This article uses a case-study approach to develop an understanding of how framing on game telecasts can increase the brand equity of sports venues. In 2014, ESPN ranked the NHL’s New York Islanders last in “stadium experience” among all 122 teams in the 4 major North American sports leagues. Given the Islanders’ looming relocation, the 2014–15 NHL season afforded the last opportunity to consider how telecasts would portray the team’s arena, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island. Based on a textual analysis of Islanders telecasts, 2 frames emerged: atmosphere (loud cheering and tributes to veterans) and nostalgia (famous moments and players from the arena’s history). Teams that play in poorly regarded venues can encourage broadcasters to employ frames such as atmosphere and nostalgia to increase attendance and sales of venue-related merchandise.
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Nicholas Hirshon
Russell Field
By Howard Shubert. Published in 2016 by McGill-Queen’s University Press/Beaverbrook Canadian Foundation Studies Series in Art History Series (296 pp., $49.95 CAD/$49.95 USD , cloth) Howard Shubert’s wonderfully illustrated (160 photographs!) history of the hockey arena, Architecture on Ice
Nicholas Hirshon and Craig Davis
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a sports and entertainment arena in Long Island, New York, encountered a public relations challenge in the 1990s. Nassau Coliseum, one of a few high-capacity venues in the New York metropolitan area, hosted the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League and concerts featuring headliners such as the Grateful Dead, New Kids on the Block, and Frank Sinatra. Nevertheless, the arena became a target for the world’s first all-sports radio station, WFAN 660 AM in New York City. WFAN hosts perpetuated the image of a dreary “Nassau Mausoleum” with dim lighting, long bathroom and concession lines, and a leaky roof. By placing students in the decision-making situation that confronted the Nassau Coliseum executives, this case explores various approaches to reputation management at sports venues.
Carrie W. LeCrom, Mark Slavich, Lisa Rufer, Greg Greenhalgh, and Brendan Dwyer
Reseating a stadium or arena is not a new phenomenon. It offers colleges and universities the opportunity to reward donors who have contributed financially to the athletic department as well as to create or maintain an equitable seat allocation system. At the same time, a poorly planned or poorly executed reseating project has the potential to upset current donors to the point of alienation. ABC University is looking to take on a reseating project, and it is looking to Virginia Commonwealth University for guidance because of its successful 2013 reseating project. With the success of its men’s basketball program and highly engaged fan base, the time is right to undertake this project. Factors involved in the decision to reseat, communication with fans, and the method involved with the actual reseating are among the topics discussed. This case study would be beneficial to other schools looking to reseat or future athletic administrators interested in an insider’s perspective at a major revenue generation project.
Jay Scherer
While the public subsidy of major league sport franchises and associated urban development projects remains wildly popular in some constituencies, these expenditures have, increasingly, been met with organized resistance. This article examines the formation of Voices for Democracy (VFD)—a grassroots community group that opposed the use of public funds to build a CAD $606.5 million arena and entertainment district in Edmonton, Alberta. I begin by providing an analysis of VFD’s division of labor and the collective development of the group’s political claims and tactical repertoire to challenge a powerful growth coalition between 2011–2013. Next, I examine the unfavorable political opportunity structure that set decisive limits on what the group could challenge. The article concludes with a discussion of why VFD was unable to cultivate a more widespread coalition of support and, in turn, how the ‘boosterish’ coalition in Edmonton—a coalition that included the Edmonton Oilers, the downtown business community, the mayor and a majority of council, and senior civil servants—were able to contain opposition over the course of this divisive debate.
Genevieve F. Dunton, Michael Cousineau, and Kim D. Reynolds
Background:
Policy strategies aimed at modifying aspects of the social, physical, economic, and educational environments have been proposed as potential solutions to the growing problem of physical inactivity. To develop effective physical activity policies in these and other areas, greater understanding of how and why policies successfully impact behavior change is needed.
Methods:
The current paper proposes a conceptual framework explaining how policy strategies map onto health behavior theoretical variables and processes thought to lead to physical activity change. This framework is used to make hypotheses about the potential effectiveness of different policy strategies.
Results:
Health behavior theories suggest that policies providing information may be particularly useful for individuals who are not yet considering or have only recently begun to consider becoming more physically active. Policies that provide opportunities may be less effective for individuals who do not find physical activity to be inherently fun and interesting. Policies that offer incentives or require the behavior may not be particularly useful at promoting long-term changes in physical activity.
Conclusion:
Exploring possible connections between policy strategies and theoretical constructs can help to clarify how each approach might work and for whom it may be the most appropriate to implement.
Bonny Rockette-Wagner, Rachel G. Miller, Yvonne L. Eaglehouse, Vincent C. Arena, M. Kaye Kramer, and Andrea M. Kriska
translational research on the diabetes prevention program . Transl Behav Med . 2011 ; 1 ( 3 ): 480 – 491 . PubMed ID: 24073067 doi:10.1007/s13142-011-0062-y 10.1007/s13142-011-0062-y 17. Eaglehouse YL , Kramer MK , Rockette-Wagner B , Arena VC , Kriska AM . Evaluation of physical activity
Kenneth J. Killian, Susan Arena-Ronde, and Lucille Bruno
The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of two instruments designed to assess water orientation, which was defined to include both traditional water adjustment concerns and novel aspects of a swimmer’s adjustment to water. The Water Orientation Checklist–Basic (WOC-B) assessed successful performance using a five-choice rating scale. The Water Orientation Checklist–Advanced (WOC-Adv) assessed successful and unsuccessful performance; unsuccessful responses involved a subject’s failed attempt to perform a task and were thought to be an indicator of motivation. Seventy-one atypical subjects (i.e., individuals who require special swimming instruction) were individually observed; these included autistic children (n = 15), autistic youth (n = 14), functionally retarded children (n = 10), functionally retarded youth (n = 9), functionally retarded preschoolers (n = 13), and nonhandicapped preschoolers (n = 10). The checklists were found to offer good interobserver agreement (WOC-B, 87%; WOC-Adv, 80%) and were found appropriate for assessing water orientation in the six groups observed. Based on the findings of the study, the instruments were thought to be useful assessment devices for instructional and research purposes.
Logan T. Markwell, Andrew J. Strick, and Jared M. Porter
limited media, team executives, NBA personnel, and inactive players, other people, such as fans or other spectators, were not allowed in the arena during NBA games. Once inside the NBA bubble, players were allowed to leave but were not encouraged to do so as they would have to quarantine for a minimum of
Kenneth J. Killian, Rosemary A. Joyce-Petrovich, Lucille Menna, and Susan A. Arena
There is little objective evidence to support the belief that swimming is an enjoyable and valuable activity for autistic individuals. In this study, a checklist was used to record the responses of 37 autistic children and youth to water orientation and beginner swim activities. The data indicated that the autistic subjects responded in a predictable and apparently normal manner to a hierarchy of water skills. Also, the subjects displayed a low objection rate to water activities. Strong relationships (r = .95, p < .01) were shown between age and water orientation and also between prior experience and water orientation (r = .88, p < .01). The findings support the literature in that the majority of subjects responded well to, or at least tolerated, water activities. Swimming pool activities may offer potential learning opportunities for many autistic individuals and should be investigated further as an avenue for improving a variety of physical, academic, or social skills.
