Sports Studies and Sports Psychology – Page 15

Vincent T. Lombardi: Three Key Lessons for Today’s Executive that Go Beyond Football

Author: Francis Petit, Ed.D.

Corresponding Author:
Francis Petit, Ed.D.
Associate Dean for Global Initiatives and Partnerships
Adjunct Associate Professor of Marketing
Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business
113 West 60th Street, Room 616
New York, New York 10023
(212) 636 7429 – work
(646) 256 2991 – mobile

Francis Petit serves as associate dean of global initiatives and partnerships and also serves as an adjunct associate professor of marketing at the Gabelli School of Business where he teaches a Sports Marketing course. Dr. Petit has established executive programs in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Vincent T. Lombardi: Three Key Lessons for Today’s Executive that Go Beyond Football

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research was to determine what lessons, if any, professionals can learn from Vincent T. Lombardi, the Hall of Fame coach, that go beyond football. The methods of this research included a historical study of the life and career of Vince Lombardi and a subsequent analysis of his decisions. The results of this study indicate that there are learning takeaways that go beyond football including the lack of balance in his life, his long professional journey before Green Bay and his potential lack of self-awareness. The conclusions of this study illustrate that professionals, beyond football, can learn valuable life lessons from this iconic coach. In addition, this relates to the world of sports in that fans should understand that sports celebrities are human and there are lessons to be learned from their journey that go beyond the playing field.

Keywords: Lombardi, NFL, Packers, Coach, Super Bowl

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U.S. Sports Academy2018-09-14T11:47:17-05:00August 11th, 2016|Commentary, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Leadership: Athletes and Coaches in Sport

Authors: Dr. Sharon P. Misasi*, Dr. Gary Morin and Lauren Kwasnowski

Dr. Sharon P. Misasi is a Professor of Exercise Science at Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Gary Morin is a Professor of Exercise Science, Assistant Athletic Trainer and Program Director of the Athletic Training Education Program. Lauren Kwasnowski is a Research assistant for this study, undergraduate student in the Allied Health Program at the University of Connecticut and a member/captain of the UCONN Division I Lacrosse team.

*Corresponding Author:
Sharon P. Misasi PhD, AT.
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street
PE 002B
New Haven CT 06515
misasis1@southernct.edu

ABSTRACT
This study investigated the interpersonal aspects and perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship as it pertains to collegiate athletes at Division I and II universities and athletes and coaches of different genders. Electronic surveys were emailed to 50 NCAA Division I and 50 Division II head coaches in the Northeast. Coaches were requested to respond to the survey and email the athlete survey to their respective athletes. These surveys were completed by both coaches and athletes: Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q), Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS). The final instrument, Coaching Behavior Scale for Sports (CBS-S), was completed by only the athletes. There were no significant differences found with the CART-Q. The LSS illustrated several areas of significances in the categories of Training, Democratic Behavior, Autocratic Behavior and Social Support. Although there was no significance found in Positive Feedback there was an interesting finding in that female coaches felt they were less likely to provide positive feedback than their male counterparts. The CBS-S has subscales which include: physical training and planning, technical skills, mental preparation, competition strategies, personal rapport and negative personal rapport. Statistical significance was found in the following subscales: competition strategies, personal rapport and negative personal rapport. The coach is a meaningful person in the lives of athletes and the role they play is vital in the athlete’s sport experience. Our results indicate that the level of competitive division appears to play a role in how athletes perceive their coaches and how coaches perceive themselves. In addition, gender differences among coaches’ affect responses of the athletes and the coaches. Leadership is not a simple process. There is no one way to lead and what works for one may not work for all. Therefore, the best one can do is get to know their athletes and work hard to understand their goals, motivations and needs.

KEYWORDS: Coaching, Effective Leadership, Successful Leadership

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U.S. Sports Academy2016-06-14T15:30:09-05:00July 1st, 2016|Contemporary Sports Issues, General, Leadership, Research, Sports Coaching, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

On Ditching the Watch while Training: Re-examining the Pace-based Approach to Training Long-distance Runners

Authors: Patrick M Whitehead*

Patrick Whitehead is an assistant professor of psychology at Darton State College in Albany, Georgia. He has published widely in fields of psychology, philosophy, and biology. In his free time he is a recreational long-distance runner and coach.

*Corresponding Author:
Patrick M Whitehead, PhD
Division of Social Sciences
Darton State College
2400 Gillionville
Albany, GA, 31707
Patrick.whitehead@darton.edu
229-317-6809

ABSTRACT
This paper presents two arguments against the pace-based approach to running, defined as the reduction of training intensity to measures of distance/time (that is, pace). The experimental data of Daniels (5) is presented as an example of this. It is argued that the pace-based approach ignores many variables that are important in understanding the physiology and psychology of training long distance runners. The first argument examines the assumption that pace may be used as a general approximation of intensity. This ignores the role of confounding environmental factors like altitude, temperature, and wind. The second argument examines the assumption that any measure of intensity is as good as or better than another. Heart rate, blood-lactate levels, and volume of oxygen consumption are physiological markers that provide useful information for understanding levels of intensity, but their relationship is not certain.

KEYWORDS: Long-distance running, training, running by feel, Ratings of Perceived Exertion

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U.S. Sports Academy2016-05-27T15:00:26-05:00June 17th, 2016|Commentary, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Great British Athletes’ Perceptions of Competing at the London 2012 Olympic Games

Author: Rachel Kent*

*Corresponding Author Address:
Rachel kent
E-mail: coach_kent@hotmail.com

Abstract
To review Great British (GB) athletes’ perceptions of home court advantage and competing ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was conducted. The seven topics discussed in the interview were based on previous research. Five female GB Olympic sprinters were interviewed at their training facility in West London as they trained for the 2012 Olympic Games. Athlete responses were coded into categories then analysed using phenomenological analysis.

Athletes had a range of reasons why they believed they had a ‘home advantage.’ All athletes agreed that media representation could be good if media was positive but was bad when the media coverage was negative. Athletes reported a range of expectations some expressing high expectations and associated higher levels of performance anxiety. Athletes reporting lower levels of expectations had lower levels of performance anxiety. Athletes reported different sources of expectations and the significance of the source to them and their anxiety. The implications of the research findings suggest recommendations for media and sponsors, coaches, family, and friends to help provide the athletes with the optimum levels of unconditional support to aid in performance and prevent pressure, stress and pre-competitive anxiety.

KEYWORDS: Olympic Games, Olympics, Home Court Advantage, Expectancy Theory, Self-fulfilling prophecy, Media bias, Athletes, Phenomenological Analysis

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U.S. Sports Academy2016-06-10T12:03:34-05:00June 10th, 2016|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

The Effect of Momentum on the NBA Point Spread Market

Authors: Thomas T. Byrnes (1) and Joseph Anthony Farinella, Ph.D.*(2)

(1) Thomas Byrnes is a graduate from the Honors College at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Mr. Byrnes is currently working as a financial advisor.

(2) Joseph Farinella is an Associate Professor of Finance at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Dr. Farinella is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and consultant.

*Corresponding Author:
Joseph Anthony Farinella, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Department of Economics and Finance
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28409
farinellaj@uncw.edu

ABSTRACT
The notion of “momentum” and its effect on the outcome of sports games has been a point of contention for decades. This paper tests if a simple betting strategy based on momentum can be used to generate a consistent profit. The momentum strategy is applied to the National Basketball Association; we examine 30 teams spanning the 2001-2013 seasons. The results show that the momentum strategy generates a significant profit over this period. The momentum strategy is often referred to as the hot hand strategy. The strategy requires betting on teams to win that are already on a hot streak of at least four games, while betting on teams to lose that are already on a cold streak of at least four games. The results show that the momentum betting strategy yields an average overall winning percentage of 56.5%, which is significantly above the 52.4% required to break-even.

KEYWORDS: Sports wagering, Market efficiency, Momentum
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U.S. Sports Academy2016-05-10T08:39:44-05:00May 9th, 2016|Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off