Global Sport Business Journal

Abstract
On March 12, 2020, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made the decision to cancel the coveted men’s and women’s basketball tournaments over growing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Using Schlossberg’s (1981) Model of Analyzing Human Adaptation to Transition, the purpose of this study was to examine how men’s and women’s Division I basketball athletes in their final year of eligibility internalized the non-normative transition brought on by COVID-19. A content analysis of photos posted on Instagram by Division I basketball athletes on AP top 25 rosters was conducted. The 246 photographs revealed that the majority of basketball athletes posted color images that predominantly featured the sample in athletic uniforms and in groups (e.g., team, coaches) which emphasized a strong athletic identity. Through analysis of the images, it can be inferred that the sample viewed this non-normative transition as a loss.
Recommended Citation
Paule-Koba, Amanda L.; Stokowski, Sarah; Kaunert, Chelsea; and Fridley, Alison
(2021)
"March Sadness: A content analysis of Division I men's and women's basketball athletes' Instagram posts following the cancellation of the NCAA basketball tournament,"
Global Sport Business Journal: Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/gsbj/vol9/iss1/3
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