Welcome to the SPT/GST 335 Gender & Sport Research Guide!
This guide is designed as a companion to the SNHU campus course Gender & Sport to help students with the Gender & Sport project.
Course Description
Students will draw from integral theory to critically examine the behaviors, culture, structures and systems that shape the relationship between gender and sport and reinforce gender differences and existing inequality. Students will also create potential strategies for restructuring sport as a more equitable and empowering institution for all genders.
Course Project (2024-2025)
The course project for academic year 2024-25 will involve examining data regarding participation by gender in recreational sports at SNHU.
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is for students to demonstrate their understanding of course concepts through research, writing and reflecting on a topic of interest connected to the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) or a women’s professional sport of their choice. Additionally, the intent of this project is to offer students the opportunity to select an area that relates to them personally and/or their academic area of study and career interests.
In doing so, students will first identify a question to answer and then they will conduct secondary research, write a literature review, and apply the integral theory quadrants to summarize and formulate a response to their question. Students will also reflect on how gender and sport relate to larger patterns in society and how this project can inform their careers. Additional details for each piece of the project will be provided separately.
Objectives:
Once completed, this project will demonstrate your ability to use data to analyze the relationship between gender and sport and how that relationship relates to previous and current patterns of social injustice and transformation. You will also articulate current and recommend new strategies that can make sport more equitable.
Skills: This project will help you practice the following skills that are essential to succeeding professionally:
- Accessing analyzing, and collecting data from appropriate sources
- Analyzing and integrating information into a cohesive written paper
- Reflecting on learning for personal and professional development
- Formulating responses and creating new ideas supported by research
Knowledge: This assignment will also help you become familiar with the following important content knowledge:
- Impact of culture, and past and existing structures and systems on women's professional sport
- Strategies and factors that have contributed to growth in women's professional sport
- How sport perpetuates and transforms traditional ideologies of gender
- Role of research and reflection in formulating perspectives and drawing conclusions
Research Project Components:
Milestones (worth 100 points)
- Milestone #1 (10 pts) – Priority Question List & Chosen Question/Topic – Due Sept. 30
- Milestone #2 (30 pts) – Source Matrix & Comparison Grids (secondary research) – Due Oct. 17
- Milestone #3a (15 pts) – Literature Review Outline – Due Oct. 31
- Milestone #3b (20 pts) – Draft of literature review – Nov. 21
- Milestone #4 (10 pts) – Draft Response/Summary (Integral Theory Application) – Due Nov. 25
- Milestone #5 (15 pts) – Reflection Outline – Due Dec. 9
Research Project (paper) Due December 16
Reflection (worth 100 points) Due December 16
Choosing a Topic
Choosing a topic for your Gender & Sport project might seem hard at first. Try beginning with your major, your reason for choosing to take this course, and/or your own interests. Connecting these to the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is the next step.
What's your major?
Perhaps some aspect of your major might intrigue you to investigate that aspect of the WNBA. Here are some possible examples:
- Business topics related to the WNBA
- Revenue - Ticket sales, venues, ad revenues, product sponsors/licensing, player and admin salaries, gambling, fantasy leagues, merchandise, etc.
- Expansion prospects?
- Team ownership - Who owns the teams? Do more men or women own teams? Is this a reflection of who holds wealth in the US? Do male-owned teams differ from women-owned teams in revenue, culture, success, etc.?
- Education topics related to the WNBA
- College to Pro pipeline issues
- NCAA promotion of women's basketball, Women's March Madness
- Girls basketball - participation, sponsorship, promotion at all levels K-College: school, club, AAU, intramural, interscholastic, intercollegiate?
- Media topics related to WNBA
- Number and content of ads promoting WNBA or women's basketball as a sport (Olympics?) Compare to NBA or men's?
- Media coverage of women players, games, teams, leagues, the sport in general, etc. (TV, radio, social media, print media, movies, podcasts, music, etc.)
- History topics related to WNBA
- History of basketball, NBA, WNBA
- Women's professional sports leagues and where WNBA fits in
- Psychology topics related to WNBA
- Home team advantage (or fan support) in men's vs women's basketball
- Aggression and fouls in NBA vs WNBA
- Use of sport psychologists by male vs female professional basketball players
- Stereotypes in women's professional basketball
- Game Design topics related to WNBA
- Has this game encouraged more interest in the women's professional basketball? Does it expand the influence of current WNBA players?
- NBA Live 18 - The first basketball video game to include players from the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The game featured all 12 WNBA teams and players, with player skills adjusted to reflect their playing styles.
- NBA2K24 - "Create a MyPLAYER in The W, where you can live out your career as a rising star in the WNBA. Grow the game with your unique set of skills and compete for WNBA Championships, earn All-Star Game selections..."
- Has this game encouraged more interest in the women's professional basketball? Does it expand the influence of current WNBA players?
Using AI to help you find/narrow your topic and create a research question:
Check out a few AI platforms to see what each offers by using the same prompt and comparing the results given. You will need to create an account for some of these applications, but these are all free versions. Example prompt: "Please list potential research questions about WNBA betting."
Research Topic v. Research Question
Remember to phrase your research topic as a question. As you learned using the QFT, open-ended questions are best for research questions. When you start the research phase, as you find a source and begin to read/view/listen to it, ask yourself if it is answering your research question. If it is, continue on. If it isn't, leave it and find a new source. Rabbit holes are not your friend in the research process.
EXAMPLE:
Research Topic: Betting in the WNBA
Research Question: What factors contribute to team chemistry and performance, and how do these factors influence betting lines in the WNBA?
Integral Theory
Philosopher Ken Wilber developed Integral Theory. It is a comprehensive framework that integrates various dimensions of human knowledge and experience into a cohesive and holistic understanding of reality. It provides a map of consciousness, addressing individual, collective, and universal aspects of existence.
In your research, you will seek to explain your topic using these four quadrants' elements. Be sure to specifically research the concepts of your topic that fit into these areas: Subjective (feelings, perceptions, thoughts, etc.), Objective (behaviors, observable facts, etc.), Intersubjective (cultural context, shared values/meanings/relationships, etc.), Interobjective (systems, networks, structure, etc.).