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DescriptionPanic at the Elbow: High School Baseball's Tommy John Surgery Epidemic reflects on the history of Tommy John surgery, examines the scale of the current epidemic, explores its underlying causes and ultimately recommends steps that parents and players can take to avoid such overuse injuries. Link to documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31xvOCN_tqk
Created2016-05
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My thesis project is a 26 minute 46 second film that documents the Arizona State hockey team's first season as an NCAA Division I program. ASU hockey was formerly a club team that competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), but that all changed in the fall of 2014

My thesis project is a 26 minute 46 second film that documents the Arizona State hockey team's first season as an NCAA Division I program. ASU hockey was formerly a club team that competed in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA), but that all changed in the fall of 2014 after the program received a donation. The documentary explores the significance of the team, the emotion of the players and staff, and the results of the season.
ContributorsCasillas, Mauricio (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Reed, Sada (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
Each year, a select few minor league baseball players are chosen to attend the Arizona Fall League, a development league within Major League Baseball that hones the next generation of players, coaches, managers, and even umpires. These players make up the top talent currently in the minor leagues from each

Each year, a select few minor league baseball players are chosen to attend the Arizona Fall League, a development league within Major League Baseball that hones the next generation of players, coaches, managers, and even umpires. These players make up the top talent currently in the minor leagues from each of Major League Baseball's 30 organizations. Of the thousands in the minors, just seven players from each organization can go to this extra six-week season, and learn to play alongside the best future talent the sport has to offer. On Deck: Inside the Arizona Fall League is a short documentary that looks at some of these players, as they continue their baseball journey that they hope leads them one day to the Majors. The documentary can be viewed online at https://youtu.be/jkggYiDtn14 or nicolesheraefox.com
ContributorsFox, Nicole Sherae (Author) / Lodato, Mark (Thesis director) / Kurland, Brett (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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https://mendotadrought.wordpress.com/

Beginning in 2011, California’s most recent drought has brought four years of some of the warmest and driest seasons on record. Mendota, California in the San Joaquin Valley is a microcosm of the struggles many agriculture communities face when water resources are scarce. Known as the “cantaloupe capital of the

https://mendotadrought.wordpress.com/

Beginning in 2011, California’s most recent drought has brought four years of some of the warmest and driest seasons on record. Mendota, California in the San Joaquin Valley is a microcosm of the struggles many agriculture communities face when water resources are scarce. Known as the “cantaloupe capital of the world,” agriculture represents over half of Mendota’s economy, making unemployment one of the many challenges they face. However, community members are working to move forward and preserve the place they call home.

Medota has a population of about eleven thousand people with over 96 percent of them being Hispanic. The stories of elected officials, field workers, farmers, police, school leaders and local business owners give testament to a mounting fear for future water allocation. But their voices also give way to a shared belief—the community’s resilience will persevere through California’s drought. Mendota is presented through a multi-media piece that uses photos, videos and descriptive articles to showcase both their hardship and hope.
ContributorsLang, Erica Lynn (Author) / Rodriguez, Rick (Thesis director) / Fergus, Tom (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Transborder Studies (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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While former New York Yankees pitcher Goose Gossage unleashed his tirade on the deterioration of the unwritten rules of baseball and nerds ruining the sport about halfway through my writing of the paper, sentiments like his were inspiration for my topic: the evolution of statistics and data in baseball. By

While former New York Yankees pitcher Goose Gossage unleashed his tirade on the deterioration of the unwritten rules of baseball and nerds ruining the sport about halfway through my writing of the paper, sentiments like his were inspiration for my topic: the evolution of statistics and data in baseball. By telling the story of how baseball data and statistics have evolved, my goal was to also demonstrate how they have been intertwined since the beginning—which would essentially mean that nerds have always been ruining the sport (if you subscribe to that kind of thought).

In the quest to showcase this, it was necessary to document how baseball prospers from numbers and numbers prosper from baseball. The relationship between the two is mutualistic. Furthermore, an all-encompassing historical look at how data and statistics in baseball have matured was a critical portion of the paper. With a metric such as batting average going from a radical new measure that posed a threat to the status quo, to a fiercely cherished statistic that was suddenly being unseated by advanced analytics, it shows the creation of new and destruction of old has been incessant. Innovators like Pete Palmer, Dick Cramer and Bill James played a large role in this process in the 1980s. Computers aided their effort and when paired with the Internet, unleashed the ability to crunch data to an even larger sector of the population. The unveiling of Statcast at the commencement of the 2015 season showed just how much potential there is for measuring previously unquantifiable baseball acts.

Essentially, there will always be people who mourn the presence of data and statistics in baseball. Despite this, the evolution story indicates baseball and numbers will be intertwined into the future, likely to an even greater extent than ever before, as technology and new philosophies become increasingly integrated into front offices and clubhouses.
ContributorsGarcia, Jacob Michael (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Doig, Stephen (Committee member) / Jackson, Victoria (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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DescriptionBehind the Cages is a documentary that takes a detailed look at Arizona State Hockey which is considered a club, not a sport. They receive no funding from the university, so this reveals how they make it work. The link to the documentary is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNEd61ocnfo
ContributorsArgeros, William Ogden (Author) / Brown, Aaron (Thesis director) / Fergus, Tom (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This thesis documentary film takes a look at the dysfunctional but ongoing relationship between Twitter and sports journalism. The foundation of this relationship's dysfunction is what I have coined as the Twitter Outrage Cycle. In this cycle a sports broadcasting personality comments on a matter while on-air. Next, the program's

This thesis documentary film takes a look at the dysfunctional but ongoing relationship between Twitter and sports journalism. The foundation of this relationship's dysfunction is what I have coined as the Twitter Outrage Cycle. In this cycle a sports broadcasting personality comments on a matter while on-air. Next, the program's audience where the comments were spoken becomes offended by the statement. After that, the offended audience members express their outrage on social media, most namely Twitter. Finally the cycle culminates with the public outrage pressuring networks and its executives to either suspended or fire the individual that said the controversial statements. This cycle began to occur on a more consistent basis starting in 2012. It became such a regular occurrence that many on-air talent figures have noticed and taken precautionary measures to either avoid or confront the Outrage Cycles. This documentary uses the voice of seven figures within the sports media and online interaction forum. Notable using the voices of three notable individuals that currently have a prominent voice in sports journalism. As well as a neutral social media curator who clearly explains the psyche behind these outraged viewer's mindsets. Through these four main voices their ideals and opinions on the matter weave together, disagree with each other at times but ultimately help the viewer come to an understanding of why these Outrage Cycles occur and what needs to be done in order for them to cease. We Should Talk: The Relationship Between Twitter and Sports Journalism is a documentary film that looks to illustrate a seemingly minimal part of many people's lives that when taken into perspective many people look at in a very serious light.
ContributorsNeely, Cammeron Allen Douglas (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Fergus, Tom (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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The sport of tennis is played in over 100 countries and over 256 Division I collegiate programs across the United States. Each program contains 8-10 individual athletes for both men's and women's rosters. When first observing a roster from any Division I program, people will see that many of the

The sport of tennis is played in over 100 countries and over 256 Division I collegiate programs across the United States. Each program contains 8-10 individual athletes for both men's and women's rosters. When first observing a roster from any Division I program, people will see that many of the athletes are international. Courts of Cultures is a documentary about the lives of five select tennis athletes of how they have adjusted to life in the United States, the shift in cultures and the transition into playing in collegiate tennis. Makey Rakotomalala (France), Pierre Louis Dodens (Switzerland), Thomas Wright (Great Britain), Lauryn John-Baptiste (England), and Tereza Kolarova (Czech Republic) all share their experiences of coming to Arizona State University and give insight into what life adjustments they have made not only for the college lifestyle, but international living as well. Head coaches Matt Hill (men's) and Sheila McInerney (women's) also speak to the recruitment of international students and how new technology has made the process simpler. In many countries, you either have to go professional in tennis out of high school, or toss away the racquet and just go to college for academics. Being able to play tennis and go to school benefits these athletes because they are able to improve on their skills and earn a degree. Each athlete featured in this film has a different story and a different background, but they all find commonality on the tennis court. A worldwide sport that has brought worldwide talent to Tempe. Courts of Cultures was directed, photographed, edited, and produced by Blaine McCormick along with narration by Scotty Gange.
ContributorsMccormick, Blaine Robert (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Fergus, Thomas (Committee member) / Rhodes, Gail (Committee member) / School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-12
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A Tale of Two Deserts: Examining Food Deserts in Downtown Phoenix is a 26 minute 46 second documentary by Kaly Nasiff. Link to documentary: https://youtu.be/4pRBIwHb2qM. The documentary starts by explaining what a food desert is, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, and how the problem is compacted

A Tale of Two Deserts: Examining Food Deserts in Downtown Phoenix is a 26 minute 46 second documentary by Kaly Nasiff. Link to documentary: https://youtu.be/4pRBIwHb2qM. The documentary starts by explaining what a food desert is, as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture, and how the problem is compacted in downtown Phoenix. The USDA defines food deserts as, "parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers' markets and healthy food providers." There are over 40 food deserts in the city of Phoenix and two of them are in the heart of downtown. The documentary goes on to explain how food deserts can negatively affect the health of residents, who are most likely getting food from convenience stores in order to supplement the lack of grocery stores. The project also addresses how the city of Phoenix currently works to help residents and what its plans are for the future. There are several community initiatives that are fighting food deserts. Discovery Triangle's Fresh Express Bus makes weekly stops in the community to sell fresh produce at a discounted rate out of a refurbished city bus. The open air market at Phoenix Public Market is a farmers market that was established in 2005 to connect consumers with farmers, ranchers and food producers. Members of Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church set up a mobile food pantry every fourth Saturday of the month for people to come and take an assortment of food, free of charge. Lastly, Roosevelt Growhouse is an urban farm that shows volunteers how to grow their own vegetables, along with supplying nonprofits and local restaurants with fresh produce. Downtown Phoenix won't be a food desert for much longer. RED Development is planning a multi-use project called Block 23, which will include a Fry's Food Store. The project doesn't open until 2019, so residents of downtown will have to continue utilizing the resources they have to keep themselves fed.
ContributorsNasiff, Kaly Ann (Author) / Craft, John (Thesis director) / Fergus, Tom (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
Battle For Arizona Avenue: The History of the Chandler-Hamilton Rivalry is an honors thesis project that aims to serve as a historical hub for the two schools involved. Chandler and Hamilton High School are two public high schools in Chandler, Ariz., who are among the most successful football programs in

Battle For Arizona Avenue: The History of the Chandler-Hamilton Rivalry is an honors thesis project that aims to serve as a historical hub for the two schools involved. Chandler and Hamilton High School are two public high schools in Chandler, Ariz., who are among the most successful football programs in the state despite sitting just 3.8 miles apart from each other. The thesis is housed on a multimedia website, which uses written pieces, photos, videos and other multimedia elements to break down the history of both programs. Chandler is one of the oldest schools in the state, opening in 1914 and often lagging athletically until large population growth led to Hamilton opening in 1998. Hamilton experienced immediate success both as a football program individually and in the rivalry, taking the first 17 match ups between the two schools and winning seven titles in the now 18 years they have been in existence. Chandler has since come and shifted the tide, winning five of the last six games in the rivalry and claiming two titles in the last three years. It's rare for two programs so close in proximity to have so much success not just on the football field but academically, so the thesis looked at the various reasons why. The thesis is about more than just the two schools, however. It dives into what a rivalry means, as well as the overall impact of high school football and the various factors that led into this meaning as much to people as it did. The website should serve as a vital historical device for each school in years to come, with there still being the ability for growth in years to come. https://medium.com/the-battle-for-arizona-avenue
ContributorsArdaya, Fabian (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Jackson, Victoria (Committee member) / Hawken-Collins, Denise (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12