Academic, Professional, Technical, Trade, Research Books & Journals
americanpress@flash.net • 617-247-0022 • 75 State Street #100 • Boston, MA 02109
ARCAA Contents & Abstracts Volume 24, 2009
ISBN 978-0-89641-476-1
E-mail americanpress@flash.net to order PDFs of any article.
An Analysis of Minority Managers in Minor League Baseball: The Relationship between Past Playing Position and Future Leadership Positions — Braden Holcolm, Kurt A. Stahura, James Busser — Sport is seen by most Americans as a positive and progressive racial force, an avenue of racial progress, and an arena of racial harmony. During the last few years amateur and professional sports have seen minorities breakdown countless walls in the fight for equality (Stahura & Greenwood, 2001). On the surface tremendous strides appear to have been made but only when we look beneath the surface are we given an accurate picture with respect to leadership roles and occupational employment patterns within the hierarchical structure of baseball. This article attempts to offer some insight relative to minor league baseball and leadership patterns therein. The questions that will drive this investigation are: (1) Will the race of Minor League Baseball coaches be a predictor of their defensive position during their playing career? (2) Will the defensive position of minority coaches during their playing careers be a predictor in their coaching position in Minor League Baseball? The results of this investigation offer a mixed bag with respect to variables including race and previous playing position on managerial positions that are both aligned and refute the investigation this study was based upon. (1-24)
Importance of Selected Educational Factors for Division III Certified Athletic Trainers: A National Study — William F. Stier, Jr. Timothy Henry, Robert C. Schneider — In an attempt to determine the most appropriate informal and formal education (and education factors) for certified athletic trainers at Division III schools, the researchers conducted a national survey of head trainers at NCAA Division III institutions. The respondents rated (1) the level of education, (2) being rated as an EMT, (3) informal educational experiences (attendance at workshops and clinics) and (4) formal educational experiences (various classroom courses) relative to their importance in terms of their effect upon the success or failure of certified athletic trainers at the Division III level. Respondents rated these factors on a Likert-like scale of (1) essential, (2) very important, (3) important, (4) not very important, and (5) irrelevant. (25-50)
Parental Motives and Summer Collegiate Basketball Camps — Robin Hardin, Gi-Yong Koo, Mark Paneratz, Damon P.S. Andrew — This examination of parental motivations for sending their sons to a summer basketball camp revealed an eight-factor model to explain the motivations. Enjoyment and coach emerged as the two most important factors in the model. Other important factors were skill improvement and affiliation. It is important for camp organizers to understand that parents send their sons to camp for various reasons. Skill improvement is generally the primary focus of camps but participants also want to have fun. So, both factors must be considered when planning camp activities. The coach is vitally important to the success of the camp so he should be as visible as possible in terms of camp promotional materials and activities. No differences were present in the factors in terms of demographic variables and university affiliation variables. Respondents actually had low university affiliation as limited numbers of them were university alumni or basketball season-ticket holders. Athletic department personnel should take advantage of this by marketing season tickets to the respondents. More efforts should also be made to encourage university alumni and employees to participate in the camp. It is important to have an understanding of parental enrollment motives for the continued success and growth of these camps. (51-84)
A Conceptual Model for Student Athlete’s Choice of Institution Based on Recruiting Tactics Utilized by Division I Men’s Basketball Coaches — Chad Seifried — This manuscript offers a conceptual model on the student-athlete decision-making process when selecting an institution to attend through examining the recruiting strategies practiced by coaches at the Division I level. The Brand Elimination Process (BEP) developed by Naryana and Markin in 1975 serves as the foundation for this model. Additional research from higher education, marketing science, economic psychology, and behavioral economics also assists this effort. This investigation used a purposive sample from 30 Division I men’s basketball programs, which collected recruiting philosophies, strategic plans, and various types of paperwork associated with recruiting to design/expand the BEP model. The primary investigator analyzed the various pieces of recruiting information through a content analysis. (85-124)
Opening the Door to the Interscholastic AD’s Office: Do Coaches Know What It Takes — Warren A. Whisenant — Numerous authors have explored the organizational structure within interscholastic athletics, highlighting the institutional dominance of men in high school athletics (Lovett & Lowry, 1994; Miller, Whisenant, & Pedersen, 2006; Mullane & Whisenant, 2007; Whisenant, 2005). Missing in the literature thus far was an identification of the perceptions held by coaches regarding the credentials needed to become an interscholastic athletic director. Coaches (N=385) of both girls’ sports (n=201) and boys’ sports (n=184) were asked the importance of 11 qualifications often found in AD job announcements. Perceptions differed significantly (p<.05) for some qualifications based upon the gender of the coach as well as between coaches of boys’ teams and coaches of girls’ teams. Differences existed among coaches based upon the gender of their athletic director however the differences were not significant. (125-139)
Preferred Coaching Qualities in NCAA Division I College Athletes: A Qualitative Analysis of Basketball Players from the Millennial Generation — E.C. Hoffman, D.C. Czech, J. Metzler, T. Burdette, D. Zuwald, J. Blazo, R.A. Zakrajsek — The millennial generation, otherwise known as the Echo Boomers, is a generation with characteristics that few previous generations have possessed. In the world of sport, this generation is currently dominating the ranks of collegiate athletics. Moreover, the coaching ranks are just beginning to experience the characteristics of this exceptional group of people. Thus, the purpose of the study was to examine the preferred coaching styles of athletes from the millennial generation at the NCAA Division I level from a semi-structured qualitative perspective. After analyzing the data, five themes emerged: (1) clear communication; (2) multiple roles; (3) mindfulness of the entire team’s interests; (4) maximize production; and (5) caring, forgiving, helpful and understanding. Coaches may be able to utilize this research while adjusting their techniques to match the inclinations of athletes from this generation. (140-178)
Coaches’ Winning Psychological Strategies for Champions (Reprinted with permission for AJESS) — Jim Wang and Bernie Goldfine — An athlete’s performance often reflects a coach’s competence. If a coach is unable to mentally prepare athletes for competition, the athletes may not achieve peak performance due to psychological barriers such as competitive anxiety. Coaches’ power and their coaching behaviors have a profound impact on athletes’ psychological well-being. Thus, the focal points of this paper are to examine the following four issues: (1) coaches’ psychological pressures before or during competition, (2) coaches’ common misbehaviors, (3) athletes’ anxiety processes responding to coaches’ negative behaviors, and (4) the successful model of the Olympic coaches’ psychological strategies trained by the author for the preparations of the Olympic gold and silver medalists in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. 179-199)
Impact of Learning Specialists on NCAA Academic Progress Rates: A Front Glance — Robert H. Campbell, Damon P.S. Andrew — A growing trend among major collegiate athletic departments is to employ at least one Learning Specialist in addition to numerous academic counselors. The Learning Specialist typically possesses a background in learning disabilities, teaching methods, and overall counseling experience outside of regular athletic advising. Because Learning Specialists command higher salaries, athletic departments must determine whether the additional expense incurred is justifiable. Published Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores for NCAA DI-A institutions were collected and a One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was calculated to determine whether APR scores differed between institutions employing a Learning Specialist compared to those that did not. The results of the One-Way Analysis of Variance [F(1,118) = .237; p = .628] revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The finding is discussed, practical recommendations are given, and future research suggestions are forwarded. (200-2150
Improving Response Rates in Web Surveys: A 2x2 Experiment — Timothy D. Ryan, Aaron W. Clopton — Web-based surveys continue to be a tool for researchers. Unfortunately, web-based surveys still face generalizability concerns due to lower response rates. In an effort to examine various factors that affect response rate, this study used a 2 x 2 experiment to measure response rates of collegiate coaches who were contacted to participate in a web-based survey. Results suggest that amount of time between contacts did not significantly affect the response rate of participants. However, groups who were given permission to withdraw in the first contact had a significantly lower response rate than those who did not receive such notice in their first contact. Additionally, suggestions for researchers implementing web-based survey methodology are discussed. (216-230)
The Freshmen Learning Community (FLC) in Sport Management: Does It Have an Impact? — Shane Hudson, Michael Sagas, Adrien Bouchet — Within the higher education community student retention has become an increasing concern. Past research has found that student peer groups have a positive effect on long term performance and student retention (Tinto, 1987, Potts & Schultz, 2008). The purpose of this study was to assess the success of the Freshman Learning Community (FLC) with regards to the level of student engagement in comparison with the non-Freshman Learning Community students. More specifically, the study examines the Sport Management Program at Texas A&M University. The program is designed to increase retention while allowing students to make the transition to college life. The findings from this study indicate that students in the FLC are more engaged with their peers, professors, and communities. This subject has the potential for further study so schools can better equip themselves to handle the issue of student retention. (231-238)
COACHES' CORNER
How Coaches Can Avoid Catastrophe: Confronting Concussion Head-On — Caroline Faure, Gerard G. Lyons. No Abstract. (239-260)
Game Fixing: A Preliminary Review of Sports Officiating — Suzanne Dodd-Weissenburge — Professional and amateur sports organizations have been faced with a public relations dilemma due to the disclosure that a NBA referee provided inside information and gambled on games, including games in which he worked. This paper reviews the recorded incidents of game-fixing behavior by referees in professional and international amateur sport. The notion that a league must have integrity, including integrity within its officiating crews, is discussed. Strategies to prevent unethical referee behavior at different levels of competition will be offered. (261-275)
BOOK REVIEWS
Sport Psychology for Coaches, Reviewed by Spencer Stanton (276-277)
