Sports Journalism Content When No Sports Occur: Framing Athletics Amidst the COVID-19 International Pandemic.

On March 11, 2020, the National Basketball Association suspended its season after a player tested positive for COVID-19. Within days, the rest of the sports world similarly suspended play in the wake of the pandemic. This study focuses on sports media storytelling when covering athletic competition was no longer an option. Utilizing four distinct time periods and framing theory as the foundation of our theoretical framework, the content analysis examined shifts from the normal reporting routine and how those shifts morphed as pandemic information dictated. As the pandemic grew more widespread, health and safety became the predominant focus of national sports media. In spring 2020, sports news experienced a significant shift in coverage as economic and fairness frames were replaced with health, safety, and quality of life as the principal frames in the coded articles. By pinpointing the major differences in coverage across time, the study revealed that sports content and frames quickly shifted to reflect the perceived severity to the global health community, while the sources used in those articles stayed largely the same. The theoretical and applied implications of the study are discussed.

Disclosure Catalysts in Student Disclosures of Personal Health Information to College Instructors.

College students often struggle with the decision to disclose personal health information to their instructors. Students have to weigh the benefits and risks of disclosing personal health information to their instructors. Guided by Communication Privacy Management Theory, this study examined the motivating factors that contribute to students' disclosure of personal health information to their instructors. Undergraduate students (N = 52) participated in focus groups that discussed disclosing personal health information to faculty. Findings indicated that three motivating factors drive students' disclosure of personal health information to instructors: (a) grades, (b) relational development and investment, and (c) a desire to save face with their instructors. These motivations have implications for how students and faculty communicate about personal health information.

An Analysis of Factors That Influence Students to Pursue Immunology.

One considers many factors before choosing a career path, such as interest, accessibility of resources, academic ability, and social network support. As employment around the world in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines continues to increase, there is a need to understand why students select specific majors in an effort to increase overall enrollment and retention of STEM majors. The purpose of this study was to elucidate how undergraduate and graduate students were introduced to immunology, a STEM discipline, and how these experiences influenced their desire to pursue immunology as a major. The findings from this study show that a majority of both immunology and nonimmunology majors were initially exposed to immunology through an educational experience compared with a personal experience. Our data also indicate that the timing of the experience is critical, such that an educational experience at an advanced academic level, for example, in college, or a personal experience as a teen or young adult correlated with the decision to pursue an immunology degree. Moreover, graduate students studying immunology report that having research experiences and/or an experience with a mentor positively influenced their decision to pursue immunology. Overall, the findings from this research highlight the type and timing of exposures that influence individuals to major in the field of immunology, and these data can be used in the future to increase the number of immunology graduates.