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The Marshall Plan: How Diversity and Inclusion Transformed the Dallas Mavericks’ Organizational Culture

Mark A. Beattie and Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe

How does a professional sport organization with a toxic organizational culture transform its workplace to one built around equity, diversity, and inclusion? This article addresses that question in a case study that explores the aftermath of the Dallas Mavericks’ sexual harassment scandal. The case allows students to analyze the crisis the Mavericks faced after a Sports Illustrated article exposed the organization’s corrosive workplace culture. Students will discuss the strategies Mavericks’ chief executive officer Cynthia Marshall deployed to transform the Mavericks’ workplace culture. Furthermore, students will consider how those strategies have broader utility in improving organizational diversity throughout the sport industry. A theoretical framework, a case narrative, and teaching notes are provided to support implementation of the case study in sport management curricula.

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Integrating Blended Learning Within Sport Event Management Curriculum

Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe, Liz A. Wanless, Sarah M. Aldridge, and Daniel W. Jones

Experiential learning is a critical component of sport management education and industry preparation; however, the inclusion of time-intensive experiential projects can displace content learning. Blended learning integrates face-to-face and online instruction to enable the space to maximize multiple learning types. This article proposes an innovative experiential project that integrates blended learning—implemented in a sport event management course—with reflection and scholarship supporting the pedagogical strategies. The article concludes with implications to optimize blended learning (e.g., multimedia, pedagogical workshops, course evaluation), enhance communication (e.g., office hours, discussion forum, orientation video), and expand student learning outcomes (e.g., reading outlines, video lectures, student assessment).

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Communication and Team Performance: A Case Study of Division I Football Captains

Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe, Kyle B. Heuett, Tarkington J. Newman, and Shea M. Brgoch

Performance excellence is a core value in athletic teams. A team’s intraorganizational network has been considered an important determinant of team performance. However, the role of sport-team captains is often overlooked in lieu of the coaching staff. The purpose of this case study was to explore the relationship between team captains’ intrateam ego network and team-performance indicators. The researchers video recorded the intrateam communication of 4 college football-team captains over the course of 9 practices and collected secondary data pertaining to team performance. Analysis of the coded interactions revealed significant positive relationships between captains’ ego network and the previous week’s team performance, with a nonsignificant correlation with the subsequent week’s team performance. Analysis exploring the relationships between captains’ ego network and other team-performance indicators provides some support for the impact of intrateam communication on team performance. Implications for coaches and future directions for research are presented.

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Mock Trial: Transforming Curriculum Through Coopetition

Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe, James O. Evans, Richard L. Bailey, and Shea M. Brgoch

Coopetition is a strategic concept that integrates elements of competition and cooperation. This strategy focuses on creating an environment where working together develops additional value for all entities involved, but there is still competition for this newly established value. Mock trial is an experiential learning technique that can serve as a platform to implement coopetitive strategies, providing students the opportunity to cooperatively apply theory to practice in a competitive courtroom simulation. This extended abstract details implementation of coopetition through mock trial for the sport management classroom. Implications for enhancing the coopetitive environment through course format, mentorship, and facilitation are also discussed.

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Implementation and Evaluation of Mock Trial Within Undergraduate Sport Law Curriculum

Makena R. Lynch, Leeann M. Lower-Hoppe, Shea M. Brgoch, James O. Evans, Richard L. Bailey, Mark Beattie, Moetiz Samad, and Ashley Ryder

Mock trials serve as useful experiential learning tools for undergraduate kinesiology students. In the current study, Kolb’s experiential learning cycle was employed over the course of a semester through a comprehensive mock trial project that aimed to provide undergraduate students with an interactive learning experience as a means to achieve desired learning outcomes. The primary purpose of this study was to empirically evaluate the mock trial as a learning tool. The researchers conducted a total of 32 semistructured focus groups with 175 students. Overall, students expressed positive experiences and outcomes as a result of engaging in the mock trial project. Four distinct themes emerged from the data: learning mechanisms, learning outcomes, the student learning experience, and suggested improvements for future courses. Each of these themes is substantiated by excerpts from the comments of the students who participated in the focus groups and discussed in detail, as well as implications for instructors who wish to similarly implement mock trials into their classrooms.