Commentary – Page 2 – The Sport Journal

Conceptualizing Sport Volunteer Tourism: Setting a Direction for Future Research

Authors: George Karlis, Aida Stratas, Wahid Hamidi, and Ioanna Maria Kantartzi

Corresponding Author:
George Karlis, Ph.D.
25 University Street
Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5
gkarlis@uottawa.ca
613-562-5800 ext. 2452

George Karlis is a Full Professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, Canada. His area of research focuses primarily on leisure and society.

Aida Stratas is a Ph.D. candidate and part-time professor in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa. Her area of research focuses on leisure and aging.

Wahid Hamidi is a Ph.D. student in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, Canada. His area of research focuses on initiating and maintaining physical activity and exercise behavior, and injury prevention and concussion management in the academic and athletic settings for varsity student-athletes. He is a recipient of the University of Ottawa Admission Scholarship.

Ioanna Maria Kantartzi is a Ph.D. student in the School of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Her area of research focuses on leadership in recreation and sport settings. She is a recipient of the University of Ottawa Stavros Niarchos Scholarship.

Conceptualizing Sport Volunteer Tourism: Setting a Direction for Future Research

ABSTRACT

Research shows that increased interest and participation in sport within the leisure and recreation industry has fueled the desire of people to travel and volunteer in sporting events (22, 11). Since the 1980s, the reliance of mega sport and other sporting events on sport volunteer tourism has continued to grow, yet little research exists conceptualizing sport volunteer tourism. This paper provides an overview of the conceptualization of sport volunteer tourism as it appears in existing literature and identifies directions for future research that may be helpful for the evolution and refinement of the industry. The paper includes the following five recommendations for future research: (1) identify the attributes of conceptualizing sport volunteer tourism, (2) discern the attributes of sport volunteer tourists, (3) recognize the distinct types of sport volunteer tourism, (4) determine the distinct types of sport volunteer tourists, and (5) distinguish “sport volunteer tourism” from “sport tourism” and “volunteer tourism.”

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-07-06T10:24:37-05:00June 5th, 2020|Commentary, Sports Studies and Sports Psychology|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

Health and Lifestyle Behaviors of U.S. Masters World Cup Field Hockey Players

Authors: Karen Croteau¹, Nina Eduljee¹, Laurie Murphy¹, Lisa Ahearn², Stella L. Volpe³

¹Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, ²Plymouth State University, ³Drexel University

Corresponding Author:
Karen Croteau
Department of Sport and Exercise Science
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
Standish, ME 04084
kcroteau@sjcme.edu

Karen Croteau is Professor and Chair of the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Nina Eduljee is Professor of Psychology at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Laurie Murphy is Assistant Professor of Business at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Lisa Ahearn is Assistant Professor of Business at Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH.

Stella Volpe is Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences at Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA.

Health and Lifestyle Behaviors of U.S. Masters World Cup Field Hockey Players

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine health and lifestyle behaviors of United States Masters field hockey athletes who competed in the Masters Field Hockey World Cup in 2018. A total of 122 athletes (72 women, 50 men) completed the 42-item Health and Well-being of Masters Field Hockey Athletes Survey. Mean age was 50.1±8.3 years (range = 35 to 71). Mean body mass index (BMI) was 24.9±3.1 kg/m². Participants rated their health as very good/excellent (86.9%) and their stress as rare/not at all (56.6%), had no major health conditions (61.5%) or medication use (70.5%), and had at least one injury (53.3%). Participants consumed ≥2 fruits (68.9%) and ≥2 vegetables (83.6%) per day, daily breakfast (68.0%), ≤1 sugar-sweetened beverage (86.9%) and ≥7 cups of water (54.1%) per day, and ≤2 alcoholic beverages per week (59.8%). Participants reported ≥7 hours of sleep per night (65.5%), and no/little restless sleep (52.4%). Just under half of participants reported sitting ≥5 hours per day (46.7%). Exercise frequency at ≥3 days per week and ≥30 minutes per day was 95.9% and 98.4%, respectively, with jogging (68.0%) the most common mode. Well-being scores were high. Overall, Masters field hockey athletes are healthy and practice lifestyle behaviors conducive to positive health.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T13:44:48-05:00December 6th, 2019|Commentary, Sports Health & Fitness|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

Examination of Athletic Best Performance Trends in Track and Field Over One Hundred Years’ History

Authors: Ran Wei and Yuanlong Liu

Corresponding author:
Ran Wei, MA
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI, USA 49008-5426
Campus Site: Room 4024-4 Student Recreation Center
Phone: (269) 267-2493
Fax: (269) 387-2704
Email: ran.wei@wmich.edu

Ran Wei is a doctoral student in the PhD-EHD program of College of Education and Human Development. Her emphasis area is Sport Management in the department of Human Performance and Health Education. Dr. Yuanlong Liu is a professor and chair of the department of Human Performance and Health Education. His specialty is evaluation and measurement in Kinesiology. He serves as editor and associate editor among multiple journals.

Examination of Athletic Best Performance Trends in Track and Field Over One Hundred Years’ History

ABSTRACT

It is always interesting to predict future performance and explore human limits. In this study, 24 events (running, jumping, and throwing) were studied from men’s and women’s track and field events. The best yearly performance data and world record data since 1900 to 2018 were collected. All the events were analyzed by applying longitudinal analysis with scatterplots. The findings revealed that it is encouraging to expect the new world record in men’s shorter running events and women’s longer running events. However, the waiting time for the new world records in men’s longer running events, women’s shorter running events, and both their field events will be much longer as going into the 21^st century. For the overall track and field events, both men’s and women’s athletic performance may have reached the asymptotic level. Women’s athletic performances will not surpass men’s performances in track and field in the near future. To explore track and field performance trends and predict future world records, research of new methods and new prediction models are needed when the asymptotic level has been reached.

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U.S. Sports Academy2020-06-02T13:45:56-05:00September 5th, 2019|Commentary, Sports History|Comments Off