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NFL Social Justice Report Card

As controversies regarding kneeling as a form of protest have receded from global headlines, little has been written about what those same athletes and organizations are doing now regarding the issues at the heart of the demonstrations. Following up on the efforts at initiating social change, the NFL has increased community outreach. We were curious about the actual impact the NFL was having in this “2.0” phase of athlete activism.

Athlete Education

“Every athlete dies twice” is one of those long–existing, unattributed quotes with powerful meaning. Whenever the College Football Playoff has been won or NCAA March Madness is over, most of these college athletes are finished with an activity that has captured much of their lives.

Athlete Transitions

Collegiate and professional athlete transitions are not like other transitions out of other fields due to the intense level of identity and connectedness that goes with being a serious athlete and those who focus entirely on being an athlete (identity foreclosure).

Seed Grant Awardee: Weiheng Xu

A recent study by Boston University suggests that 99 percent of the deceased National Football League (NFL) players were diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease that is often associated with repetitive brain trauma.

Seed Grant Awardee: Connor Sheehan

One potential intervention that could potentially reduce poor sleep of American adolescents is engagement in sports and exercise. Recent research suggests that exercising contributes to physical and mental health as well as enhances sleep quality in adolescents (Biddle & Asare, 2011; Lang et al., 2016), indicating exercise may serve as an effective intervention to improve adolescents’ sleep and health (Callaghan, 2004).

Seed Grant Awardee: Bradley Adame

Concussions represent a public health issue with consequences that reach far beyond the initial injury and affect nearly every aspect of the injured SA’s life. Typical education programs teach athletes how to recognize signs of brain injury and weakly advocate general injury mitigation strategies.

Field Studies: A 10-Season Snapshot of NFL Coaching Hires

The Global Sport Institute, with the help of the Paul Robeson Center for Innovative Academic and Athletic Prowess at the University of Central Florida, sought to answer one question: What can we say about the NFL’s hiring of coaches of color?

Walking on Water, a Brief History on Black Surfers

Walking on Water: a Brief History on Black Surfers won the grand prize in the inaugural Race and Sport Around the Globe Short Documentary Competition, sponsored by the Global Sport Insitute.

Seed Grant Awardee: Jorge Caviedes

In this project we propose immersive biofeedback for spinal fitness training and rehab therapy exercise based on a 3D visualization of an athlete-specific, anatomically correct spine model that is animated by wireless sensors.