Megan Turk

What actions are permissible to an employer in a case of a labormanagement dispute? This article addresses the variety of options available to an employer in the context of a labor dispute, in general, and, in particular, in professional sports. Considered will be actions ranging from the hiring of replacement workers during a strike, the imposition of a full or partial lockout by the employer, the refusal of the employer to rehire workers who had been replaced during a strike, and whether the rules established for replacement workers equally apply where management has engaged in a lockout of its workers. A discussion of the importance of NLRB v. Mackay Radio and Telegraph Co. in the context of professional sports

Lesbians in sport may reside in a culture of silence due to the fear of being negatively labeled. Often, ideologies regarding lesbian athletes validate social inequalities through institutional practices. The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of NCAA female sexual minority student-athletes. Employing purposeful sampling, nine current and former female student-athletes participated in semi-structured interviews. Through a combination of inductive and narrative analyses during the data collection and analysis processes, the findings revealed five higher order themes: (1) climate, (2) validation and norms of behavior, (3), misunderstandings and misconceptions, (4) negotiating identities and risk, and (5) gender ideology and assumptions. Although results of the present study are not generalizable, this study can inform inclusive practices to improve the experiences of sexual minority student-athletes. Further, this study will create awareness regarding the obstacles f...

The first preparatory institution was founded in 1635 to prepare elite men for public service, a role in the church, or admission to Harvard (Boyer, 1983). Nearly 400 years later, the objective of such institutions is no longer Harvard, but often an avenue for potential student-athletes (PSAs) to participate in collegiate sport (Thamel, 2007). The NCAA does not define nor regulate postgraduate preparatory institutions; however, Curran (2014) describes a preparatory institution (commonly referred to as prep schools) as a postgraduate institute that provides PSAs another year at a secondary institution prior to making the transition to college. Framed by Mincer’s (1958) model of Basic Human Capital, the purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of those attending or associated with one specific preparatory institution (X Academy). The first research question which explores prospective student-athletes choices to attend a preparatory institution revealed three final themes: (...

Many scholars feel that due to the intensity of college sport, student-athletes are confined to borders, being denied a well-rounded experience (Potuto & O’Hanlon, 2007).  Although past research has focused on the educational experiences in regards to the general student-athlete population, few studies have focused on the culture that constructs the overall student-athlete experience.  This study utilized the narrative methodology, revealing the genuine human experience and assisting in mobilizing action for progressive social change (Riessman, 2008).  This study utilized semi-structured interviews and journals to examine the embodied in-season experience of an athletically gifted Cuban FCS football student-athlete.  Open coding revealed two major themes that will be discussed: football, identity, social support, and stereotype.  This study is one of the first to explore the experience of a FCS student-athlete and sheds light on a Cuban football student-athlete’s experience.  

Informed by self-determination theory, this study builds on previous research to examine the work motivation and job satisfaction levels of sport management faculty members, as well as any relationship between their job satisfaction levels and work motivations. A total of 193 sport management faculty responded to a survey consisting of the Job Satisfaction Survey and the Motivation at Work Scale. Results revealed that regarding job satisfaction, faculty members were more satisfied with work itself, supervision, and coworkers and were less satisfied with pay, operating procedures, and reward. While participating sport management faculty had the highest mean in intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction also was significantly positively correlated with identified regulation. Male faculty showed significantly greater overall job satisfaction than female faculty, but gender did not affect work motivation factors. Finally, results revealed no significant differences among tenured, tenure-tra...

In comparison to heterosexual counterparts, sexual minority student-athletes are two times more likely to experience harassment, more negative climates, report feeling deliberately ignored or excluded from team actives and are subjected to orientation-based derogatory marks via electronic means (Rankin & Merson, 2012). This particular population is 2-3 times more likely to experience anxiety and depression, nearly 14% will attempt suicide or acts of self-harm, and are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol (Cunningham, 2015). Non-inclusive climates negatively affect academic and athletic performance (Wolf-Wendel, Bajaj, & Spriggs, 2008; Turk, & Stokowski, 2016; Cunningham, 2015). The Athletic Equality Index (AEI) measures LGBTQ inclusion policies and practices in Power 5 conference athletic spaces. University fails to adequately meet 80% of the AEI criteria: non-discrimination policies, out or allied staff, accessible resources, collaboration with campus group(s), LGBTQ student-athl...