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As sport league brands have increasingly extended their marketing activities into foreign countries, international brand positioning has become a relevant research topic. In this research, we introduce and examine the concept of bicultural brand positioning, an approach that combines a sport league's connection to its home country with target-country associations. We integrate bicultural identity theory with the literature on brand benefits to propose two types of bicultural brand positioning: functional versus symbolic. Three experiments, using the National Football League and German satellite fans as the empirical context, provide evidence that bicultural brand positioning incorporating functional (vs. symbolic) benefits for the satellite fans increases bicultural brand image integration, defined as the perceived compatibility of combining the two country cultures, and has positive indirect effects on intentions to use the brand and positive word of mouth. These effects are driven by increased perceptions of cultural authenticity of the brand and brand convenience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A frame analysis was conducted of recent coverage by sports journalists of the on-again off-again possibility that Colin Kaepernick might sign a contract to play with a team in the National Football League (NFL). Kaepernick was blacklisted by league and team officials angry at, and hoping to avert public backlash from, Kaepernick's 2016 decision to kneel during the national anthem to protest systemic police brutality and mass incarceration. The analysis enabled the creation of champions, distractions, exile, futility, impact, and spectacle frames. The analysis affirms that journalists may be priming readers to conclude that the NFL has learned its lesson, that some officials should be congratulated for generating the bravery to welcome Kaepernick back to the league and commended for their newfound insights about racism. The episodic frames emerging from coverage of the tryouts and a possible signing affirm that the "new appreciation" of Kaepernick has become a nonthreatening reverence for his place in history. Kaepernick's exile now reads like a one-off, an outlier, rather than a glaring example of the systemic racism that still infects the league. Frames affirm that the NFL—with help from the nation's sports writers and commentators—has taken control of the narrative with which fans process an athlete's activism. They have legitimized the narrow space provided by the league for player protest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As athletes enter a new chapter in their lives retiring from their sport, the challenge of upholding and enhancing personal brands arises. There has been extensive research on athlete brand building via social media; however, there have been few studies analyzing how athletes build their own brands and brand extensions postcareer, particularly former National Football League (NFL) players. Sixteen retired NFL athletes were examined using Goffman's theory of self-presentation to determine strategies used for building personal brand extensions and obtaining follower engagement via Instagram. Through a content analysis, a total of 2,933 Instagram posts were analyzed, and the findings from this study revealed that former NFL players with fewer followers received higher engagement rates, and retired NFL players made more backstage type of posts on personal pages compared with front-stage posts. Implications, recommendations, and future research suggestions also are discussed within the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study analyzes the news media's framing of National Football League (NFL) quarterback Joe Burrow and his background during the 2019 football season, from the announcement of Burrow as a Heisman trophy finalist to the aftermath of his selection as the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. With his heightened visibility on the field, Burrow's background was increasingly of interest to football fans and sports journalists. It was not Burrow's fairly "typical" family background as the child of a football coach in a nuclear family that received the most attention, but the Appalachian town of Athens, OH, where Burrow was a high school student, that became an important narrative. Emerging theme analysis suggests that sports journalists often extended idealized narratives to frame Burrow as an overcomer of a systemic cultural background with which he did not immediately identify. That narrative often utilized stereotypical representations of rural Appalachia as a place dominated by cultural poverty, highlighted representations of engrained hopelessness and lack of agency in the region, and reinforced problematic understandings of the nature of structural poverty and the ways it may be effectively challenged. The research addresses gaps in the literature about the college student-athlete in nuanced conversations about race and class in athlete-to-career narratives and notes the ways an athlete may call on such mediated tropes to extend a narrative for possible community or self-benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes a series of advertisements from the antidrug campaign Above the Influence and interviews of former National Football League and National Basketball Association players by the website Bleacher Report regarding their marijuana use. Guided by Christina Sharpe's theoretical concept of the "wake," I argue that the Above the Influence adverts produce a trope I call Chronic Black male sporting hood. A trope that holds the Black body in a state of dehumanization. The second half of this paper utilizes Sharpe's Black methodological tool of Black annotation/redaction. Through this Black methodological tool, the testimonial of the athletes, and the influences of Black musicians, I argue that these athletes provide insight into alternative ways of living and being human that arise from the anti-Black practices of sport with marijuana serving as their catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student-athletes are often treated differently and inequitably based on their race/ethnicity. For example, Black student-athletes often face unjust stereotyping and discrimination because they are seen for their athletic achievements over their academic achievements compared to White student-athletes. Using in-game broadcast data, Black athletes are also discussed differently than White athletes, with disparities in how broadcasters focus on players' physical and cognitive abilities. The current paper draws on and extends this literature by using natural language processing techniques to identify how experts communicate about different National Football League (NFL) prospects. A decade of data (2014-2023), including nearly 4,000 draft profiles, suggested writers attending to Black draftees used fewer positive emotions in player narratives than writers attending to White draftees. Narratives of White players also mentioned the NFL more than narratives of Black players, revealing a possible disparity in perceived belonging to the league. Implications for theory and equity in sport are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In American football, hand injuries have been shown to negatively impact performance. The purpose of this study is to characterize the prevalence and severity of hand injuries in National Football League (NFL) players. A public online database was utilized to identify hand injuries in NFL players from 2009–2010 to 2019–2020. The primary outcome was to analyze the overall incidence of hand injuries (including wrist, metacarpus, finger, and thumb), injury type by each aforementioned anatomic location, and player position. Injury severity was evaluated based on percentage of injuries in which players returned to play (RTP), number of games missed before RTP, and the percentage of injuries resulting in the player being placed on injured reserve (IR). Of the 6,127 players included, 847 (13.8%) players sustained a hand injury, of which 24.8%, 34.3%, 17.9%, and 22.9% occurred at the wrist, metacarpus, finger, and thumb, respectively. Of the injured players, 97.4% returned to play following their injury, 14.8% were put on IR, and an average of 1.7 (SD 3.3) games were missed. Quarterbacks were the most likely to sustain hand injuries at all anatomic locations. Wrist injuries were associated with the lowest RTP rate (93.3%), the most players placed on injured reserve (28.6%), and the greatest number of games missed (mean 2.5, SD 4.2). Hand injuries decreased in prevalence by 65.6% over the 11 NFL seasons evaluated. This trend coincides with the implementation of several safety rules that relate to components of play involving the hands. Quarterbacks experienced the greatest prevalence and severity for all hand injuries. Wrist injuries represent the anatomic location associated with the greatest severity. These findings may be able to inform tailored injury prevention practices by position, and advocate for the further adoption of safety rules to protect players from further injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I examine the joint role of the previous game's outcome with and without the spread on wagers' preferences and outcomes in the NFL gambling market. The results show that gamblers are more likely to wager on the home team if they covered the spread in their previous game, while they are less likely to bet on the home team if the visiting team won their last game (not considering the spread). Further results show that teams are more likely to cover the spread if they covered the spread but lost their previous game. Profitable betting strategies are then put forward based on this information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Neurofilament light chain (NFL) is a biomarker for neuroaxonal damage and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) for reactive astrocytosis. Both processes occur in cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), but studies investigating the potential of NFL and GFAP as markers for CAA are lacking. We aimed to investigate NFL and GFAP as biomarkers for neuroaxonal damage and astrocytosis in CAA. Methods: For this cross-sectional study serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected between 2010 and 2020 from controls, (pre)symptomatic Dutch-type hereditary (D-CAA) mutation-carriers and participants with sporadic CAA (sCAA) from two prospective CAA studies at two University hospitals in the Netherlands. NFL and GFAP levels were measured with Simoa-assays. The association between NFL and GFAP levels and age, cognitive performance (MoCA), CAA-related MRI markers (CAA-CSVD-burden) and Aβ40 and Aβ42 levels in CSF were assessed with linear regression adjusted for confounders. The control group was divided in age < 55 and ≥55 years to match the specific groups. Results: We included 187 participants: 28 presymptomatic D-CAA mutation-carriers (mean age 40 years), 29 symptomatic D-CAA participants (mean age 58 years), 59 sCAA participants (mean age 72 years), 33 controls < 55 years (mean age 42 years) and 38 controls ≥ 55 years (mean age 65 years). In presymptomatic D-CAA, only GFAP in CSF (7.7*103pg/mL vs. 4.4*103pg/mL in controls; P<.001) was increased compared to controls. In symptomatic D-CAA, both serum (NFL:26.2pg/mL vs. 12.5pg/mL; P=0.008, GFAP:130.8pg/mL vs. 123.4pg/mL; P=0.027) and CSF (NFL:16.8*102pg/mL vs. 7.8*102pg/mL; P=0.01 and GFAP:11.4*103pg/mL vs. 7.5*103pg/mL; P<.001) levels were higher than in controls and serum levels (NFL:26.2pg/mL vs. 6.7pg/mL; P=0.05 and GFAP:130.8pg/mL vs. 66.0pg/mL; P=0.004) were higher than in pre-symptomatic D-CAA. In sCAA, only NFL levels were increased compared to controls in both serum (25.6pg/mL vs. 12.5pg/mL; P=0.005) and CSF (20.0*102pg/mL vs 7.8*102pg/mL; P=0.008). All levels correlated with age. Serum NFL correlated with MoCA (P=0.008) and CAA-CSVD score (P<.001). NFL and GFAP in CSF correlated with Aβ42 levels (P=0.01/0.02). Conclusions: GFAP level in CSF is an early biomarker for CAA and is increased years before symptom onset. NFL and GFAP levels in serum and CSF are biomarkers for advanced CAA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores connections between the principles that underscore remedies within the jurisprudential system and the principles of penalty enforcement for fouls committed in National Football League (NFL) games. Cited are an analysis of the consistency and fairness of penalty enforcement in the NFL, recommendations to improve certain areas of NFL penalty enforcement, and a discussion of whether there is a need to improve the system of granting relief in the jurisprudential system.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was (1) to examine the underexplored intersection of sports betting and favorite team loyalty, and (2) to assess differences in gambling behavior among sport bettors by varying levels of team loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 1,555 National Football League (NFL) bettors and non-betting NFL fans were surveyed to assess media consumption across a mix of team loyalty attitudes and betting behaviors. Findings: Statistically significant differences were found between four types of NFL fans (casual, team loyalty-dominant, betting-dominant and hybrid) as it relates to media consumption in various forms. Most notably, the results suggested symbiosis between the activities. Research limitations/implications: The symbiosis finding, though preliminary, suggests the activity provides an additional platform for consumers to connect with spectator sport. Furthermore, the act of betting, like participation in fantasy sports, appears to spur consumption of the NFL product generally. The study, however, was limited to NFL fans, did not specify the method for sports betting, nor the intensity of gambling. Practical implications: Teams should not worry that betting detracts from fan engagement with the team product. Also, leagues and media providers should continue to highlight betting content as participants consume at higher rates than non-participating sports fans. Social implications: Team fandom may potentially moderate problem behavior among bettors. The betting results indicate being a loyal team fan lowers one's gambling spend per month and largest bet compared to non-loyal bettors. However, the hybrid fan showed significantly higher media consumption levels. Originality/value: Sports fans have more opportunities to interact and engage with their favorite games than ever before. However, consumers have limited amounts of time and money, and this study is one of the first to examine differences in fan interests and behaviors related to sport betting and team loyalty and the resulting viewership and consumption behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using social cognitive theory and notions of sanitized sports violence as a framework, a content analysis of 486 National Football League (NFL) violent penalty calls (unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer) from broadcasts in 2009 and 2019 was conducted. Announcers were largely polarized in their reactions to violent penalties when they were shown on replay. Players were rarely injured and concussions as a key issue were rarely mentioned. Concerns about the effectiveness of NFL rule changes intended to protect players and their influence on announcers' frustration with perceived over-penalization of the game (and audiences as a potential byproduct) are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Football League (NFL) has seen increasing scrutiny regarding its management of concussions, especially following an on-field incident involving the Miami Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the 2022 season. We hope to elucidate the recent trends in the diagnosis and management of concussions during the course of 5 NFL seasons from 2019 to 2023. We queried the NFL injury reports from the 2019 through 2023 database recording players listed with concussions. The weeks missed were calculated using the NFL game logs. Players' concussions that did not occur in the games, those complicated by other injuries, and those affected by roster status were excluded. Searches of the NFL injury reports resulted in the identification of 664 of 692 concussions (96%) that occurred in regular season games across the 2019–2023 seasons. During the course of these 5 seasons, 31% of the players returned without missing a game, 39% of the players missed 1 game, and 30% of the players missed ≥2 games. No significant difference in the number of concussions per game or weeks missed was observed across the seasons observed. Players with concussions on teams that made the playoffs saw fewer weeks missed than those on non–playoff teams (0.86 vs. 1.37; P = 0.002). Since the start of the 2021 NFL season, an increasing incidence of concussions has been noted; however, there was no change observed in the number of weeks missed after the concussions. Trends in the rates of concussions across the seasons remain largely stable, despite increased scrutiny over concussions in the sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From a zemiological perspective, organizations causing social harm in their pursuit of profit is a form of white-collar deviance. In the case of sport and violence committed by athletes outside of the field of play, the structures of professional sport and the decisions made by organizations can impact not only the athletes involved, but victims, potential victims and society at large. Interviewing National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Football League (NFL) front office members and journalists, I explore how teams in both elite professional sports leagues make player evaluation decisions regarding players who have been accused of criminality and violence against women, to assess sport organizations and leagues' role in the violence of athletes. Interviewees noted that the talent of the player, their ability to produce value for the organization, and the potential backlash from fans and media play a pre-eminent role in organizational decision-making. Paired with professional sport's privileging of dominance and aggression by athletes, this talent and production-based sanctioning of players accused of VAW illustrates organizational, league and capitalist sport structures' complicity in continued acts of violence by athletes. Implications for contemporary conceptualizations of deviant leisure and organizational white-collar crime are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transient traumatic neuropraxia of either the brachial plexus or cervical nerve root(s) is commonly described as a "stinger" or "burner" by the athlete. Stingers in American Football commonly occur acutely as isolated injuries; however, concomitant injuries, including cervical spine pathologies, have also been reported. Hypothesis: Among National Football League (NFL) athletes, the incidence rate of stingers is higher during the regular season than during the preseason and among positions with high velocity impacts such as running backs, linebackers, defensive backs, and receivers. Study Design: Retrospective epidemiology study. Level of Evidence: Level 4. Methods: Aggregation of all in-game injuries with a clinical impression of "neck brachial plexus stretch" or "neck brachial plexus compression" entered into the NFL injury surveillance database through the centralized league-wide electronic medical record system over 5 years (2015-2019 seasons). Incidence rates per player-play were calculated and reported. Results: A total of 691 in-game stingers occurred during the study period, with a mean of 138.2 per year. Average single-season injury risk for incident stinger was 3.74% (95% CI, 3.46%-4.05%). The incidence rate was higher during regular season games than during preseason games (12.26 per 100,000 player-plays [11.30-13.31] vs 8.87 [7.31-10.76], P < 0.01, respectively). The highest reported stinger incidence rates were among running backs and linebackers (both >15 per 100,000 player-plays). Among stingers, 76.41% did not miss time. Of those that resulted in time lost from football activities, mean time missed due to injury was 4.79 days (range, 3.17-6.41 days). Concomitant injuries were relatively low (7.09%). Conclusion: In-game stinger incidence was stable across the study period and occurred most frequently in running backs and linebackers. Stingers were more common during the regular season, and most players did not miss time. Concomitant injuries were relatively rare. Clinical Relevance: An improved understanding of the expected time loss due to stinger and concomitant injuries may provide insight for medical personnel in managing these injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social activists sometimes engage in a form of workplace activism that involves using their employer organization as an unofficial platform to communicate social issue messages to external stakeholders. This type of activism follows a different logic from that of more-familiar citizen activism, in which citizens directly target society and its institutions, and that of organizational-change activism, in which employees aim to influence their employer organization. This article develops and tests theory to understand this phenomenon of organization-as-platform activism, using the National Football League "Take a Knee" employee athlete protests as an empirical context. Drawing on past research on social movements and employee activism, we offer a theoretical comparison of these three forms of activism—citizen, organizational-change, and organization-as-platform—to conceptually distinguish them and to theorize factors that uniquely predict the occurrence of platform activism. We find evidence of predictors associated with the attributes of the organizational platform and those of the intended stakeholder audience. Organization-as-platform activism is associated with the accessibility and openness of the organizational platform for messaging use, the visibility of the organizational platform for message transmission, and the receptivity of the targeted stakeholder audience. As employees increasingly bring their non-work identities and beliefs into the workplace, our findings invite new research on the outcomes of platform activism for organizations, the implications of such activism for organizational stakeholder strategy, and the relation between platform activism and employee prosocial voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) football games are presented in a hypercommercialized manner by television broadcast networks through the targeted use of in-game graphics and corporatized content. While commercialized FBS football broadcast components have been analyzed within the frameworks of a hypercommercialized National Collegiate Athletic Association and media institutional logics, an analysis of commentator language has yet to be examined within the larger institutional field of FBS football broadcasts. Utilizing agenda setting and media framing as frameworks, this case study examined the manner in which commentators frame FBS football players as professionals in a hypercommercialized institutional setting. From a sample of 18 FBS bowl games during the 2019–20 season, discourse and thematic analysis reveal that commentators frame FBS football players in the context of their future professional opportunities (i.e., National Football League). The framing of FBS football players as professionals aligns with extant literature examining the broader institutional field of broadcast media and logics pervasive in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as an organization. The commodification of FBS football players as integral components to strategic programmatic content promoting future broadcast programming is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to analyze the diffusion of one sport innovation to forecast a second. Contextualized within the diffusion of innovations theory, this study investigated cumulative business analytics diffusion as an analog for cumulative natural language processing (NLP) diffusion in professional sport. A total of 89 teams of the 123 teams in the Big Four North American men's professional sport leagues contributed: 21 from the National Football League, 23 from the National Basketball Association, 22 from Major League Baseball, and 23 from the National Hockey League. Utilizing an analogous forecasting approach, a discrete derivation of the Bass model was applied to cumulative BA adoption data. Parameters were then extended to predict cumulative NLP adoption. Resulting BA-estimated parameters (p =.0072, q =.3644) determined a close fit to NLP diffusion (root mean square error of approximation = 3.51, mean absolute error = 2.98), thereby validating BA to predict the takeoff and full adoption of NLP. This study illuminates an ongoing and isomorphic process for diffusion of innovations in the professional sport social system and generates a novel application of diffusion of innovations theory to the sport industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existence and justification to the home advantage – the benefit a sports team receives when playing at home – has been studied across sport. The majority of research on this topic is limited to individual leagues in short time frames, which hinders extrapolation and a deeper understanding of possible causes. Using nearly two decades of data from the National Football League (NFL), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and high schools from across the United States, we provide a uniform approach to understanding the home advantage in American football. Our findings suggest home advantage is declining in the NFL and the highest levels of collegiate football, but not in amateur football. This increases the possibility that characteristics of the NCAA and NFL, such as travel improvements and instant replay, have helped level the playing field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on an extensive archive of media texts collected between 2014 and 2019, we trace shifting representations of the National Football League in discourse on painkiller use among its players. We argue that in contrast to earlier eras, an image of the league as an exploitative and corrupt institution has come to the fore. Clustered around the announcement of a series of player lawsuits, these discourses are tempered by the persistence of narratives of personal responsibility and the elision of racial logics that predetermine athletes' subjection to pain and injury. Situating our analysis in the context of the drug wars and the profit motive of the National Football League, we argue that these discourses both reflect and contribute to the workings of racial capitalism across the professional football and pharmaceutical industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined interviews with former National Football League (NFL) players to better understand the role that source credibility plays in concussion and injury communication. The NFL has a complex history with concussions and other injuries, yet has made some recent attempts to improve player safety. Researchers interviewed 10 former NFL players about concussion and injury communication that is league-based, team-based, and teammate-based. The researchers performed a thematic analysis of those interview transcripts with a focus on source credibility and injury communication, finding that while the NFL has attempted to make the game safer, players still struggle to trust the league, which impacts their willingness to accept health information. These findings indicate that NFL players may never find the league truly credible or neutral toward injuries. Further, injury education programs that include greater involvement from teammates may be successful strategies to increasing awareness within the locker room, as players indicated that fellow players can be viewed as more trustworthy sources of information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 80% of National Football League (NFL) retirees experience daily pain. Pain acceptance is an important psychological construct implicated in the intensity of chronic pain, though these findings have not been extended to NFL retirees. Therefore, the current study examined the association between pain acceptance and pain intensity among former NFL athletes. NFL retirees (N = 90) recruited from 2018 to 2019 completed questionnaires that assessed pain, substance use, and NFL career information. Multiple linear regression examined the association between current pain acceptance and pain intensity while adjusting for other risk factors of pain. NFL retirees reported average scores of 33.31 (SD = 10.00), and 2.18 (SD = 2.40) on measures of pain acceptance and pain intensity, respectively. After covariate adjustment, greater pain acceptance (β = −0.538, p <.001) was associated with lower pain intensity. These findings can further inform the behavioral and mental health care of retired NFL athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nanofat is an effective cell therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). However, it has clinical limitations due to its short half-life. We developed Nanofat lysate (NFL) to overcome the defect of Nanofat and explore its anti-OA efficacy and mechanism. Methods: Monoiodoacetate (MIA) was employed to establish rat OA model. For pain assessment, paw withdrawal latency (PWL) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) were evaluated. Degeneration of cartilage was observed by histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. Primary chondrocytes were treated with TNF-α to establish the cellular model of OA. MTT, wound healing, and transwell assays were performed to assess effects of NFL on chondrocytes. RNA-seq, qPCR and Western blot assays were conducted to clarify the mechanism of NFL. Results and Discussion: The animal data showed that PWL and TWL values, Mankin's and OARSI scorings, and the Col2 expression in cartilage were significantly improved in the NFL-treated OA rats. The cellular data showed that NFL significantly improved the proliferation, wound healing, and migration of chondrocytes. The molecular data showed that NFL significantly restored the TNF-α-altered anabolic markers (Sox9, Col2 and ACAN) and catabolic markers (IL6 and Mmp13). The RNA-seq identified that TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling pathway mediated the efficacy of NFL, which was verified by qPCR and Western blot that NFL significantly restored the abnormal expressions of TGFβR2, phosphorylated-Smad2, phosphorylated-Smad2/3, Col2, Mmp13 and Mmp3. After long-term storage, NFL exerted similar effects as its fresh type, indicating its advantage of storability. In sum, NFL was developed as a new therapeutic approach and its anti-OA efficacy and mechanism that mediated by TGF-β-Smad2/3 signaling was determined for the first time. Besides, the storability of NFL provided a substantial advantage than other living cell-based therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American football players consume large quantities of animal-sourced protein in adherence with traditional recommendations to maximize muscle development and athletic performance. This contrasts with dietary guidelines, which recommend reducing meat intake and increasing consumption of plant-based foods to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. The capacity of completely plant-based diets to meet the nutritional needs of American football players has not been studied. This modeling study scaled dietary data from a large cohort following completely plant-based diets to meet the energy requirements of professional American football players to determine whether protein, leucine, and micronutrient needs for physical performance and health were met. The Cunningham equation was used to estimate calorie requirements. Nutrient intakes from the Adventist Health Study 2 were then scaled to this calorie level. Protein values ranged from 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day and leucine values ranged from 3.8–4.1 g/meal at each of four daily meals, therefore meeting and exceeding levels theorized to maximize muscle mass, muscle strength, and muscle protein synthesis, respectively. Plant-based diets scaled to meet the energy needs of professional American football players satisfied protein, leucine, and micronutrient requirements for muscle development and athletic performance. These findings suggest that completely plant-based diets could bridge the gap between dietary recommendations for chronic disease prevention and athletic performance in American football players. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Grey matter loss is thought to be the primary reason of cognitive disability in MS, with trans-synaptic axonal degeneration acting a supportive role. This research sought to evaluate cognitive profile of Egyptian multiple sclerosis patients and find out if it has a correlation with serum neurofilament or not. Methods: This was a cross-sectional research performed on a total of 60 patients with MS and 30 healthy controls. BICAMS battery of neuropsychological tests was used which includes SDMT, CVLT and BVMT. Serum NFLs using ELISA technique. Results: Mean ± SD of NFL in RRMS was 82.25 ± 170.9, in PPMS was 22.08 ± 7.26, in SPMS was 95.82 ± 187.5, and in control group was 56.65 ± 125.4, there was high statistical substantial variations among the different groups while there was non-statistical variation between RRMS and PPMS groups, also there was no variation between PPMS and SPMS with regard to serum level of NFL. There is no significant correlation between the NFL and different cognitive tests. Conclusion: Since sNfL did not strongly connect with cognitive function in MS patients, it is possible that it cannot be used as a substitute indicator for neuropsychological state in these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether plasma biomarkers can help to diagnose, differentiate from Alzheimer disease (AD), and stage cognitive performance in patients with positron emission tomography (PET)-confirmed primary age-related tauopathy, termed tau-first cognitive proteinopathy (TCP) in this study. In this multi-center study, we enrolled 285 subjects with young-onset AD (YOAD; n = 55), late-onset AD (LOAD; n = 96), TCP (n = 44), and cognitively unimpaired controls (CTL; n = 90) and analyzed plasma Aβ42/Aβ40, pTau181, neurofilament light (NFL), and total-tau using single-molecule assays. Amyloid and tau centiloids reflected pathological burden, and hippocampal volume reflected structural integrity. Receiver operating characteristic curves and areas under the curves (AUCs) were used to determine the diagnostic accuracy of plasma biomarkers compared to hippocampal volume and amyloid and tau centiloids. The Mini-Mental State Examination score (MMSE) served as the major cognitive outcome. Logistic stepwise regression was used to assess the overall diagnostic accuracy, combining fluid and structural biomarkers and a stepwise linear regression model for the significant variables for MMSE. For TCP, tau centiloid reached the highest AUC for diagnosis (0.79), while pTau181 could differentiate TCP from YOAD (accuracy 0.775) and LOAD (accuracy 0.806). NFL reflected the clinical dementia rating in TCP, while pTau181 (rho = 0.3487, p = 0.03) and Aβ42/Aβ40 (rho = −0.36, p = 0.02) were significantly correlated with tau centiloid. Hippocampal volume (unstandardized β = 4.99, p = 0.01) outperformed all of the fluid biomarkers in predicting MMSE scores in the TCP group. Our results support the superiority of tau PET to diagnose TCP, pTau181 to differentiate TCP from YOAD or LOAD, and NFL for functional staging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigates clinical and biomarker differences between standard interval dosing (SID) and extended interval dosing (EID) of ocrelizumab therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: This is a prospective, double-arm, open-label, multi-center study in Denmark. Participants diagnosed with MS on ocrelizumab therapy >12 months were included (n = 184). Clinical, radiological, and blood-based biomarker outcomes were evaluated. MRI disease activity, relapses, worsening of neurostatus, and No Evidence of Disease Activity-3 (NEDA-3) were used as a combined endpoint. Results: Out of 184 participants, 107 participants received EID (58.2%), whereas 77 participants received SID (41.8%). The average extension was 9 weeks with a maximum of 78 weeks. When comparing EID to SID, we found higher levels of B-cells, lower serum concentrations of ocrelizumab, and similar levels of age-adjusted NFL and GFAP in the two groups. No difference in NEDA-3 between EID and SID was demonstrated (hazard ratio: 1.174, p = 0.69). Higher levels of NFL were identified in participants with disease activity. Body mass index correlated with levels of ocrelizumab and B-cells. Conclusion: Extending one treatment interval of ocrelizumab on average 9 weeks and up to 78 weeks did not result in clinical, radiological, or biomarker evidence of worsening compared with SID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of research focused on athlete activism and social movements in the sport literature. One lineage of research examined consumer perceptions and reactions to these movements. Such discussions, however, generally concentrate on detecting changes in consumer behaviors rather than understanding the nuance in those changing behaviors. The present study advances the literature by considering how two potential factors – the size of protests and the geographic proximity consumers have to a protest – impact attendance at NFL games. The present study utilizes social protests carried out by professional American football players in 2016–2017 to measure the number of workers who participated in the protests. Specifically, estimations of Tobit and fixed-effects regressions from 1003 games examine whether protests conducted by NFL players impact attendance in local markets. Findings from all estimated models suggest that as the number of players who participated in the protests increased, there was a decline in NFL attendance. Moreover, consumers were sensitive only to protests occurring within their own local market, indicating consumers tended to react to protests for teams located in the same city. Scholars argue that for social movements to be successful in disrupting organizations, many participants are needed. In response to this point, the present research extends the research in sport-based social movements by developing further understanding of how they impact consumer behaviors, and thus affect the management of sport organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Federated learning (FL) is a promising approach for learning a model from data distributed on massive clients without exposing data privacy. It works effectively in the ideal federation where clients share homogeneous data distribution and learning behavior. However, FL may fail to function appropriately when the federation is not ideal, amid an unhealthy state called Negative Federated Learning (NFL), in which most clients gain no benefit from participating in FL. Many studies have tried to address NFL. However, their solutions either (1) predetermine to prevent NFL in the entire learning life-cycle or (2) tackle NFL in the aftermath of numerous learning rounds. Thus, they either (1) indiscriminately incur extra costs even if FL can perform well without such costs or (2) waste numerous learning rounds. Additionally, none of the previous work takes into account the clients who may be unwilling/unable to follow the proposed NFL solutions when using those solutions to upgrade an FL system in use. This paper introduces FL-GUARD, a holistic framework that can be employed on any FL system for tackling NFL in a run-time paradigm. That is, to dynamically detect NFL at the early stage (tens of rounds) of learning and then to activate recovery measures when necessary. Specifically, we devise a cost-effective NFL detection mechanism, which relies on an estimation of performance gain on clients. Only when NFL is detected, we activate the NFL recovery process, in which each client learns in parallel an adapted model when training the global model. Extensive experiment results confirm the effectiveness of FL-GUARD in detecting NFL and recovering from NFL to a healthy learning state. We also show that FL-GUARD is compatible with previous NFL solutions and robust against clients unwilling/unable to take any recovery measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic glycolysis, or the Warburg effect, is used by cancer cells for proliferation while producing lactate. Although lactate production has wide implications for cancer progression, it is not known how this effect increases cell proliferation and relates to oxidative phosphorylation. Here, we elucidate that a negative feedback loop (NFL) is responsible for the Warburg effect. Further, we show that aerobic glycolysis works as an amplifier of oxidative phosphorylation. On the other hand, quiescence is an important property of cancer stem cells. Based on the NFL, we show that both aerobic glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, playing a synergistic role, are required to achieve cell quiescence. Further, our results suggest that the cells in their hypoxic niche are highly proliferative yet close to attaining quiescence by increasing their NADH/NAD+ ratio through the severity of hypoxia. The findings of this study can help in a better understanding of the link among metabolism, cell cycle, carcinogenesis, and stemness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, but prevalence estimates in former professional athletes are limited. HUDDLE (Heart Health: Understanding and Diagnosing Disease by Leveraging Echocardiograms) aimed to raise awareness and estimate the prevalence of CVD and associated risk factors among members of the National Football League (NFL) Alumni Association and their families through education and screening events. HUDDLE was a multicity, cross-sectional study of NFL alumni and family members aged 50 years and older. Subjects reported their health history and participated in CVD education and screening (blood pressure, electrocardiogram, and transthoracic echocardiogram [TTE] assessments). Phone follow-up by investigators occurred 30 days postscreening to review results and recommendations. This analysis focuses on former NFL athletes. Of 498 participants screened, 57.2% (N = 285) were former NFL players, the majority of whom were African American (67.6%). The prevalence of hypertension among NFL alumni was estimated to be 89.8%, though only 37.5% reported a history of hypertension. Of 285 evaluable participants, 61.8% had structural cardiac abnormalities by TTE. Multivariable analysis showed that hypertension was a significant predictor of clinically relevant structural abnormalities on TTE. HUDDLE identified a large discrepancy between participant self-awareness and actual prevalence of CVD and risk factors, highlighting a significant opportunity for population health interventions. Structural cardiac abnormalities were observed in most participants and were independently predicted by hypertension, affirming the role of TTE for CVD screening in this population aged older than 50 years. (Heart Health: Understanding and Diagnosing Disease by Leveraging Echocardiograms [HUDDLE]; NCT05009589) [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sporadic cerebral amyloid angiopathy (sCAA) is a disease characterised by the progressive deposition of the amyloid beta (Aβ) in the cerebral vasculature, capable of causing a variety of symptoms, from (mild) cognitive impairment, to micro- and major haemorrhagic lesions. Modern diagnosis of sCAA relies on radiological detection of late-stage hallmarks of disease, complicating early diagnosis and potential interventions in disease progression. Our goal in this study was to identify and validate novel biomarkers for sCAA. Methods: We performed a proximity extension assay (PEA) on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples of sCAA/control participants (n = 34/51). Additionally, we attempted to validate the top candidate biomarker in CSF and serum samples (n = 38/26) in a largely overlapping validation cohort, through analysis with a targeted immunoassay. Results: Thirteen proteins were differentially expressed through PEA, with top candidate NFL significantly increased in CSF of sCAA patients (p < 0.0001). Validation analyses using immunoassays revealed increased CSF and serum NFL levels in sCAA patients (both p < 0.0001) with good discrimination between sCAA and controls (AUC: 0.85; AUC: 0.79 respectively). Additionally, the CSF: serum NFL ratio was significantly elevated in sCAA (p = 0.002). Discussion: Large-scale targeted proteomics screening of CSF of sCAA patients and controls identified thirteen biomarker candidates for sCAA. Orthogonal validation of NFL identified NFL in CSF and serum as biomarker, capable of differentiating between sCAA patients and controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In American football, a pass rush is an attempt by the defensive team to disrupt the offense and prevent the quarterback (QB) from completing a pass. Existing metrics for assessing pass rush performance are either discrete-time quantities or based on subjective judgment. Using player tracking data, we propose STRAIN, a novel metric for evaluating pass rushers in the National Football League (NFL) at the continuous-time within-play level. Inspired by the concept of strain rate in materials science, STRAIN is a simple and interpretable means for measuring defensive pressure in football. It is a directly observed statistic as a function of two features: the distance between the pass rusher and QB, and the rate at which this distance is being reduced. Our metric possesses great predictability of pressure and stability over time. We also fit a multilevel model for STRAIN to understand the defensive pressure contribution of every pass rusher at the play-level. We apply our approach to NFL data and present results for the first eight weeks of the 2021 regular season. In particular, we provide comparisons of STRAIN for different defensive positions and play outcomes, and rankings of the NFL's best pass rushers according to our metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both adult civilian and military populations. Currently, diagnostic and prognostic methods are limited to imaging and clinical findings. Biomarker measurements offer a potential method to assess head injuries and help predict outcomes, which has a potential benefit to the military, particularly in the deployed setting where imaging modalities are limited. We determine how biomarkers such as ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), S100B, neurofilament light chain (NFL), and tau proteins can offer important information to guide the diagnosis, acute management, and prognosis of TBI, specifically in military personnel. Materials and Methods We performed a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature using online databases of Google Scholar and PubMed. We included articles published between 1988 and 2022. Results We screened a total of 73 sources finding a total of 39 original research studies that met inclusion for this review. We found five studies that focused on GFAP, four studies that focused on UCH-L1, eight studies that focused on tau proteins, six studies that focused on NFL, and eight studies that focused on S100B. The remainder of the studies included more than one of the biomarkers of interest. Conclusions TBI occurs frequently in the military and civilian settings with limited methods to diagnose and prognosticate outcomes. We highlighted several promising biomarkers for these purposes including S100B, UCH-L1, NFL, GFAP, and tau proteins. S100B and UCH-L1 appear to have the strongest data to date, but further research is necessary. The robust data that explain the optimal timing and, more importantly, trending of these biomarker measurements are necessary before widespread application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: .Serum neurofilament light chain (NFL) has been the subject of intensive research as a potential biomarker of treatment response as well as prognosis among multiple sclerosis cases because it can reflect disease activity in the clinical follow up of these patients and measured in serum. Aim: to assess serum NFL in MS cases and its relation with disease severity & magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) finding in these patients. Subjects and methods: Fifty MS patients were included in a case-control research conducted at three hospitals in Egypt: Zagazig University Hospital, ALMabara Hospital for Health Insurance in Zagazig, and Mansoura New General Hospital. Diagnosis of MS was done according to Modified McDonald criteria. Patients were divided into 25 patients with relapsing--remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), 18 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), 7 patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) & 25 sex and age matched healthy controls. Results: There is a statistical significance increase serum NFL among cases than control group and a significance increase of Serum NFL among RRMS than SPMS and PPMS groups. Conclusion: The results showed that NFL levels were associated with disease severity as assessed by Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) as well as MRI findings in MS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recognizing potential ramifications for employees who protest in the workplace, researchers rarely explore the career consequences that stem from such instances of workplace protest participation. We integrated research on employee activism, workplace deviance, and careers to theorize that workplace protest represents a perceived deviation from workplace norms that can influence an individual's organizational and labor market mobility outcomes. We investigated this premise with the 2016 National Football League "take a knee" protests as a strategic research setting. The results indicate that protesting is associated with an increase in organizational exit although this effect is moderated by the degree to which the organization is sensitive to the underlying social movement (with an organization's movement sensitivity operationalized with a four-part index composed of the team's managers, personnel decision makers, owners, and customers). Protesting also is associated with labor market sorting across organizations as players who protest are more likely to make subsequent transitions to more movement-sensitive teams compared with players who do not protest. Overall, our findings offer contributions for research on employee activism, workplace deviance, and careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease (AD) had high failure rates for several reasons, including the lack of biological endpoints. Fluid-based biomarkers may present a solution to measure biologically relevant endpoints. It is currently unclear to what extent fluid-based biomarkers are applied to support drug development. Methods: We systematically reviewed 272 trials (clinicaltrials.gov) with disease-modifying therapies starting between 01–01-2017 and 01–01-2024 and identified which CSF and/or blood-based biomarker endpoints were used per purpose and trial type. Results: We found that 44% (N = 121) of the trials employed fluid-based biomarker endpoints among which the CSF ATN biomarkers (Aβ (42/40), p/tTau) were used most frequently. In blood, inflammatory cytokines, NFL, and pTau were most frequently employed. Blood- and CSF-based biomarkers were used approximately equally. Target engagement biomarkers were used in 26% (N = 72) of the trials, mainly in drugs targeting inflammation and amyloid. Lack of target engagement markers is most prominent in synaptic plasticity/neuroprotection, neurotransmitter receptor, vasculature, epigenetic regulators, proteostasis and, gut-brain axis targeting drugs. Positive biomarker results did not always translate to cognitive effects, most commonly the small significant reductions in CSF tau isoforms that were seen following anti-Tau treatments. On the other hand, the positive anti-amyloid trials results on cognitive function were supported by clear effect in most fluid markers. Conclusions: As the field moves towards primary prevention, we expect an increase in the use of fluid-based biomarkers to determine disease modification. Use of blood-based biomarkers will rapidly increase, but CSF markers remain important to determine brain-specific treatment effects. With improving techniques, new biomarkers can be found to diversify the possibilities in measuring treatment effects and target engagement. It remains important to interpret biomarker results in the context of the trial and be aware of the performance of the biomarker. Diversifying biomarkers could aid in the development of surrogacy biomarkers for different drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Certain demyelinating disorders, such as neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOGAD) exhibit serum autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (αAQP4) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (αMOG). The variability of the autoantibody presentation warrants further research into subtyping each case. Methods: To elucidate the relationship between astroglial and neuronal protein concentrations in the peripheral circulation with occurrence of these autoantibodies, 86 serum samples were analyzed using immunoassays. The protein concentration of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light chain (NFL) and tau protein was measured in 3 groups of subcategories of suspected NMOSD: αAQP4 positive (n = 20), αMOG positive (n = 32) and αMOG/αAQP4 seronegative (n = 34). Kruskal-Wallis analysis, univariate predictor analysis, and multivariate logistic regression with ROC curves were performed. Results: GFAP and NFL concentrations were significantly elevated in the αAQP4 positive group (p = 0.003; p = 0.042, respectively), and tau was elevated in the αMOG/αAQP4 seronegative group (p < 0.001). A logistic regression model to classify serostatus was able to separate αAQP4 seropositivity using GFAP + tau, and αMOG seropositivity using tau. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) were 0.77 and 0.72, respectively. Finally, a combined seropositivity versus negative status logistic regression model was generated, with AUC = 0.80. Conclusion: The 3 markers can univariately and multivariately classify with moderate accuracy the samples with seropositivity and seronegativity for αAQP4 and αMOG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sports media landscape has shifted to favor outlets with inside access to sports organizations, teams, and athletes. This study interviews 21 NFL in-house reporters working at 19 official team websites to determine how they view their roles as sports journalists, including ethical standards and shifts in media boundaries. Qualitative interviews uncovered that cultivating a positive team image and protecting the interests of stakeholders supersede the production of objective news stories, even from those who started their careers as external sports reporters. Internal reporters are often conflicted with their roles in the sports media ecosystem. Additionally, interviews reveal their efforts to maintain a balancing act between the established ideals of journalism with the positive spin that accompanies public relations. The present study illuminates how such positions both mirror and diverge from the expectations typically placed within sports journalism, while offering fruitful avenues for subsequent scholarly investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To clarify the role of Eomesodermin (EOMES) to serve as a disease‐relevant biomarker and the intracellular molecules underlying the immunophenotype shifting of CD4+T subsets in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: The derivation and validation cohorts included a total of 148 ALS patients and 101 healthy controls (HCs). Clinical data and peripheral blood were collected. T‐cell subsets and the EOMES expression were quantified using multicolor flow cytometry. Serum neurofilament light chain (NFL) was measured. In 1‐year longitudinal follow‐ups, the ALSFRS‐R scores and primary endpoint events were further recorded in the ALS patients of the validation cohort. Results: In the derivation cohort, the CD4+EOMES+T‐cell subsets were significantly increased (p < 0.001). EOMES+ subset was positively correlated with increased serum NFL levels in patients with onset longer than 12 months. In the validation cohort, the elevated CD4+EOMES+T‐cell proportions and their association with NFL levels were also identified. The longitudinal study revealed that ALS patients with higher EOMES expression were associated with higher progression rates (p =.010) and worse prognosis (p =.003). Conclusions: We demonstrated that increased CD4+EOMES+T‐cell subsets in ALS were associated with disease progression and poor prognosis. Identifying these associations may contribute to a better understanding of the immunopathological mechanism of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Muscle injuries are the most common sports-related injuries, with hamstring involvement most common in professional athletes. These injuries can lead to significant time lost from play and have a high risk of reinjury. We review the anatomy, mechanisms of injury, diagnostic imaging modalities, and treatment techniques for hamstring injuries. We also present the latest evidence related to return to play (RTP) after hamstring injuries, including a review of articles targeted to RTP in European soccer (Union of European Football Associations), American football (National Football League), and other professional sports. Review of imaging findings in hamstring injury, grading systems for injuries, considerations for RTP, as well as advances in injury prevention, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Demonstrate proof-of-concept for conducting NFL Draft trades on a blockchain network using smart contracts. Design/methodology/approach: Using Ethereum smart contracts, the authors model several types of draft trades between teams. An example scenario is used to demonstrate contract interaction and draft results. Findings: The authors show the feasibility of conducting draft-day trades using smart contracts. The entire negotiation process, including side deals, can be conducted digitally. Research limitations/implications: Further work is required to incorporate the full-scale depth required to integrate the draft trading process into a decentralized user platform and experience. Practical implications: Cutting time for the trade negotiation process buys decision time for team decision-makers. Gains are also made with accuracy and cost. Social implications: Full-scale adoption may find resistance due to the level of fan involvement; the draft has evolved into an interactive experience for both fans and teams. Originality/value: This research demonstrates the new application of smart contracts in the inter-section of sports management and blockchain technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare four different consumer pathway models based on identity theory, attitude/loyalty theory, lifestyle theory and hierarchy of effects theory, each with associated instruments measuring connection to the team. Design/methodology/approach: The authors did a two-study analysis, first collecting data from people aware of an NFL team (N = 218) and then an MLS team (N = 209) to determine which connection item performed better. Findings: The authors found that the Consumer Pathway for Sport Fandom based on the hierarchy of effects theory and its associated interest measurement item performed better than the other three frameworks and items. The Interest item shared the most variance with games attended, games intending to attend, games watched via media and games intending to watch via media. Originality/value: The Consumer Pathway for Sport Fandom represents the entire consumer spectrum from non-aware consumers all the way up to die-hard sports fans. This pathway will allow sport marketers to track their consumers from initial awareness of the product or service all the way through the brand relationship to ultimate loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We draw on the behavioral theory of the firm and prospect theory to examine how performance feedback (decision context) and the characteristics of the alternatives (decision content) that decision makers face jointly determine organizational risk-taking choices. While the behavioral theory of the firm has identified performance feedback's important role in driving organizational risk-taking decisions, it has not considered the intrinsic attributes of alternatives, specifically the magnitude and likelihood of their outcomes, which have been the focus of prospect theory. We argue that these two attributes play a key role in decision makers' assessment of alternatives, but because achieving organizational goals is the prime objective in organizations, performance feedback drives how decision makers process information regarding these attributes. Analyzing 23,895 fourth-down decisions from the U.S. National Football League, we find that decision makers weigh attainment discrepancy and the magnitude and likelihood of outcomes in their choices, depending on deadline proximity. Furthermore, the size and valence of attainment discrepancy modify the weight of the magnitude and likelihood of outcomes in risky choices. Our arguments and findings suggest extensions to the behavioral theory of the firm and imply modifications to prospect theory when applied to the organizational context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study analyzes the crisis response strategies used by the National Football League (NFL) in its external communications to address the concussion crisis spanning 2015–2020. The analysis focuses on describing the crisis communication strategies and tactics used by the league. Situational crisis communication theory provides the theoretical framework for analyzing the NFL's crisis response strategies. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted of 25 publications published by the NFL on nflcommunications.com, with findings indicating that the NFL focused on the primary crisis strategies of rebuilding and diminishing while employing tactics such as organizational change and shared responsibility. The findings revealed in this case study also highlight a discrepancy between the theoretical ground of situational crisis communication theory and the application of crisis response strategies in a real-life organizational crisis facing a professional sports league. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study sought to explore the prevalence of uncivil discourse surrounding the Washington NFL team's removal of offensive Native American imagery and later rebranding as the Washington Commanders. The study employed a quantitative content analysis to assess comment sections of news stories on a sports blog between 2014 and 2022. In addition to uncivil discourse, contextual elements such as popularity, reciprocity, and directionality of incivility were also examined. Dovetailing with existing research, roughly one quarter of all comments featured an element of uncivil discourse, with derogatory slurs toward Native Americans being particularly common. Additionally, contextual elements served important roles in the facilitation of incivility. Taken together, the results point to some of the antisocial behavior that can occur in seemingly innocuous online spaces that often reflect broader social and political turmoil related to Native American imagery in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Events such as player protests can create image crises that require sport organizations to engage in political issues. In this manuscript, we blend image repair theory with the social identity approach to leadership to advance knowledge about how sport organizations communicate in response to crises. Applying a discursive social psychology framework to analyze 21 NFL communications and interview statements, we explored how the NFL's rhetoric evolved in response to the 2016–2020 national anthem and Black Lives Matter protests. The NFL augmented its traditionally militarized patriot identity as the crisis progressed, to address the social change issues raised by protestors. We show that sport organizations use rhetoric to mobilize support for their version of events to manage threats to organizational image. Accordingly, we provide theoretical and managerial implications arguing that apolitical identities are increasingly untenable in sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION: Open fractures are potentially devastating injuries for the professional athlete. We sought to compare return to sports (RTS) and performance in National Football League (NFL) athletes sustaining open versus closed fractures. METHODS: NFL athletes with surgically treated open and closed fractures of the forearm, tibial shaft, and ankle from 2009-2018 were identified through publicly available reports and records. Data including demographics, RTS, career duration, and the approximate value performance metric before and after injury were collected. Statistical analyses were performed comparing open to closed injuries. Continuous variables were compared using Mann-Whitney U or two sample t- tests while categorical variables were compared using Fishers exact test. RESULTS: Ninety-five athletes met inclusion criteria (10 open and 85 closed fractures). Overall, 90% (n = 9) returned to sport after an open injury and 83.5% (n = 71) returned after closed injury with a median time missed of 48.9 (range 35.1 - 117.4) weeks and 43.0 (range 2.4 - 108.0) weeks, respectively. Athletes undergoing forearm surgery were able to return sooner, at around 20.8 weeks, and ankle fractures conferred the lowest return rate at 80% (n = 48). There were no significant differences in career duration and post-injury performance between open or closed fracture cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Although open fractures are relatively uncommon injuries seen in NFL athletes, our study suggests RTS for these players is high. Athletes undergoing surgical treatment for open fractures had similar RTS rates, performance metrics, and career durations compared to those with comparable closed fractures. This information can provide guidance for providers counseling elite athletes on postoperative expectations.