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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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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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In this research paper I explore former male athletes, specifically professional football players entering local journalism. Research paired with interviews in regards to the topic explain why there are nearly 10 former NFL players in local markets where an NFL team is present, and why local journalists along with future

In this research paper I explore former male athletes, specifically professional football players entering local journalism. Research paired with interviews in regards to the topic explain why there are nearly 10 former NFL players in local markets where an NFL team is present, and why local journalists along with future journalists should not be worried about the number of former male athletes in local journalism. The paper also dives into the side-by-side statistics of why there is significantly more former college athletes in local journalism than former NFL players. The research focused on more than 100 television stations, revealing that 100 former or current collegiate or pro athletes are journalists for local stations where an NFL team is present. The data is solely reliant on the information that the journalists provided in their bios on the station websites. This could be seen as a possible limitation, however, the likelihood of these journalists either lying or not identifying as a former athlete is minimal due to the size of the accomplishment of actually participating in college as an athlete. The basis of my research is to figure out if former NFL players and former athletes in general are taking journalism jobs from aspiring journalists. I conclude that future journalists are not at risk of losing jobs when it comes to retired football players entering the field of local journalism. With that said, aspiring journalists need to continue to develop their social media skills to compete with athletes’ audiences on social networks.
ContributorsTotri, Anthony Matthew (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Reed, Sada (Committee member) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Comm (Contributor, Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
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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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As the premier colligate summer league in the country, the Cape Cod Baseball League has operated since 1885 and has seen over one thousand all-time alumni step foot in professional baseball. Every season, each of the CCBL's ten teams call upon some of the nation's top aspiring sports broadcasters, writers,

As the premier colligate summer league in the country, the Cape Cod Baseball League has operated since 1885 and has seen over one thousand all-time alumni step foot in professional baseball. Every season, each of the CCBL's ten teams call upon some of the nation's top aspiring sports broadcasters, writers, and social media managers to spearhead the coverage of the league and tell the stories of the summer. However, while the season offers hours of repetition and exposure to players and journalists alike, the league's coverage capabilities fall short of its high potential due to inconsistencies and inadequacies that restrain its media content from matching the level of baseball that takes place on the field. Through the identification of specific problems within the league's broadcast equipment, its varying platforms, and its growing gap between individual coverage teams, this thesis offers both short-term and long-term solutions that aim to raise the standards and capabilities of league content while also raising awareness of the issue itself. While considering the Cape Cod League's unique non-profit business model and its most recent financial situation, this thesis also illustrates opportunities within fundraising events, the league's online audience, and its vast alumni network that can create a sustainable business plan for the near and distant future of the Cape Cod Broadcast Network.
ContributorsKercheval, Kyle Nicholas (Author) / Kurland, Brett (Thesis director) / Cesmat, Brad (Committee member) / W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
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
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Link to documentary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxFCDFfMBwpoNVdybDZOaGhaUWc/view?usp=sharing For my thesis project, I decided to do a documentary on Special Olympic Athletes in Arizona. These individuals have always inspired me because they have faced many challenges and yet they still go through life with a smile on their face. I believe they all deserve

Link to documentary: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxFCDFfMBwpoNVdybDZOaGhaUWc/view?usp=sharing For my thesis project, I decided to do a documentary on Special Olympic Athletes in Arizona. These individuals have always inspired me because they have faced many challenges and yet they still go through life with a smile on their face. I believe they all deserve recognition for what they have accomplished during the games and outside of them. I wanted to give them this recognition. In my documentary, I interviewed five athletes, three of which are siblings. The first athlete I interviewed was Jesse McGirl, who is a star track and field athlete. In his part of the video, I talk about his strategy as well as his involvement in the games. I also talk about him being a Global Messenger and how he travels the world in order to spread the message of the Special Olympics. The next athlete was David Fromh, who started competing in the games in 1978. In his section, I talk to him about his relationships with his coaches and teammates as well as the strategy he uses while running. He is one of the most positive athletes out there, and I really emphasize on his positivity. The last set of interviews I did was with the Meagan, Emily, and Quincy Jones, three siblings who all suffer from intellectual disabilities. David and Gena Jones adopted them when they were young and their story is a true inspiration. The family is the main focus of my documentary, so they have three parts: Early Life, Special Olympics, and Future. The Early Life focuses on how David and Gena raised their kids and their high school life. The Special Olympics section focuses on their success at the games and the Future section is about the siblings' interests outside of the games. Along with my athlete stories, I have an introduction and conclusion as well as a brief history section describing the founding of the Special Olympics. I had a great time making this project, and I am very fortunate to be able to tell such inspirational stories.
Created2015-12
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In recent years, advanced metrics have dominated the game of Major League Baseball. One such metric, the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula, is commonly used by fans, reporters, analysts and teams alike to use a team’s runs scored and runs allowed to estimate their expected winning percentage. However, this method is not

In recent years, advanced metrics have dominated the game of Major League Baseball. One such metric, the Pythagorean Win-Loss Formula, is commonly used by fans, reporters, analysts and teams alike to use a team’s runs scored and runs allowed to estimate their expected winning percentage. However, this method is not perfect, and shows notable room for improvement. One such area that could be improved is its ability to be affected drastically by a single blowout game, a game in which one team significantly outscores their opponent.<br/>We hypothesize that meaningless runs scored in blowouts are harming the predictive power of Pythagorean Win-Loss and similar win expectancy statistics such as the Linear Formula for Baseball and BaseRuns. We developed a win probability-based cutoff approach that tallied the score of each game once a certain win probability threshold was passed, effectively removing those meaningless runs from a team’s season-long runs scored and runs allowed totals. These truncated totals were then inserted into the Pythagorean Win-Loss and Linear Formulas and tested against the base models.<br/>The preliminary results show that, while certain runs are more meaningful than others depending on the situation in which they are scored, the base models more accurately predicted future record than our truncated versions. For now, there is not enough evidence to either confirm or reject our hypothesis. In this paper, we suggest several potential improvement strategies for the results.<br/>At the end, we address how these results speak to the importance of responsibility and restraint when using advanced statistics within reporting.

ContributorsIversen, Joshua Allen (Author) / Satpathy, Asish (Thesis director) / Kurland, Brett (Committee member) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Comm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05