Sports Management – Page 6 – The Sport Journal

Impactful Corporate Social Responsibility in Major League Baseball

Authors: Dr. Kelly L. Rhodes

Corresponding Author:
Dr. Kelly L. Rhodes
Department of Communications
Saint Francis University
169 Lakeview Drive
Loretto, PA 15940
krhodes@francis.edu
(814) 472-3379

Dr. Rhodes is an Associate Professor of Communications and chair of the Communications Department at Saint Francis University.

Impactful Corporate Social Responsibility in Major League Baseball

ABSTRACT

Purpose

In an effort to know more about what forces influence Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) decision making, the behaviors of one Major League Baseball team regarding its CSR efforts and the outcomes of those efforts were explored.

Methods

A qualitative, single, intrinsic case study methodology was employed. Three sources of data were utilized: annual community reports, newspaper articles, and five personal interviews with purposefully selected members of the organization whose work is related to CSR performance. Institutional Theory was used to provide a foundation for the study.

Results

The results of the study indicate that the organization’s leadership and motivation are significant influences in the direction of CSR efforts, and the organization’s relationship with the community and its approach to implementing initiatives impacts the process. Specifically, it can be seen that the organization’s decision making coincides with Institutional Theory.

Conclusions

The study contributes to the field and this journal by depicting the number of influences on CSR decision making and how understanding those influences allow for more effective impact on communities from the substantial amount of money that teams are spending. The study utilizes Institutional Theory to provide a framework for understanding why and how organizations respond to institutional expectations in their CSR decisions (31).

Applications in Sport

Professional sports will continue to play an important role in society as sport organizations become more like multi-national businesses (8). With the increasing commercialization of sports has come greater scrutiny from both fans and the general public. Sport has to walk a fine line to maintain the traditional elements of the games it plays while increasing its strategic behavior to compete in the business environment of professional sports.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-03-04T09:28:14-06:00March 13th, 2020|Sports Management|Comments Off

NCAA Realignment: Impact upon University ‘Olympic’ Sports

Authors: Stephen W. Litvin, Crystal Lindner and Jillian Wilkie

Corresponding Author:
Stephen W. Litvin, DBA
Professor, School of Business
College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, South Carolina 29424
litvins@cofc.edu
843-953-7317

Stephen Litvin is a professor in the School of Business of the College of Charleston. Crystal Lindner and Jillian Wilkie are students at the College of Charleston and Research Assistants within the School’s Office of Tourism Analysis.

NCAA Realignment: Impact upon University ‘Olympic’ Sports

ABSTRACT

Conference realignment has in recent years led to a “case of intercollegiate musical chairs” (2, p. 254). This research paper looks at the issue from a new perspective. While past research has almost exclusively focused on football, this research considers the impact that affiliation change has upon universities’ non-football sports. The findings suggest the move has been challenging for these teams.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T13:43:56-05:00January 24th, 2020|Sports Coaching, Sports Management|Comments Off

Diversifying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American College Athletics: The Case for Adaptive (And Other Non-Traditional) Sports

Authors: Kevin T. McGinniss, Ed.D. (Southern Connecticut State University), Demetri Goutos, B.A., M.B.A. (Yale University), and Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H. (Yale University).

Corresponding author:
Kevin T. McGinniss, EdD
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT USA 06515
Campus Site: Office Building 1, 108G
Phone: 203-392-8837
Email: mcginnissk1@southernct.edu

Kevin T. McGinniss, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and Director of Sport Management at Southern Connecticut State University. Demetri Goutos, B.A., M.B.A., and Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H. are members of an independent research lab at Yale University, dedicated to addressing inequities and unethical behavior in sport, while at the same time, using sport to address inequities and unethical behavior in society.

Diversifying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American College Athletics: The Case for Adaptive (And Other Non-Traditional) Sports

ABSTRACT

The popularization of adaptive sports on college campuses has incredible potential to affect real and meaningful change for students with disabilities across the country. Despite clear language promoting equality and fairness espoused by the NCAA and member universities, as well as legislation requiring equal opportunities for students with disabilities, early attempts to adopt inclusive sports strategies have all but evaporated. Another category of non-traditional sports programming, however, has taken off in recent years. eSports, or competitive video games, has seen a meteoric rise in support, investment, and growth on the collegiate athletic scene, and show that when properly motivated the NCAA and member institutions act with surprising conviction. With their proven ability to react and organize, and the need clearly defined, the NCAA must return its attention to increasing athletic opportunities for student-athletes with disabilities.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-12-24T09:09:31-06:00January 10th, 2020|Commentary, Sports Management|Comments Off

Evaluating the Two-Game Road Trip in College Sports: Does a Travel Partner Scheduling Approach Affect Team Competitiveness?

Authors: Mark Mitchell, Samuel Wathen, and Robert Orwig

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.
Samuel Wathen, PhDis Professor of Management at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.
Robert Orwig, DBA is Associate Professor of Management at the University of North Georgia in Dahlonega, GA.

Evaluating the Impact of Two-Game Road Trips in College Sports: Does a Travel Partner Scheduling Approach Affect Team Competitiveness?

ABSTRACT

Some NCAA athletic conferences have implemented a geographic travel partner strategy when scheduling league games. Teams are organized into two-team clusters. A visiting team comes to the region and plays both opponents during one road trip before returning to campus. Prior research reveals NBA teams tend to have a lower winning percentage when playing back-to-back games on back-to-back evenings. This study examines the performance of college sports teams on two-game road trips to see if the NBA pattern exists in college sports. Game results (and winning percentages) from the Sun Belt Conference for the 2016-17 season are evaluated over four sports (women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball). Team performance in Game 2 was comparable to Game 1 in women’s soccer, women’s basketball, and men’s basketball. Game 2 performance was improved in women’s volleyball. There was not a significant reduction in road team performance in Game 2 of two-game road trips when the quality of the opponent was introduced into the analysis of women’s soccer, women’s volleyball and women’s basketball. However, men’s basketball teams tended to win more often during Game 1 rather than Game 2 when playing comparable opponents. The travel partner scheduling model maximizes player rest, reduces travel time, and minimizes missed class time. This study suggests its implementation does not impact team competitiveness, particularly during Game 2 as found in the NBA. Conference personnel and university athletic administrators may take comfort that their drive to control costs and enhance the student-athlete experience is not impacting the competitiveness of their teams.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T11:25:00-05:00November 1st, 2019|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off

How Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Can Benefit From E-Sports While Adding Diversity into the Gaming Industry

Authors: David C. Hughes & Dr. W. Timothy Orr

Corresponding Author:
Hughes, David C; Dr. Orr, Timothy, W;
134 Holland Hall Hampton University
Hampton, VA, 23668
David.hughes@hamptonu.edu
832-425-4484

David C. Hughes
Hampton University

Dr. W. Timothy Orr
Hampton University

David C. Hughes sits on the board of Directors for the Drake Group, is a Capstone Advisor at Georgetown University, and serves as an Instructor of Sport Management at Hampton University. Dr. W. Timothy Orr is a former collegiate coach, athletic director, and student athlete. Dr. Orr currently serves as the Program Coordinator for the Masters of Sport Management at Hampton University.

How Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Can Benefit From E-Sports While Adding Diversity into the Gaming Industry

ABSTRACT

Dr. Shaun R. Harper infamously came to the conclusion that “Perhaps nowhere in higher education is the disenfranchisement of Black male students more insidious than in college athletics” (7). This quote is not attributed to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), but to the power five conferences of Predominately White Institutions (PWIs). As of 2019, Black E-Sport coaches make up less than 2% of coaches at PWIs (20). Professional gaming or better known as E-Sports is not only a billion dollar industry (17), but has allowed for over $15 million dollars in collegiate scholarships to be awarded for the 2016-2019 school year (20). Yet, no Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have started an E-Sports team. HBCUs are excluding themselves from a billion dollar industry, while also failing to increase the diversity of E-Sports participators, coaches at PWIs and HBCUs, and Black professional gamers. This paper has practical application as it provides convincing evidence as to why HBCUs could not only benefit from investing in E-Sports, but can help the professional gaming industry with its diversity issue.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-10-10T15:08:54-05:00October 11th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Management|Comments Off