Social Media and the College Football Audience

Despite the recent growth of social media as a communication and marketing tool, very little research has been conducted on college athletics audiences and their usage of online tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Data from a survey conducted on an FBS school\u27s football fans were statistically analyzed, with demographic and other data utilized in examination of traditional and online media usage. The study discovered significant differences in traditional and social media use in relation to demographic factors such as age, income, and alumni status. Media such as Twitter and podcasts tended to be generally unpopular among fans, while a negative relationship existed between Facebook usage and age. Analysis of these and other findings focused on the reasons why certain media might be more popular among certain groups than others, including consideration of the application of Ajzen\u27s (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior to future studies of social media in sport

Uses and Gratifications of Internet Collegiate Sport Message Board Users

Thesis (PhD) - Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, 2008This study employed a survey of Internet collegiate sport message board users in order to ascertain their demographic characteristics, and to evaluate the uses sought and gratifications obtained from message board usage by employing uses and gratifications theory. The convenience sample utilized in the study (N = 2,339) was drawn from 14 collegiate sport message boards on three major message board networks. A main reason for the necessity of this study is due to its exploration of a previously unstudied group of sport communication consumers. Users of sport message boards represent an increasingly large sector of the sport audience (Freeman, 2006; Skretta, 2007). Their importance as consumers is magnified by the special nature of message boards, which allow users to both consume and create content. Analysis of the data indicated that respondents were predominantly White, male, and at least 30 years old. Most users earned over $60,000 per year in household income, possessed at least an undergraduate degree, and lived in the United States. A total of 34% of respondents identified themselves as subscribers to a collegiate sport message board. Subscribers indicated higher levels of income, education, and overall message board activity than non-subscribers. A factor analysis was conducted on responses to a series of motivation and usage questions, and from this analysis it was determined that four major dimensions of gratification existed for message board users: interactivity, information gathering, diversion, and argumentation. These dimensions accounted for 45.9% of the observed variance. Additional factor analysis was performed on responses to motivation and usage questions asked of subscribers, and three major dimensions of gratification were revealed for that group: premium information, community, and patronage. The study's findings in regards to dimensions of gratification were for the most part consistent with previous examinations of Internet users. The results suggested that message board activity should be evaluated in two separate areas; namely, the amount of content a user creates, and the amount that user consumes. The results also suggested that non-subscribers were more interested in the social and interactive elements of message board usage, while subscribers were more interested in information-related elements

An Examination of U.S. and Chinese Online News Coverage of the 2008 Olympics

poster abstractThe 2008 Summer Olympic Games put Beijing, China in the global media spotlight, as over 5,600 journalists from around the world traveled to Beijing to cover the Games. Because the U.S. and China operate under significantly different political structures, the purpose of this study was to examine one Chinese news website and one U.S. news website during the Games to determine what differences, if any, existed in the two countries’ Olympic coverage. This study was based on Siebert, Peterson, and Schramm’s (1956) four theories of the press, focusing on the Social Responsibility theory and the Soviet Communist theory. It was hypothesized that the U.S. media outlet, USAToday.com, would most closely resemble the Social Responsibility theory and that the Chinese outlet, PeoplesDaily.com, would most closely resemble the Soviet Communist theory. Content from both outlets was collected over a 17-day period, and a quantitative content analysis methodology was employed to examine the coverage. The findings revealed that the U.S. news outlet seemed to show a greater bias towards athletes from its own country than did the Chinese news outlet. Additionally, the U.S. news outlet focused more of its coverage on athletes and the actual sporting events taking place at the Games, while the Chinese outlet afforded much more coverage to the host city/country. The results indicated that neither news outlet painted an entirely accurate picture of the Games for their readers. The U.S. news outlet seemed to closely resemble the Social Responsibility theory, as hypothesized, and the Chinese outlet resembled the Soviet Communist theory in some regards, but did not resemble it in other aspects of its coverage. These findings, along with further analysis, will be explained in greater detail in the poster presentation

Sport and social media research: A review

The emergence of social media has profoundly impacted the delivery and consumption of sport. In the current review we analysed the existing body of knowledge of social media in the field of sport management from a service-dominant logic perspective, with an emphasis on relationship marketing. We reviewed 70 journal articles published in English-language sport management journals, which investigated new media technologies facilitating interactivity and co-creation that allow for the development and sharing of user-generated content among and between brands and individuals (i.e., social media). Three categories of social media research were identified: strategic, operational, and user-focussed. The findings of the review demonstrate that social media research in sport management aligns with service-dominant logic and illustrates the role of social media in cultivating relationships among and between brands and individuals. Interaction and engagement play a crucial role in cultivating these relationships. Discussion of each category, opportunities for future research as well as suggestions for theoretical approaches, research design and context are advanced

The Clinical Outcome of FLAG Chemotherapy without Idarubicin in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

A refractory and resistant disease to conventional induction chemotherapy and relapsed disease are considered as the most important adverse prognostic factors for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Sixty-one patients (median age, 33.6 yr) with relapsed or refractory AML were treated with the FLAG regimen that consisted of fludarabine (30 mg/m2, days 1-5), cytarabine (2.0 g/m2, days 1-5) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. Of the treated patients 29 patients (47.5%) achieved complete remission (CR). Higher CR rates were observed for patients with a first or second relapse as compared to patients with a primary refractory response or relapse after stem cell transplantation (HSCT). There was a significant difference in the response rates according to the duration of leukemia-free survival (pre-LFS) before chemotherapy (P=0.05). The recovery time of both neutrophils (≥500/µL) and platelets (≥20,000/µL) required a median of 21 and 18 days, respectively. Treatment-related mortality (TRM) occurred in seven patients (11.4%), of which 71.4% of TRM was caused by an invasive aspergillosis infection. After achieving CR, 18 patients underwent consolidation chemotherapy and six patients underwent allogeneic HSCT. In conclusion, FLAG chemotherapy without idarubicin is a relatively effective and well-tolerated regimen for relapsed or refractory AML and the use of FLAG chemotherapy has allowed intensive post-remission therapy including HSCT

Gene expression profile predicts response to the combination of tosedostat and low-dose cytarabine in elderly AML

Tosedostat is an orally administered metalloenzyme inhibitor with antiproliferative and antiangiogenic activity against hematological and solid human cancers. Clinical activity has been demonstrated in relapsed acutemyeloid leukemia (AML). Thirty-three elderly patients with AML (median age, 75 years) received 120mgtosedostat orally once daily combinedwith subcutaneous low-dose cytarabine (20 mg twice per day for 10 days, up to 8 cycles), until disease progression. Inductionmortality was 12%. According to an intention-to-treat analysis, the complete remission (CR) rate was 48.5%, and thus the primary end point of the study was reached (expected CR, 25%). The partial remission rate was 6.1%,with an overall response rate of 54.5%. Furthermore, 4 of 33 patients had stable disease (median: 286 days). Themedian progression-free survival and overall survival (OS)were 203 days and 222 days, respectively. Responding patients had a longer median OS than nonresponding patients (P=.001). Amicroarray analysis performed in 29 of 33 patients identified 188 genes associated with clinical response (CR vs no CR). Three of them (CD93, GORASP1, CXCL16) were validated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, which correctly classified 83% of the patients. Specifically, CR achievement was efficiently predicted by the gene expression patterns, with an overall accuracy exceeding 90%. Finally, a negative predictive value of 100% was validated in an independent series, thus representing the first molecular predictor for clinical response to a specific combination drug treatment for AML