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The multibillion dollar fantasy sports industry is comprised of two main groups: traditional fantasy sports (TFS) and daily fantasy sports (DFS). TFS users play in season­long leagues while DFS users play in one­day contests. In November 2015, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman opened an investigation into the DFS

The multibillion dollar fantasy sports industry is comprised of two main groups: traditional fantasy sports (TFS) and daily fantasy sports (DFS). TFS users play in season­long leagues while DFS users play in one­day contests. In November 2015, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman opened an investigation into the DFS businesses FanDuel and DraftKings following allegations of “insider trading” by employees who may have had access to information that was not available to the public. Schneiderman’s investigation generated questions about DFS and how they differed from TFS. It was also the first instance of the differentiation between the two. This study looks at how TFS users and DFS users are similar and different in their motivations to play.
Our study surveyed 43 DFS users to determine how they began playing DFS, what they like about DFS, and what they dislike about DFS. From the data collected, it was determined that TFS and DFS users are similar in their competitive nature, in their increased levels of sports consumption and investment, and in their increased favoritism towards individual players over teams. The main differences between TFS and DFS users were how each felt they were at a disadvantage, the levels of camaraderie within the sport, and their stance on gambling. TFS users felt their disadvantages came from lackluster commissioners while DFS users felt that the companies themselves were setting them at a disadvantage. TFS users placed more value on the camaraderie and social sport while DFS users placed more value on profit and excitement. TFS users felt that TFS was not gambling and that DFS was, while DFS users accepted DFS as gambling.
ContributorsLandauer, Kevin James (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Fette, Donald (Committee member) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / WPC Graduate Programs (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
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Description
There are many fans who invest a lot of time, money, and effort into fantasy football. Finding a balance between maintaining loyalty to a favorite team while trying to win a fantasy league has become an issue. There are those fans who take precautions to assure loyalty while playing and

There are many fans who invest a lot of time, money, and effort into fantasy football. Finding a balance between maintaining loyalty to a favorite team while trying to win a fantasy league has become an issue. There are those fans who take precautions to assure loyalty while playing and then there are those who put their loyalties aside and treat fantasy football as its own entity outside of their fandom. In this project I am studying how playing fantasy football affects an individual's team loyalty.
ContributorsAssi, Stephanie Faye (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Soares, Rebecca (Committee member) / Dwyer, Brendan P. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Politics and Global Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
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Description
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) is a cult-classic television show about Buffy Summers, a vampire slayer. As the slayer, her job is to protect the earth from monsters, vampires, and demons. Though she may protect the earth from the "bad guys", she still finds time in the day to be

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) is a cult-classic television show about Buffy Summers, a vampire slayer. As the slayer, her job is to protect the earth from monsters, vampires, and demons. Though she may protect the earth from the "bad guys", she still finds time in the day to be a teenage girl who sneaks out of the house and desperately wants a date for prom. Despite being off the air for over 10 years, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans are still thriving on various online platforms such as Tumblr, Deviantart, and AO3. As a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I have engaged with fans online by writing and reviewing fanfiction from my teenage years onward. As I did this, I noticed that despite its message of young women saving the world, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom replicates the gendered and racialized hierarchies that it strives to deconstruct. This paper will examine several top-rated SpikexReader self-insert fanfictions in order to argue that though long derided as a genre, self-insert fanfiction is a way for fans to map out their sexuality using a fictional character. In addition, this paper will analyze fan discourse on Tumblr concerning issues of race and racism both in Buffy the Vampire Slayer the television show as well as in the fandom itself. Finally, this paper will argue that though Buffy the Vampire Slayer posits itself as a progressive and feminist television show, it still struggles to move away from upholding white women's experiences with feminism and fandom as normative.
ContributorsJones, Sofia Eleanor (Author) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
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Description

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, declared in March of 2020, there have been many lifestyle changes which have likely influenced tobacco smoking behavior. Such lifestyle changes include lockdowns, stay at home orders, reduction in social cues related to smoking, increased stress, and boredom among other things. This study utilized a

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, declared in March of 2020, there have been many lifestyle changes which have likely influenced tobacco smoking behavior. Such lifestyle changes include lockdowns, stay at home orders, reduction in social cues related to smoking, increased stress, and boredom among other things. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey which looked into these behaviors, primarily perceived risk to COVID-19, and determined if there is an association between perceived risk and education level/race. Education level is a proxy for income and material resources, therefore making it more likely that people with lower levels of education have fewer resources and higher perceived risk to negative effects of COVID-19. Additionally, people of color are often marginalized in the medical community along with being the target of heavy advertising by tobacco companies which have likely impacted risk to COVID-19 as well.

ContributorsLodha, Pratishtha (Author) / Leischow, J. Scott (Thesis director) / Pearson, Jennifer (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

COVID-19 misinformation covers a wide range of topics such as fatality rate, mask effectiveness, potential cures, vaccine development, and the idea of a "plandemic". The spread of this misinformation happens at a rapid speed with the help of social media and powerful influencers, including major political figures. This thesis is

COVID-19 misinformation covers a wide range of topics such as fatality rate, mask effectiveness, potential cures, vaccine development, and the idea of a "plandemic". The spread of this misinformation happens at a rapid speed with the help of social media and powerful influencers, including major political figures. This thesis is a focused case study on hydroxychloroquine, and builds a timeline of the misinformation surrounding the drug. From poorly conducted studies to the use of false experts, this study reveals how politicized misinformation garners more public attention than the actual science.

ContributorsPitts, Benjamin Jack (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Hurlbut, Ben (Committee member) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description

With recent reports indicating that there is a relatively low number of pregnant people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States (~30% per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October, 2021), this study aims to understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the pregnant population in the state

With recent reports indicating that there is a relatively low number of pregnant people vaccinated against COVID-19 in the United States (~30% per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October, 2021), this study aims to understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among the pregnant population in the state of Arizona. Using a mixed-methods approach, this cross-sectional study employs both semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 40) and a quantitative survey instrument (n = 400) to better understand the reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among pregnant people, with data collected over the course of a few months. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression are employed to analyze the quantitative data and the semi-structured interviews are inductively coded to analyze themes across participant interviews. The results from this study are not only able to help better address disparities in COVID-19 vaccinations among pregnant people, but they also provide implications for vaccine hesitancy overall in order to develop interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. Future research is warranted to better understand regional differences in vaccine hesitancy and differences across populations.

ContributorsPerez, Valeria (Author) / Gamboa, Jazmin (Co-author) / Hernandez, Christopher (Co-author) / Lopez, Gilberto (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of Human Evolution & Social Change (Contributor) / School of Transborder Studies (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor)
Created2023-05
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Description
Sites of in-person fan/celebrity meetings can serve as a place for fans to share intimate details about themselves to celebrities. Through built-up confidence and knowledge of the subject matter, fans may be compelled to share personal anecdotes with the celebrity during these meetings. Fan studies scholars use the term “parasociality”

Sites of in-person fan/celebrity meetings can serve as a place for fans to share intimate details about themselves to celebrities. Through built-up confidence and knowledge of the subject matter, fans may be compelled to share personal anecdotes with the celebrity during these meetings. Fan studies scholars use the term “parasociality” to describe one-sided relationships between fans and celebrities. My research aims to show how in-person events cultivate intimacy between fans and celebrities, even while simultaneously reinforcing parasocial relationships. It is often used when referring to the relationships as being one-sided, even though the fan also gains something from the interaction.
ContributorsGalek, Veronica Lucya (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Hsu, Emily (Committee member) / Schultz, Miranda (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description

There is a noticeable trend within audiences, made exceptionally more prominent by the rise of social media, in how fan artists and fandoms depict their favorite characters from particular media. In the case of anime like My Hero Academia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, hypermasculine characters often emulate intense energy and

There is a noticeable trend within audiences, made exceptionally more prominent by the rise of social media, in how fan artists and fandoms depict their favorite characters from particular media. In the case of anime like My Hero Academia and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, hypermasculine characters often emulate intense energy and toxic traits that viewers should normally recognize as problematic. However, there has been a growing movement within fandom culture to depict these hyper violent male characters in increasingly peaceful ways, often softening the character or surrounding them with flowers in a “flower child” vibe. This begs the question of why fandom has been attracted to this archetype in such a different way than before, and what attributes of traditional hypermasculinity lead to this level of admiration. Trends of romanticizing masculine energy is not new to fandom but while many focused on the admirable friendship and bonds between characters, this new trend seems to either idolize toxic and damaging behavior, or ignore it entirely. This research paper studies on notable case of this transformation process in the character of Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia, demonstrating how an aggressive and violent character can be depicted in soft and gentle settings through fan created artworks.

ContributorsDilullo, Bryce C (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Wilson, Bradley (Committee member) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-12
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Description

This paper is a study on the portrayals of seven main Moomins characters across five revivals of Tove Jansson's Moomins. This study also examines popular fanon of the current Moomins fandom as well as a historical analysis of how each revival work was adapted to fit in the culture and

This paper is a study on the portrayals of seven main Moomins characters across five revivals of Tove Jansson's Moomins. This study also examines popular fanon of the current Moomins fandom as well as a historical analysis of how each revival work was adapted to fit in the culture and time-period of their creation.

ContributorsChemello, Bellana Aurora (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
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Description

This research examines the similarities and differences between relationships developed through interpersonal interactions within online fandom communities and those relationships developed through traditional in-person interactions such as those found within education or the workplace. Beyond the similarities and differences between the two forms of relationships, I discover phenomenologically what

This research examines the similarities and differences between relationships developed through interpersonal interactions within online fandom communities and those relationships developed through traditional in-person interactions such as those found within education or the workplace. Beyond the similarities and differences between the two forms of relationships, I discover phenomenologically what happens in the moment that two online friends meet in-person. To be precise, I analyze how individuals within fandoms categorize their relationships in terms of their willingness to confide in each other, their perceived honesty of themselves, and their mental image of one another and how it may have changed over the course of their relationship. We might expect that individuals maintaining a relationship through interactions within online fandom may maintain idealized images of their respective partners due to the aspect of self-censorship that is derived from asynchronous communication. Additionally, we might expect that while trust may be built upon this exaggerated image of one’s partner, a disruption in this image formed through an in-person interaction could potentially result in said trust crumbling. Using a qualitative analysis of three individuals participating within various fandom communities. Thus, we predict that individuals within online relationships take steps to build an idealized version of oneself that might not fully reflect an individual’s actual physical or mental character.

ContributorsLewkowitz, Aidan Alexander (Author) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Thesis director) / Williams, Wendy (Committee member) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05