Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Description
The National Basketball Association is the world's most recognized professional basketball league. Athletes such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James have transcended from being high school standouts to global icons, but their careers might not have panned out the same way if they weren't allowed to declare for the draft immediately upon graduating high school. In 2005, the NBA and the NBA Players Association agreed to implement an age limit for athletes declaring for the NBA Draft. Although this was supposed to reduce the quantity of younger players declaring for the draft, the rule has been ineffective as the average age of lottery picks, also known as the first 14 picks of the draft, has decreased since the rule's implementation. Adam Silver, the current commissioner of the NBA, has been vocal about potentially raising the minimum draft-eligible age once more because of NBA team executives calling recent draft picks unfit for the NBA. The purpose of this research is to examine if lottery picks are indeed "NBA ready" upon being drafted, and if there is a correlation between the age at which they are drafted, the pick at which they were selected, the length of their career, and their career success. Various statistical analysis techniques are utilized, such as the calculation of R-squared values and correlation coefficients, and the usage of t-tests and multiple regressions. Box score statistics such as minutes per game, points per game, rebounds, and assists as well as advanced metrics such as player efficiency rating, win shares, box plus/minus, and value over replacement player were the focal point of this study. Players drafted with lottery selections from the 1985-2016 drafts had their career statistics compiled and examined for this analysis in order to adequately conduct the regressions. The results indicate that although lottery picks are having a decreasing immediate impact upon being drafted, the younger an athlete is drafted, the more long-term success they can expect to achieve in the NBA.
ContributorsKender, Mitchell Edward (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
A look at COVID-19 as a disease and how it affected the United States and Arizona in 2020. An analysis of decisions by surrounding states and health and government officials is used to comprise a return to play plan for Arizona high school athletics.
ContributorsHite, Mackenzie Elizabeth (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
A look at COVID-19 as a disease and how it affected the United States and Arizona in 2020. An analysis of decisions by surrounding states and health and government officials is used to comprise a return to play plan for Arizona high school athletics.
ContributorsHite, Mackenzie Elizabeth (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Lee, Christopher (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / School of Community Resources and Development (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
This thesis aims to properly prepare athletes for the significant life changes that will impact them as they transition from college or amateur athletics to professional sports careers. This thesis also identifies the benefits that reap from early education on expectations of learning what to expect at an earlier point in their amateur career. Certain areas are struck as having increasing importance in the transition: financial preparation, mental health and mental strengthening, public relations practice, nutritional needs, and other lifestyle choices that can help athletes reach their potential. Improving education in these areas, preparing athletes for these changes, and showing examples of what to expect as they transition into professional sports can benefit the athletes, the universities and colleges in which they are educated, the franchises in which they are drafted, and the communities where they reside. This information can be delivered through a handbook while having in-person training that can build upon each session to dive deeper into each given topic while building relationships with the athletes.
ContributorsMurphy, Flynn (Author) / Spies, Lindsey (Co-author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsMurphy, Flynn (Author) / Spies, Lindsey (Co-author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsMurphy, Flynn (Author) / Spies, Lindsey (Co-author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
ContributorsMurphy, Flynn (Author) / Spies, Lindsey (Co-author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
The purpose of this thesis is to outline the importance of setting an inclusive organizational culture within a professional baseball franchise, with a network of teams ranging from Rookie Leagues to Major League Baseball. In addition, the purpose of this research is to assess the current state of culture throughout Major League Baseball organizations to determine the most appropriate approach to culture for an MLB franchise, showing evidence for culture as a competitive advantage. Through qualitative research through the form of interviews (n=8), former players at the MiLB and MLB levels (n=3), player development staff (n=3), and directors of international scouting (n=2) provided insight into professional baseball culture in the United States (U.S.), its successes, and its shortcomings.
ContributorsSher, Jake (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2023-05
Description
Basketball is considered one of the most progressive and innovative sports in the world. As such, the NCAA, NBA, and G League are constantly searching for ways to increase their global reach and increase their viewership. With the telecommunications industry seeing a decrease in overall customers who pay for monthly or yearly cable services, the sports industry is feeling pressure to keep viewers in a culture where “cutting the chord” is becoming a trend. However, the sports industry is one field that continues to drive viewership through their live cable broadcasts each year. All three leagues, which represent the college level, the minor league level, and the professional level, look to differentiate their broadcasts in the marketplace and experiment with different elements to attract new viewers and engage existing viewers. In the past, leagues and networks have experimented with streaming services, camera angles, mic’d up players and coaches, and augmented reality to demonstrate offensive and defensive sets. While both the college level and professional level have had limited issues in developing a loyal broadcast audience and attracting new viewers, the minor league (commonly known as the G League) has faced more challenges to grow. The problems the G League face with building their digital audience include competing seasons with both College Basketball and the NBA, disparaging perceptions that the games and players are not as interesting to watch, limited and expensive cable broadcast availability, and lack of fan affinity. Although these are challenges that the G League faces, the upcoming league has experienced success with year-over-year growth since its birth in 2001. Each year, the G League has increased the number of games broadcasted on traditional cable networks, and as a result, increased viewership. The blossoming league has a lot of potential, especially now that players can enter the G League directly out of high school, so capitalizing on opportunities to not only differentiate itself amongst other minor leagues, but also amongst other basketball leagues will be imperative to increase its fan base.
The purpose of this research is three-fold: to understand how people consume sports broadcasts, what levels of basketball they watch most frequently, and what elements of a sports broadcast they prefer or wish to implement. Aside from understanding consumption behaviors, this research further explores specifically how the G League can increase viewership, whether it’s experimenting with rule changes, implementing new broadcast elements, or creating off-court content that develops interest and affinity for players in the league. What the data and statistical tests concluded was that people who were classified as ‘G League Fans’ are generally fans of all levels of basketball, but that people who were classified as ‘College Basketball Fans’ or ‘NBA Fans’ were not necessarily fans of the G League. Based on this finding, the thesis provides recommendations for how the G League can increase viewership amongst basketball fans, as this will be its most receptive and impressionable group. For those unfamiliar with what the G League is, the thesis also provides a brief history and who the players are that make up the league.
The purpose of this research is three-fold: to understand how people consume sports broadcasts, what levels of basketball they watch most frequently, and what elements of a sports broadcast they prefer or wish to implement. Aside from understanding consumption behaviors, this research further explores specifically how the G League can increase viewership, whether it’s experimenting with rule changes, implementing new broadcast elements, or creating off-court content that develops interest and affinity for players in the league. What the data and statistical tests concluded was that people who were classified as ‘G League Fans’ are generally fans of all levels of basketball, but that people who were classified as ‘College Basketball Fans’ or ‘NBA Fans’ were not necessarily fans of the G League. Based on this finding, the thesis provides recommendations for how the G League can increase viewership amongst basketball fans, as this will be its most receptive and impressionable group. For those unfamiliar with what the G League is, the thesis also provides a brief history and who the players are that make up the league.
ContributorsWhisler, Melanie Joy (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Major League Baseball (MLB) is home to the oldest sports fans out of the top major sports with 50% of their viewers 55 or older (Paul, 2017). To try and reverse this trend, the MLB has been experimenting with advanced technology to create various ticket programs that appeal to younger people; one of them being the Summer Pass. The pass has allowed casual and die-hard fan groups to purchase a monthly/season long subscription to attend as many home games for one flat rate. While current fans praise the concept of the Summer Pass, teams need to find a way to expand their fan base by influencing young, non-sport fans to start showing up to games. It is imperative for teams to expand their fan base by converting non-fans to fans, especially to a younger generation because of the customer lifetime value (CLV) they can bring to the team. According to Qualtrics, CLV is a measurement of how valuable a customer is to your company with an unlimited time span as opposed to just the first purchase (Qualtrics, 2019). Converting non-fans to fans at a younger age will improve the fan base by maintaining a stream of loyal fans. The Arizona Diamondbacks are fortunate enough to play in a city next to one of the largest college’s in the nation. Unfortunately, college students attending Arizona State University aren’t baseball fans. The Student Pass could be a cheap, efficient way to influence college students to attend Diamondbacks games in their free time.
To see what will influence people who aren’t fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks to start attending games, data was collected from students attending Arizona State University and they were categorized into different clusters based on their fan status. These clusters were analyzed based on the different levels of fandom each student identified as. The analysis found that students who aren’t sports fans are disinterested in purchasing the Student Pass to attend Diamondbacks games. Including Student Pass bundles with either a t-shirt, food credit voucher, or collectible/bobblehead will not influence their decision to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games. Implications of this study provide the next possible steps for the Arizona Diamondbacks and other MLB teams to use alternative measures that could potentially influence non-fans to attend games in hopes of them becoming a fan.
With hopes of increasing attendance rates through college students, a survey was created to target students at Arizona State University to determine how aware students are of the D-Backs Student Pass; and to offer a solution of how to increase attendance by penetrating Generation Z. The results from this study are intended to identify the different fan types at Arizona State University. A summary of key findings says:
1. Including ticket bundles as options for the Student Pass will not influence non-sports or Diamondbacks fans to attend games
2. Diehard Devin are willing to spend more on ticket bundles than the other fan groups that attend Diamondbacks games
3. The most popular ticket option is a $2 ticket to a Friday game
To see what will influence people who aren’t fans of the Arizona Diamondbacks to start attending games, data was collected from students attending Arizona State University and they were categorized into different clusters based on their fan status. These clusters were analyzed based on the different levels of fandom each student identified as. The analysis found that students who aren’t sports fans are disinterested in purchasing the Student Pass to attend Diamondbacks games. Including Student Pass bundles with either a t-shirt, food credit voucher, or collectible/bobblehead will not influence their decision to attend Arizona Diamondbacks games. Implications of this study provide the next possible steps for the Arizona Diamondbacks and other MLB teams to use alternative measures that could potentially influence non-fans to attend games in hopes of them becoming a fan.
With hopes of increasing attendance rates through college students, a survey was created to target students at Arizona State University to determine how aware students are of the D-Backs Student Pass; and to offer a solution of how to increase attendance by penetrating Generation Z. The results from this study are intended to identify the different fan types at Arizona State University. A summary of key findings says:
1. Including ticket bundles as options for the Student Pass will not influence non-sports or Diamondbacks fans to attend games
2. Diehard Devin are willing to spend more on ticket bundles than the other fan groups that attend Diamondbacks games
3. The most popular ticket option is a $2 ticket to a Friday game
ContributorsBurton, Amani (Author) / McIntosh, Daniel (Thesis director) / Eaton, John (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor, Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05