department of Social Work, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA

Corresponding Author:
Jerry F. Reynolds II, PhD, LMSW
1613 W. Riverside Ave
Muncie, IN 47304
[email protected]
765-285-1015

Jerry F. Reynolds II, PhD, LMSW is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. His research interests focus on family dynamics and parenting experiences in youth sport settings.

Kristin E. Trainor, PhD, LCSW is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Ball State University. Her research areas of interest include exploration of family dynamics and barriers to service provision in therapeutic settings.

Matt E. Moore is Chair and Associate Professor of Social Work at Ball State University. His research focuses upon the integration of social work principles in sport-based settings.

The Influence of COVID-19 Upon Perceptions of Parent Identity and Role Among Youth Sport Spectators

ABSTRACT

Parent experiences in youth sport settings during the COVID-19 pandemic are a notable and understudied phenomenon. Parents had varied experiences as a result of safety mandates and protocols that limited physical presence and engagement in their child’s sports activities. These limitations proved to be an emotional challenge for parents – balancing the responsibilities of protecting the safety of their families and providing sports experiences to promote both normalcy and acquire the life skills gained from sports participation in a fluid environment. In some instances, parents engaged in virtual spectating experiences which sought to minimize physical risks associated with COVID-19, but also did not require their physical presence to participate. Research on the virtual experience of parents is novel and from a sample of 112 parents across youth sport sectors in 18 states how the spectating modality influenced parental roles and identities was examined. Virtual spectating experiences reflected many challenges for parents, but also prompted much gratitude for allowing continued engagement in their child’s sports activities. This exploratory research prompts larger questions urging sport-based professionals to examine the influences of spectating modalities on experiences of parents. The authors captured retrospective parent reactions to their personal spectating experience and generated a grounded theory diagram to demonstrate relationships between factors shaping the parent identity and role in this context. Implications for sport-based professionals are discussed.

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U.S. Sports Academy2022-04-01T08:27:43-05:00April 1st, 2022|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off