Research – Page 23 – The Sport Journal

Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

Authors:Tatyana Dzimbova, Hristo Nikolov, Radoslav Mavrevski, Stefan Kapralov

Corresponding Author:
Assoc. prof. Tatyana Dzimbova, PhD
66 Ivan Michailov Str.
Blagoevgrad, 2700 Bulgaria
tania_dzimbova@abv.bg
+359898939285

Study on professional football players – factors in recovery and preparation and performance markers during scheduled training session

ABSTRACT

Purpose. The purpose of the present study is to estimate if the athletes can satisfy their energy needs by diet, if they are well hydrated before training, and if the training is effective.

Methods. Ten players of the football team in the B professional league participated in the study (age 23.44 ± 5.98 years, weight 70.64 ± 4.57 kg, height 176.4 ± 7.35 cm; ±SD). Their body composition was analyzed with the Body Composition Analyzer IoI 353 and they completed food questionnaires. Blood lactate concentrations were determined using the biochemical analyzer BIOSEN – C Line, EKF Diagnostic. The heart rates of the subjects are recorded using the activePULS, MEDION AG. Data was processed using SPSS and Graphpad Prism software.

Results. According to the data obtained from the food questionnaires all subjects received the necessary amount of energy to fully meet their energy needs. From the multiple linear regression, it is seen that the highest value has the standardized coefficient in front of the carbohydrate intake which means that it has the greatest influence (about 65%) on total energy intake. The heart rates of participants in the study range from 78 to 90% of the predicted maximum, i.e., high intensity. Differences in blood lactate concentration before and after exercise are significant, evidence of effective performance on training.

Conclusions. We can conclude that according to the nutrition questionnaire the athletes received a sufficient amount of macronutrients and sufficient amount of energy for their training needs. The change in blood lactate concentrations and heart rate during training is indicative of the responsible attitude of the players, and therefore the target endurance is most likely to be achieved.

Applications in Sport. Reported methods could be a useful tool for coaches to track the recovery and preparation of the athletes in season and to evaluate their performance during a scheduled training session.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-10T14:36:51-06:00January 17th, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

International Students Participating in Campus Recreational Sport

Authors:James Allen and Robert Lyons

Corresponding Author: James Allen, PhD
Blair College of Health
Queens University of Charlotte
1900 Selwyn Avenue
allenj5@queens.edu
704-337-2426

James Allen is an Associate Professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

Robert Lyons is an Associate Professor at Queens University of Charlotte.

International Students Participating in Campus Recreational Sport

ABSTRACT

Numerous studies have investigated the relationship between cultural heritage and sport participation behavior (11,22,24). Not far from this notion, yet underrepresented in the literature, is the review of international students participating in campus recreational sport. Specifically, the impact of cultural identity on campus recreational sport participation patterns. Campus recreational sport programming has the potential to assist international students with acclimating to their new environment. Therefore, it is essential for administrators of campus recreational sport to recognize the cultural dynamics among international students and their participation behavior. A sample of international students attending universities in the United States was obtained and 8.2% of those targeted (N=242) responded to the survey. Findings indicated that international students use their campus recreational sport participation in a variety of ways. While some utilize their sport participation to maintain their cultural identity, others use it to cross cultural boundaries and acclimate to a new multi-cultural environment. Others expressed elements of exclusion and marginalization pertaining to campus recreational sport programs. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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U.S. Sports Academy2019-01-10T14:12:32-06:00January 3rd, 2019|Research, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|Comments Off

Preferred leadership Styles of Student Athletes in a Midwest NAIA Conference

Authors: Todd D. Pitts, Ed. D, Gerald Nyambane, Ph.D., Stephen L. Butler Ed.D.

Corresponding Author:
Todd D. Pitts, Ed.D
6191 Kraft Avenue
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49512
tpitts@davenport.edu
616-554-4716

Todd D. Pitts is an Associate Professor of Sports Management at Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also serves as the university’s Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR) to the NCAA.

Preferred Leadership Styles of Student-Athletes in a Midwest NAIA Conference

ABSTRACT
This study examined the leadership preferences of student-athletes competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) conference located in the Midwest region of the United States. Using Chelladurai’s Leadership Scale for Sports (LSS) instrument, quantitative data were collected from student-athletes (N = 758) representing 9 universities competing in the conference. All 5 dimensions of leadership behavior were compared across student-athletes’ gender, coaches’ gender, task dependence nature of the sport played, and whether or not the student-athlete’s institution identifies itself as faith-based, or non-faith-based. The results from 2 sample t-tests indicated that training and instruction and positive feedback were the most preferred leadership dimensions. The results also confirmed findings from previous studies that autocratic behavior is the least preferred leadership dimension. In addition, the democratic behavior leadership dimension was preferred more by student-athletes participating in independent sports than student-athletes in team sports; corroborating findings in recent studies. (more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2018-11-21T11:37:24-06:00December 27th, 2018|Leadership, Research|Comments Off

The Migration of Business Strategies from the Hospitality Industry to Athletics Marketing

Authors: Mark Mitchell, Nicholas Clark, and Taylor Damonte

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.

Nicholas Clark is a Master’s Student in Sport Administration at Georgia State University. He is currently a member of the NCAA Division I Council. Nicholas is a former student-athlete at Coastal Carolina University.

Taylor Damonte, PhD is Professor of Hospitality & Resort Tourism Management at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, SC.

The Migration of Business Strategies from the Hospitality Industry to Athletics Marketing

ABSTRACT
Many strategies of the hospitality industry, including dynamic pricing, customer relationship management programs, and others have been successfully adopted by athletics marketers. The purpose of this manuscript is to examine a variety of practices in the hospitality industry that have been successfully adopted by athletics marketers. There are four broad categories that provide practices most fruitful for adoption: (1) Fan Experience; (2) Ticketing; (3) In-Stadium Food and Beverage; and (4) Tailgating. In some cases, a small number of teams (and venues) have implemented such practices. In others, these practices are intuitively a good strategic fit but no organization has been identified as yet to implement the strategy. This presentation may prompt other organizations to consider such practices for implementation. (more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2018-11-21T10:43:58-06:00December 20th, 2018|Research, Sports Management, Sports Marketing|Comments Off

Institutional Reforms and the Recoupling of Academic and Athletic Performance in High-Profile College Sports

Authors: Christopher P. Kelley, Shane D. Soboroff, Andrew D. Katayama, Mathew Pfeiffer and Michael J. Lovaglia

Corresponding Author:
Christopher P. Kelley
2354 Fairchild Dr., Ste. 6L107
U.S. Air Force Academy, CO 80840-2603
Christopher.Kelley@usafa.edu
319-331-8060

Dr. Christopher P. Kelley is an Assistant Professor of Leadership in the Department of Behavioral Science and Leadership at the United States Air Force Academy. He studies complex organizations, leadership, power, and influence processes. Dr. Kelley also serves as the Managing Editor of the journal, Current Research in Social Psychology and is an active member of the American Sociological Association and the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

Institutional Reforms and the Recoupling of Academic and Athletic Performance in High-Profile College Sports

ABSTRACT
University officials and stakeholders continue to debate the role of athletics in the mission of higher education. Reforms promoted by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) to promote academic integrity reflect this tension. This research investigates whether the most recent means for monitoring a team’s academic success, the Academic Progress Rate (APR), has led to changes in the academic and athletic outcomes of high profile football and basketball teams. Neo-Institutional theory provides a framework for understanding how regulations translate into organizational change through the coupling of organizational practices to institutional goals. Predictions that metrics used to assess academic progress among high profile student athletes will reflect increasing isomorphism among sports teams at the same school received support. Specifically, analyses of seven years of NCAA’s APR and athletic performance data found that APR scores became more similar among Division 1 programs, and increasingly correlated for high-profile sports within the same schools. Using Hallett’s ‘inhabited institutions’ framework and research on academic and athletic success factors, we also investigated whether improvements in APR could be attributed to coaches and if these changes impacted team athletic success, while accounting for resource differences between schools. (more…)

U.S. Sports Academy2018-12-19T08:00:55-06:00December 13th, 2018|Research, Sports Management|Comments Off