Robin Hardin

Beyond touchdowns, homeruns, and three-pointers: an examination of fantasy sport participation motivation

This research examined the motivation aspects of a large and growing phenomenon that is fantasy sport. Through the lens of the uses and gratifications approach and using mixed methods research, motivations of the fantasy sport user were analysed. Qualitative online focus groups and a quantitative survey were administered to develop, validate, and explore fantasy sport motivations. The results revealed the top three motivating factors as fanship, competition, and social sport and the bottom three as fan expression, ownership, and escape. The factors of competition, achievement, and surveillance had significant positive correlations with overall satisfaction while the factors of competition and camaraderie had significant positive correlations with future intentions. This research provides more information and insight into the burgeoning field of fantasy sport. The results of this study provide practitioners a more comprehensive view into the attitudes, feelings, and motives of the fantasy sport user. Both academic and practical implications are highlighted.

Case studies of collegiate sport chaplains.

The appointment of sport chaplains in public colleges or universities can be controversial and contested as in a recent case at Iowa State University. Some scholarly attention has been paid to the relationship between sport and religion, but studies on sport chaplains are just recently emerging. Through textual analysis of media coverage and promotional materials, this study examines how collegiate sport chaplains, their ministry organizations, and public universities navigate the competing interests of evangelical chaplains and state-funded institutions. The study explores the roles and responsibilities of collegiate sport chaplains at two public universities (University of Tennessee and Auburn University). It also provides a brief review of the historical context of muscular Christianity for the discussion of collegiate sport chaplaincy.

Playbook vs. textbook: examining academic transitioning of NCAA Division I-FBS football student-athletes.

Abstract The athletic transition of freshman student-athletes receives a plethora of media attention but there is also an academic transition that takes place. This research focuses on the academic transition of freshman football student-athletes at a Division I-Football Bowl Subdivision institution. Three themes were constructed from the interviews: (a) time management; (b) prioritization; and (c) guidance. Increased time demands devoted to football and academics presented a struggle in time management as well as deciding how to prioritize what needed to be accomplished. The student-athletes also acknowledged the immense amount of academic support they receive. The support staff may think this is what is desired, but the student-athletes responded they would like to be able to make decisions on their own and not be treated as though they are incapable of making decisions. Student-athletes should be taught time management, prioritization, and self-guidance skills and not have those tasks done for them.

Women and Mentoring in Collegiate Athletics

The number of women working and participating in intercollegiate athletics has steadily increased the past four decades. This has led for a need to develop women as leaders within collegiate athletics and one way of doing this is through mentoring. Mentoring provides guidance in regard to both the professional development and psychosocial support. In our research, we investigated mentoring within the college athletics environment by interviewing female athletic directors and female graduate assistants. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (a) importance of mentorship; (b) quality of mentorship; (c) availability, and (d) lack of female mentorship. Our research builds on the idea that mentorship is important and valued by both the mentor and protégé but the key is determining how to best connect the two groups. This would possibly lead to higher job satisfaction, higher employee retention, and more productive work environment.

Creating Myth and Legend

BobbyJones, perhaps thegreatestgolfer ofall-time, dominatedgolfin the 1920s. He won thirteen major championships over an eight-year span, and won allfour major championships in 1930. ButJones realized hisfame was notjust due to his exploits on the golfcourse. He credited O.B. Keelor ofthe AtlantaJournalfor helping him gain this fame. This study used a frame analysis to examine the language Keelor used to promote Jones. Research has shown that theframes used in news articles can influence public opinion andperception ofan event, issue, or person. This study argues that theframes Keelor used in his writings helped

Contrapower Harassment in the Sport Management Classroom

Sexual harassment and incivility in the workplace are the unwanted sexual attention and bullying of employees by their superior. There are times, however, when the roles are reversed and the superior is the target of such behavior. Contrapower harassment refers to subordinate incivility and/or sexual attention directed toward a superior. The focus of this study was in the higher education classroom, more specifically the male-dominated sport management classroom. More than 90% of female faculty have reported experiencing acts of incivility, and 25% have experienced at least one act of sexual behavior shown toward them by a student (Lampman, 2012). This study explored the issue of contrapower harassment in the sport management classroom through semi-structured interviews with 10 female sport management faculty members. Contrapower harassment was described by all but one respondent based on each individual’s lived experiences. These incidents occurred in the form of verbal or written comments and in physical actions. Strategies to manage the issue include addressing contrapower at orientation sessions and in-class content as well as the implementation of a zero tolerance policy toward sexual behavior in the classroom.

Attachment to Sports Conferences An Expanded Model of Points of Attachment Among Professional, Collegiate, and High School Football Fans

This study examined points of attachment (POA), or how sports fans experience multiple types of identification beyond team allegiance (e.g., identification with players, coaches, levels of sport, the sport itself, and university/region) at different levels of fandom. More specifically, high school, collegiate (i.e., National Collegiate Athletic Association), and professional (i.e., National Football League) football fans (N = 698) were asked to respond to items that have been associated with six POA in previous studies, as well as items that tested a new point of attachment to conference/division of a fans favorite team. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that this revised seven-factor, 21-item points of attachment index demonstrated adequate overall fit. Our findings also indicated that multiple POA differed significantly among high school, collegiate, and professional football fans. Theoretical implications, future research, and limitations are also discussed.

Kinesiology Students’ Perceptions of Ambivalent Sexism

The culture of sport has historically reinforced hegemonic notions of gender. Both intercollegiate and professional sports in the United States are male-dominated in employment numbers and leadership positions. This raises concerns about the professional work environment women will encounter in their careers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of sexism among kinesiology students who will be entering the male-dominated sports workplace. The Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI) was used to measure sexism (hostile and benevolent) among students enrolled in kinesiology-related majors at a large public university in the southeastern United States. Men scored significantly higher than women on both subscales. Undergraduate students also scored significantly higher than graduate students. Overall, the mean scores in this study were higher than those reported previously for other college student populations. The findings suggest considerable hostile and benevolent sexism among these students.

Health-enhancing physical activity during practice among student football managers at a Division I university

Abstract Objective: Student football managers have demands on their time that may pose barriers to meeting recommended current physical activity (PA) guidelines. The study sought to assess the amount of PA obtained by student football managers at a NCAA Division I Football university. Participants: Subjects were student football managers (n = 14) with data collected in the fall 2015. Methods: Participants wore an Omron HJ-720ITFFP pedometer for seven consecutive days during football activities only, while self-reporting their overall PA on day 7. Measures were analyzed using repeated measures and mixed-design ANOVAs. Results: Managers averaged 8474 steps/day for each practice/game. All PA measures significantly varied by day and manager experience. Overall PA equated to 78 hours of walking. Conclusions: Student football managers easily met and surpassed the recommended aerobic health-enhancing PA guideline. While their manager-related PA was 140 minutes per week, other PA allowed them to easily reach significantly healthy levels of PA.

Examination of Drinking Habits and Motives of Collegiate Student-Athletes

Universities across the United States have reported consistently high rates of alcohol use and abuse among students during the past 20 years. The college student alcohol consumption level is considered an important public health concern. The increase in problematic drinking seems to be campus wide, but there is an understudied at-risk demographic—collegiate student-athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine student-athletes’ motives for alcohol consumption, drinking patterns, and alcohol-related negative consequences. Student-athletes (N = 283) from five Midwestern universities completed an online questionnaire assessing this behavior. Male student-athletes reported higher levels in all three categories than females. In addition, differences were found in the drinking motives of individual and team sport student-athletes. Unlike previous studies, Division I student-athletes did not differ from Division III with respect to these behaviors. Male student-athletes seem particularly at-risk for problematic alcohol consumption. Additionally, differences were found in motives experienced for alcohol consumption based on sport type (i.e., individual versus team). Level of play was not found to influence drinking motives or alcohol consumption which may signify participation in intercollegiate athletics is a greater influence than division. Differences found in gender and sport type may provide insight to help decrease dangerous drinking habits of student-athletes.