Andrew Barker's Class Blog

Monday, September 17, 2007

9/17/07 Post Replacing Class

So today we don't have class because it is the 75th anniversary of SILS. Congratulations to this program on reaching a significant milestone--this is the program that is ranked near the top nationally and they deserve a lot of credit.

Instead of class, I did a information search session today on my topic of the Family Economics of D1 Scholarships. It is going to be tough to find information on such a specific topic, however I have had some success. Using the new search engine tools I have been able to find a small amount of information related to my topic. However, there isn't a lot of information directly related to my exact topic. There is a good deal of information out there on NCAA D1 scholarships and on families, but hopefully by the end of the semester I can have the best index out there on the Family Economics of D1 Scholarships. The place where I have been able to find the largest amount of information is thru the Ejournal finder which searches research papers, there is more information out there in professional journals rather than specific books or websites. Hopefully my research progress can continue at this rate--so far, so good.

Research Topic Change

Quick explanation:

After much consideration, debate, and research, I have chosen the topic of the economic impact and repercussions on the family and the potential student-athlete of obtaining an athletic scholarship and the collective effort of the family in ascertaining this goal. Families sacrifice a great deal for their kids’ athletic careers whether it is investments in travel, personal trainers, or year round teams or practice squads. I’m interested in all that is sacrificed with regards to the potential gain of a $25,000 per year scholarship (at UNC in the revenue sports, for example) and how the family is affected economically. Does the family come out on top economically in the end, or was this time wasted in an economic sense?

Your research question
-What are the economic effects on a family of a child getting a Division 1 athletic scholarship?
-What are the economic trade-offs associated with a child attaining this goal?
-What specifically goes into (financial investments) a child obtaining a scholarship?
-Are richer prospective athletes targeted by D1 coaches in an effort to keep their budget down as they won’t receive a full scholarship?

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Research Topic for INLS200

Current Topic: An in depth analysis of the 2007-08 college football season.

Primary question: Why does D1 NCAA football not have a playoff?

Sub questions: What are the economic repurcussions of a playoff?
What is the ACC's and UNC's respective perspective in regards to a playoff?

Edit for exercise III:

Physical: I used all my known resources to scan the internets and locate all I could in regards to discussion specific to Division I college football and a playoff. I looked at a lot of sites that I know are vast in college football resources.

Affective: I feel fantastic. I was able to locate a good deal of information in regards to my topic.

Cognitive: I think that I was able to do a pretty good job--this was a good time to get my feet wet and dive into the abyss that is the internets. I can't wait to do more researching and get better at finding information about my topic.

Monday, August 27, 2007

And it begins. First post for now.