Articles

With numerous unique physical, mental, psychological, and emotional challenges associated with being a university-level student-athlete, it can be assumed that student-athletes may be at great risk of mental health conditions such as burnout. Burnout results from the interaction of three different elements: physical or emotional exhaustion, sport devaluation, and reduced athletic accomplishment. This study sought to answer the following research questions: (1) <i>Why do student-athletes experience burnout in their sport</i>?, and (2) <i>What can be done to avoid burnout</i>? using standard qualitative interviewing techniques of a Division I Women’s Soccer coach. There were two prominent themes answering research question 1: <i>Perfection and Performative Social Media</i> and <i>It’s a Job and Coach is the Boss</i>. There were three prominent themes identified answering research question 2: <i>Parental Influence</i>, <i>De-Professionalize Amateur</i><i><b> </b></i><i>Sport</i>, and <i>Value </i><i>Athletes’</i><i> Time</i>. Where this work differs from other qualitative studies regarding athlete burnout, is that it explores the perceptions and opinions of a coach. The coach interviewed for this study clearly expressed concerns for his student-athletes and their holistic well-being. In addition to a continuation of scholarship through the student-athletes lens, more research conducted exploring the perspectives of coaches, parents, and institutional administrators in pursuit of solutions to mitigating the effect of burnout on student-athletes is of value.

Sports injuries among student-athletes in high schools have become prevalent in most developing countries such as Ghana. In identifying the prevailing injuries among senior high student-athletes in the Akuapem municipality, a descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used. A total of 610 student-athletes were purposely selected for the study to respond to the DEMASS inventory questionnaire regarding their opinion on the prevailing sports injuries. The results indicated that wounds (67.8%), knee injury (65.1%), muscle cramps (56.1%), and thigh injury (55.1%) were prevailing in S.H.S tournament than sprain (37.8%), strain (32.0%), dislocation (30.0%), fracture (31.3%), nose bleeding (31.3%) and groin injuries (23.1%). Participants who played more games professed that the number of games played contributed to sustaining sprain, strain, dislocation, and nose bleeding. Further studies should be carried out at other places and districts to uncover more about injuries sustained during high school sports competitions to minimize their occurrence.

Sport is an art form. Every athlete thinks, creates, obeys rules, plans, and produces tangible results. Like most art forms, basketball for learning, monitoring, and understanding the sport requires all five senses. With the same logic by which an architect plans to build a building, the basketball team prepares for the game mode, the systems, which they will have in a match. In summary the players and the coaching staff think before they do. For this reason, in basketball it is important to create a philosophy and a system of values in the team. Values such as trust, solidarity, cooperation, ambition, consistency are important for building the mindset among stakeholders for the successful course of the team and for titles. Finally, sport produces knowledge. Basketball is an evolving and progressive sport. Adapting to modern requirements, studying, and monitoring new trends. For example, the specialization of players in Shoot, in speed in, power, strong, results in an increase in the ability of players to man-to-man attacks. On the other hand, the defensive function of both individual and team needs to deepen the proper treatment of powerful offensive players.