Sports Management Question

1. The purpose of this assignment is for you to research a topic that is of particular interest to you or that you have grown curious about during our class discussions.

2. Your paper must GO BEYOND what is discussed in your textbook. Don’t choose broad topics like motivation, anxiety, or relaxation. Pursue a specific idea or question, even if there isn’t a lot of things written about it. Examples might be what should coaches say to athletes in a pregame talk, mental blocks in sport, yips, preperformance routines, or even quirky things like how uniforms/swimsuits/etc. influence confidence or performance.

3. Do some research on this topic and write a brief paper exploring this topic and analyzing it in relation to sport psychology.

4. Your paper should address the following things (and you can also talk about other things if you wish):

a. What is the topic and why is it important to study?

b. What did you find out about your topic or question? Were any of the findings surprising or different than you expected? Clearly explain what you found in an organized, clear manner.

c. If it fits your topic, you could make some practical suggestions for what athletes or coaches should do based on this perspective that you’ve provided. Perhaps there are misconceptions about this topic.

d. Do you have suggestions for extending our knowledge in this area? What else should we know and pursue?

5. Evaluation of paper

   Overall quality of paper (thoughtfulness, quality of presentation of information, accuracy)                   8

   Topic is of interest and discussed in relation to sport psychology knowledge                                          5

   Thoroughness – not sloppily written or hurried in presentation                                                                6

   Organized well, uses paragraphs, and well-written without grammatical errors                                      6

   Uses sources beyond own opinion (at least three references cited in text and ref. list at end).              5

6. Directions for writing:

a. Title your paper something specific – not just Aha Paper

b. Organize your paper perhaps by following the questions or sections in #4 above.

c. PLEASE use paragraphs in your writing – break it up into logical, readable paragraphs.