Small Grant Projects
2020-2021
Carter Floyd, Doctoral Student, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
Susmit Gulavani, Doctoral Student, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
James Du, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sport Marketing, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
Jason Pappas, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, College of Education, Department of Sport Management, Florida State University
A Tale of Two Cities: COVID-19 and the Emotional Well-Being of Student-Athletes Using Natural Language Processing
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
Using data collected from players from four major ACC sports, we analyzed the user-generated content posted on the Twitter accounts of student-athletes to study changes in their sentiment as it relates to the COVID-19 crisis, major societal events, and policy decisions. The most commonly expressed emotions by these athletes were joy, trust, anticipation, and fear, suggesting that student-athletes used social media as an outlet to share primarily optimistic sentiments, while still publicly expressing strong negative sentiments like fear and trepidation about the pandemic and other important contemporary events.
Perceptions of ACC Sport Psychologists and Athletics Trainers on Mental Health Strageties for Student-Athletes
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
The NCAA, along with the ACC, has recognized the growing concerns of mental health among student-athletes. Despite the increased mental health awareness, there is a concern that institutional resources devoted to supporting the clinical and psychological needs of student-athletes are lacking. This was further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study conducted focus groups with 20 sport psychologists and athletic trainers across ACC schools to provide some context of current issues facing student-athletes, understanding of mental health resources, and insight into current and future mental health programs and initiatives.
Chris Boyer, MS – Ph.D. Student and Assistant Vice Chancellor, Strategic Brand Management, NC State University.
Virginia Blake - Undergraduate Student and Women’s Basketball Team Manager, NC State University.
Jason N. Bocarro, Ph.D. - Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Mgt, NC State University
Jonathan M. Casper, Ph.D. - Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Mgt, NC State University
Kimberly Bush, Ph.D. - Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Mgt, NC State University
Michael B. Edwards, Ph.D. - Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism Mgt, NC State University
Joel Pawlak, Ph.D. - Department of Forest Biomaterials and NC State Faculty Athletic Representative
Danielle Smith, M.S. Teaching Assistant Professor - Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michelle Joshua, Ph.D. - Sports Psychologist, NC State University
Jeremy Losak, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Sport Management, Syracuse University
Samuel Marteka, Undergraduate 4th Year Sport Analytics Major, Syracuse University
Mackenzie Mangos, Undergraduate 2nd Year Sport Analytics Major, Syracuse University
The Impact of College Conference TV Networks and Television Proliferation on College Football Attendance
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
Two key trends have materialized in college football over the past two decades: massive growth in live-game coverage and content and declining in-stadium attendance. This project aims to identify if there is a causal relationship between these trends—are declines in attendance caused by increased access to college sporting events on television? Does television act as a substitute or complement to in-person attendance?
Dietary Intake and Diet Quality Across a Competitive Season in Female and Male Cross Country Student-Athletes
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
Cross country student-athletes have increased dietary needs due to the high training demands of the sport. Across a competitive season, 63% of females and 37% of males from a single ACC cross country team did not consume enough calories to meet training needs, likely due to carbohydrate intakes below sport-specific recommendations. Furthermore, diet quality assessed by the Healthy Eating Index was below U.S. Government guidelines but provides insight on food groups to target to improve adherence to U.S. Government and sport-specific recommendations.
David E. Barney, MS, Nutrition Sciences PhD Candidate, Department of Nutrition, Food, & Exercise Sciences, Florida State University
Stephen R. Hennigar, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition, Food, & Exercise Sciences, Florida State University
ACC Athletes' Perceptions of Coach & Administrative Support in the Fight for Racial & Social Justice
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
This study surveyed Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) athletes’ perceptions of coach and administrative support during their calls for social and racial justice reform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. In their advocacy/activism efforts, athletes mostly attended protests and marches, posted on social media, and had conversations with teammates and coaches about racism and racial injustices. Overall, most athletes surveyed noted that administrators and coaches supported their efforts by encouraging them to engage in advocacy/activism, providing educational resources, creating a respectful program or team environment, and offering verbal encouragement.
Molly Harry, M.A., Doctoral Candidate, Curry School of Education, University of Virginia
John Lalor, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, and Operations, The University of Notre Dame
Scott Nestler, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, The University of Notre Dame
Martin Barron, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, The University of Notre Dame
Seth Berry, Ph.D., Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of IT, Analytics, & Operations, The University of Notre Dame
Development and Validation of a Multidimensional Mental Health Screening Instrument
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
As the ACC has committed to student-athlete health and safety, particularly around mental health, consistent screening is an important step in a conference-wide approach to student-athlete mental health. We proposed a multidimensional mental health screener that will cover multiple mental health issues so that athletic departments can identify student-athletes needing mental health assistance across several dimensions. Here we report preliminary results on item collection, subject recruitment, and initial analyses on data collected from ACC student-athletes during the summer and fall of 2021.
Kyle Bunds, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, North Carolina State University
Elizabeth Taylor, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management, Temple University
Matt Huml, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati, Sport Management, University of Cincinnati
Julie Wayne, Professor, School of Business, Wake Forest University
Examining the Impact of Family and Organizational Culture on the Work-Nonwork Relationship of Intercollegiate Athletic Department Employees
Whitepaper & Embedded Video Presentation
Previous research on work-life balance in college athletics has examined the experiences of coaches, athletic administrators, and support staff, finding high levels of work-life conflict, burnout, and work addiction. However, limited research has looked at (a) the impact of organizational culture on levels of work-life balance and (b) examined the impact on the employee’s family. A mixed-method approach was utilized to capture data from athletic department employees and their partners. In the interviews, employees and their spouses expressed frustration and identified they often missed important events based on the cultural expectations within college athletics.