College Athletes Research Articles

The effects of sex hormones during the menstrual cycle on knee kinematics.

The effects of the menstrual cycle and sex hormones on knee kinematics remain unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of the menstrual cycle and serum sex hormone concentrations on knee kinematic parameters of the 90°cutting in female college soccer athletes. Three female college soccer teams (53 subjects) participated in the study. During the first menstrual cycle, a three-step method was used to exclude subjects with anovulatory and luteal phase-deficient (LPD) (12 subjects). The subjects' menstrual cycle was divided into the menstrual phase, late-follicular phase, ovulatory phase, and mid-luteal phase (group 1, 2, 3, 4). In each phase of the second menstrual cycle, we used a portable motion analysis system to enter the teams and tested the sex hormones concentrations and knee kinematics parameters in three universities in turn. We found that subjects had a lower maximum knee valgus in group 4 compared with other groups. This meant that subjects had a lower biomechanical risk of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the mid-luteal phase. There was no significant correlation between serum estrogen, progesterone concentration, and knee kinematic parameters. This meant that sex hormones did not have a protective effect. Future studies need to incorporate more factors (such as neuromuscular control, etc.) to investigate.

Characterization of Leukocyte- and Platelet-Rich Plasma Derived from Female Collage Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study Focusing on Growth Factor, Inflammatory Cytokines, and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Levels.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been increasingly used in sports medicine owing to its various advantages. The purpose of our project was to standardize the parameters before performing large-scale clinical trials in the near future to precisely evaluate individual PRP quality. To examine the effects of regular exercise on PRP quality, this study focused on young female athletes, who have been relatively less studied. Blood samples were obtained from female college athletes (n = 35) and ordinary healthy adults (n = 30), which were considered as controls, and leukocyte-rich PRP (L-PRP) was prepared manually. Body composition indices were determined using a bathroom weight scale equipped with an impedance meter. Growth factors and cytokines were quantified using ELISA kits. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) and Transforming-growth factors β1 (TGFβ1) levels (per platelet) in L-PRP were significantly lower in female athletes than in controls. In contrast, Interleukin-1β and Interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) levels (per platelet and L-PRP) in L-PRP were significantly higher in athletes, and this difference was more prominent in IL-1RA. These findings suggest that L-PRP from athletes may facilitate the inflammatory phase of the healing process by regulating the pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory balance. These chemical compositions can be adopted as "must-check" parameters to characterize individual PRP preparations prior to clinical trials.

Social Media Scholarship in Sport Studies and College Athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness Opportunities

The passage of name, image, and likeness (NIL) laws in individual states within the United States has provided intercollegiate athletes opportunities to potentially profit from their personal NIL in a free marketplace. Concurrently, the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) also allowed college athletes to utilize their NIL rights. Thus far, most college athletes’ NIL deals for payments are for posts on the athletes’ own social media channels for products, including their own self-promotion in relation to brands, or promotion of brands such as fast food and auto dealerships. Notably, published scholarly work on NIL itself is sparse since it was not until 2021 that the NCAA enacted NIL rules for college athletes. Published scholarship on NIL and social media is even rarer. Therefore, this commentary provides recommendations for potential future scholarship related to NIL and social media, focusing on three potential frameworks: (a) agenda setting, (b) relationship marketing, and (c) personal branding.

The New Wave of Influencers: Examining College Athlete Identities and the Role of Homophily and Parasocial Relationships in Leveraging Name, Image, and Likeness

This article brings together scholarship on communication theory, influencer marketing, and personal branding to examine a new type of social media influencer—the college athlete influencer. Previous research in the field of sports has not specifically explored the distinct characteristics of college athletes that contribute to their effectiveness as marketing influencers. By adopting a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the source of college athletes’ influence via social media. Quantitative results indicate that projecting an athletic identity on social media enhances the influencer’s credibility and increases the likelihood of consumers purchasing the products they endorse. Furthermore, qualitative findings indicated that the shared school identity acts as the ultimate impetus for the bond between the influencer and the consumer, which subsequently impacts the consumer’s purchasing decisions. This study provides actionable implications for schools, colleges, and brands seeking to build compelling sponsorships in the name, image, and likeness era.

Self-Presentation and Black Male College Athletes at Historically White Institutions

Black male college athletes (BMCAs) are in a unique position within the contexts of historically white institutions and Division I college athletics. Recently, BMCAs have increasingly presented themselves in ways that highlight specific social identities or even in opposition to the college athletic system and higher education environment. However, little has changed as power and privilege remain central forces in white-dominated settings. This constructivist grounded theory study examines how historically white institution and Division I athletic environments influence self-presentation of BMCAs through a Black critical theory lens. The experiences of 16 BMCAs illuminated how self-presentation was influenced by academic and athletic settings, Division I subdivision characteristics, and sport-specific contexts. I conclude with recommendations and directions for future research.

A Method For Estimating Fat And Fat-free Mass Index From Anthropometric Z-score In College Athletes

A Method For Estimating Fat And Fat-free Mass Index From Anthropometric Z-score In College Athletes

Long-term Benefits And Challenges Of College Athletics: The Lived Experience Of Midlife Former College Athletes

Long-term Benefits And Challenges Of College Athletics: The Lived Experience Of Midlife Former College Athletes

The Effects of Project-Based Learning on Exercise Prescription Learning Performance in College Athletic Students

The Effects of Project-Based Learning on Exercise Prescription Learning Performance in College Athletic Students

A comparative study of emotional intelligence among the college athletes and non-athletes

A comparative study of emotional intelligence among the college athletes and non-athletes

Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality, And Mental Health In College Athletes

Sleep Duration, Sleep Quality, And Mental Health In College Athletes

Stress, Sport Anxiety, Neuroticism, and Coping in Student-Athletes: Implications for Patient Mental Health.

Patients' mental health has been recognized as important in providing patient-centered care in athletic training. To evaluate stress, sport anxiety, neuroticism, and coping in student-athletes. Cross-sectional study. University athletics. The sample comprised 86 student-athletes competing in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. The Perceived Stress Scale, Sport Anxiety Scale-2, neuroticism scale of the Big Five Inventory, and Brief COPE were used to measure stress, sport anxiety, neuroticism, and coping, respectively. Sport anxiety was positively related to stress (r = 0.446, P < .001) and neuroticism (r = 0.311, P < .01) and not related to emotion-focused coping (r = 0.270, P = .804). Neuroticism was a negative predictor of emotion-focused coping (b = -0.373, P < .001), and sport anxiety and stress were predictors of dysfunctional coping (b = 0.120, P < .05; b = 0.037, P < .05). Stress, sport anxiety, and neuroticism were not predictors of problem-focused coping. Support was evident for the relationship among stress, sport anxiety, neuroticism, and coping in NCAA Division III student-athletes. Such results warrant future exploration to inform behavioral interventions targeting student-athlete psychosocial factors to promote improved performance, reduce injury risk factors (eg, stress, personality, coping), and enhance student-athlete mental health and well-being.

Concussion And Sleep Differences Among Female College Athletes And Non-athletes

Concussion And Sleep Differences Among Female College Athletes And Non-athletes

Poster Session: Retinal Changes Associated with Football-Related Concussions and Head Impacts.

This pilot study explored the sensitivity of retinal markers to CNS sequelae of concussive and subconcussive head hits. Three groups of college athletes were assessed at pre-season, post-season and 4-months later: Football players with a concussion history (FB+C) (n = 9), players without a concussion history (FB-C) (n = 11), and non-contact athletes (swimmers, track & field; Non-FB) (n = 12). Measures included optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, electroretinography, and visual acuity testing. Head impacts during the season were tracked with in-helmet accelerometers. At pre-season, FB+C demonstrated thicker macular central subfields (CSF) (Hedge's g (effect size) = 1.05, p = 0.02) and retinal nerve fiber layers (RNFL) (g = 0.81, p = 0.08), relative to other athletes. Differences in CSF thickness were also observed at post-season and follow-up (gs > 1.00, ps < 0.04), reflecting their non-short-term nature. RNFL was thicker in FB+C at post-season (g = 0.93, p = 0.06) but not later. Total head impacts during the season correlated with increases in CSF thickness from baseline to follow-up only (r = -0.53, p = 0.02). High intensity head impacts in particular correlated with increases in cup-to-disc ratio at post-season and follow-up (rs > 0.53, ps < 0.03). These data suggest that concussion history is associated with retinal changes that are not short-term, and that severe head impacts are associated with acute changes whose duration is not yet known.

Exploring the Athletic Identity, Anxiety, and Mental Health of Division II Collegiate Athletes in the COVID-19 Era

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious implications on the health and well-being of student-athletes. The present study explored the athletic experiences of NCAA Division II college athletes during the competitive hiatus caused by the pandemic, as well as in their return to sport participation. Twenty male and female student-athletes from a variety of sports (freshman = 2, sophomores = 4, seniors = 9, and graduate = 5) participated in semistructured interviews to explore how the pandemic affected their athletic identity, anxiety, and mental health. Through the use of thematic content analysis, the following major themes were identified: (a) influence of COVID on athletic identity, (b) increased anxiety during COVID, (c) social aspects of sport participation, and (d) factors that influence mental health. Findings indicated a combination of positive and negative effects on the athletic identity, anxiety, and mental health and well-being of student-athletes.

Detecting Low Fat-free Mass Index From Anthropometric Z-scores In Female College Athletes

Detecting Low Fat-free Mass Index From Anthropometric Z-scores In Female College Athletes

Barriers to and Facilitators of Collegiate Athletes Seeking Mental Health Services.

Approximately 1 in 5 student-athletes experience some type of mental health concern. However, fewer than half of student-athletes who report mental health concerns seek mental health treatment (ie, psychotherapy or medication). Data concerning barriers to student-athletes seeking mental health care are limited but suggest that stigma is the primary reason. Further, whether having shared identities with their sport psychologists (eg, race and gender) encourages student-athletes to seek help has been minimally explored. To determine the frequency of internal and external barriers to athletes seeking mental health care and examine the importance of athletes and sport psychologists sharing identities as a facilitator of seeking help. Cross-sectional study. Collegiate athletics. A total of 266 student-athletes (53.8% women, 42.5% White) from a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I university. Student-athletes responded to 9 binary (yes or no) prompts related to internal barriers (eg, beliefs and attitudes about mental health) and 7 reflecting external barriers (ie, different stakeholders, such as the head coach). Regarding facilitators of mental health help-seeking, student-athletes rated how important it was for them to share each of 10 identities with their sport psychologist from 1 (not at all important) to 5 (extremely important). All identified barriers and facilitators were derived from existing research. Differences were found in athletes' ratings of internal and external barriers. For example, a belief in one's own reliance and not having enough time were significant barriers, as was their head coach having a negative attitude about the importance of mental health. Female student-athletes rated sharing a gender identity with their sport psychologist as more important than did male student-athletes. Despite efforts by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, persisting barriers within collegiate sports may keep athletes from seeking help.

Charting a New Path: Regulating College Athlete Name, Image and Likeness After NCAA v. Alston Through Collective Bargaining

This study examines the remaining options for sport managers to balance the interests of college athletes and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in regulating college athlete name, image, and likeness (NIL). The paper is divided into six substantive sections. The first section, “Background: The NCAA’s Defense of NIL Restrictions,” provides a brief history of the NCAA’s legal defense to challenges against its NIL regulations. The second section, “U.S. Congress Is Unlikely to Regulate College Athletes’ NIL Rights,” addresses proposed federal legislation and Congress’ willingness to regulate the use of NIL by college athletes. The third section, “The Impact of O’Bannon and Alston on NCAA’s NIL Restraints,” examines controlling case law, specifically O’Bannon v. NCAA and NCAA v. Alston, and how current antitrust law precedent shapes the scope by which the NCAA can regulate college athletes’ NIL. The fourth section, “State Laws Regulating the NIL Marketplace,” addresses state legislation regulating college athlete NIL use. The fifth section, “The Applicability of Labor Law to Regulating College Athletes’ NIL,” discusses the current college athlete NIL marketplace and analyzes whether labor law presents an optimal way forward for the NCAA to regulate NIL post-Alston. The sixth section, “College Athletes’ Employee Status as a Pathway to Redefine the NCAA’s Amateurism,” concludes by examining the law’s role in regulating NIL and discussing stakeholder implications.

The Effects of Taekwondo Breaking Athletes’ Judgment Recognition on the Game Stress

Purpose: In this study, it is intended to examine how the athlete's perception of referee's judgment affects game stress from the point of view of Taekwondo breaking athletes.&#x0D; Method: The participants in this study were 421 students who were enrolled in a university that had a Taekwondo demonstration team. As for the data collected in the questionnaire in this study, SPSS 27.0 was used to conduct descriptive statistics and frequency analysis to confirm the demographic characteristics of the research participants, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to verify the validity of the survey tool.&#x0D; Results: The correlation coefficients between multiple factors were found to be statistically significant, but the correlation coefficients for some factors were not statistically significant. As a result of verifying the reliability of the factors, fairness .934, promptness .905, consistency .917, reliability .919, game stress .901, referee stress .870, which exceed .70, the criteria suggested by Nunnally and Bernstein(1994), and hence, the reliability of the extracted factor may be seen as suitable.&#x0D; Conclusion: First, the correlation coefficient turned out to be statistically significant, but not statistically significant in the game stress factor. Second, as a result of regression analysis on the effect of university Taekwondo breaking athletes' referee decision recognition on game stress, it turned out that there was no statistically significant effect on fairness, promptness, consistency, and reliability. Third, as a result of regression analysis on the effect of referee judgment perception of university Taekwondo breaking athletes on referee stress, it turned out that there was no statistically significant effect on all factors of fairness, promptness, consistency, and reliability.

태권도 겨루기 선수들의 경기력 수준에 따른 심판판정 인식 차이

The purpose of this study is to confirm the difference in perception of referee judgment according to the level of performance of taekwondo athletes. For this study, 300 university and amateur taekwondo athletes were selected as study subjects. Survey tool consisted of a total of 16 questions divided into three factors, fairness, promptness, and reliability, to confirm the perception of taekwondo referees. As for the data processing method, the Rasch model, which is an item response theory, was applied to verify the level of difficulty and difference in level of difficulty by factor. The Winsteps 3.65.0 program was used to calculate the difficulty. In addition, reliability index and separability index were calculated to confirm the reliability of the items. All statistical significance levels were set at .05, and the results are as follows. First, it was found that there was no statistical difference in recognizing the fairness of referee judgment according to the level of players' performance. Second, it was found that there was a difference in the question of 'the referee's judgment is generally made quickly' in the recognition of the promptness of the referee's judgment according to the level of the athletes’ performance.

Factors associated with persistent pain in college athletes with a history of lateral ankle sprain

ObjectivesTo determine the factors associated with and prevalence of persistent pain in college athletes with chronic ankle instability (CAI) and with previous lateral ankle sprain (LAS) without CAI. DesignCross-Sectional Study. SettingOnline survey at one university. ParticipantsOf the 385 respondents surveyed online, 140 were identified as having experienced at least one LAS (CAI group: 69, coper group: 24, LAS group not classified as either: 47). Main outcome measuresFactors associated with the presence of pain during activities of daily living (ADL) and sports were identified using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Independent variables were demographics, injury characteristics, the Identification of Functional Ankle Instability (IdFAI) score, the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure Sports (FAAM-Sports) and ADL subscales, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia-11 score. ResultsThe prevalence of pain during ADL and sports in the three groups was 16.7%–42.0% and 33.3%–56.5%, respectively. FAAM-Sports and IdFAI score were significantly associated with pain during ADL and sports in the CAI group (odd ratio: 0.923 and 1.145), respectively. No significant pain-related factors were found in the coper and LAS groups. ConclusionsLower self-reported function and greater perceived ankle instability may be important factors in pain management in athletes with CAI.