Air Quality Is Predictive of Mistakes in Professional Baseball and American Football.

Air quality is a growing environmental concern that has implications for human physical and mental health. While air pollution has been linked to cognitive disease progression and declines in overall health, the impacts of air quality on athletic performance have not been extensively investigated. Much of the previous research focused on endurance sports indicates that air quality negatively impacts athletic performance; however, the effects of air quality on non-endurance elite team performance remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of air quality on errors committed by Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, interceptions thrown by quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL), and overall quarterback performance in the NFL. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the impact of the median air quality index (AQI) of counties with MLB and NFL teams on errors, interceptions, and overall quarterback performance of players on those MLB and NFL teams. AQI was a significant positive predictor of errors and interceptions, indicating increased errors and interceptions with decreased air quality. Similarly, quarterback performance was significantly reduced for quarterbacks from teams in counties with worse air quality. These findings suggest that air quality has a significant impact on performance in the MLB and NFL, indicating impairments in physical and cognitive performance in professional athletes when competing in areas with poorer air quality. Hence, it is likely that air quality impacts athletic performance in numerous sports that have not yet been investigated.

Determinants of Missed Games Following Concussions in the National Football League.

Concussions in the National Football League (NFL) are a rising topic of concern and debate. With the implementation of new protocols, NFL players are required to be removed from play and must follow specific processes before full return to play after sustaining a concussion. While concussion severity is the primary determinant of time-off, it is possible that other factors associated with player value influence time-off as well. The purpose of this study is to examine determinants of NFL games missed after a concussion. NFL concussion data from 2012 to 2015 were used in conjunction with player salary, position, previous concussions, average plays per game, and season during which the concussion occurred. Results indicate that quarterbacks and players who sustained multiple concussions missed more games, while players involved in more plays per game miss less games, providing evidence that player health and value are determinants of time-off after a concussion. Additionally, the number of games missed has increased each year, which could be the result of NFL efforts to increase safety and increased media attention.

The Effect of Coach Gender on Competitive Weightlifting Performance for Men and Women Weightlifters.

Gender of coaches relative to their athletes has recently garnered substantial attention in the public, the media, and academia. Relative to sports engulfed in controversy pertaining to men athletes being coached by women, such as professional baseball, basketball, and football, it is more common to see women coach men in competitive weightlifting, though only a small percent of men weightlifters are coached by women. In competitive weightlifting, coaches are responsible for both physically and mentally training athletes, and with the social barriers faced by women in a sport traditionally perceived as masculine, there may be mental training or communication benefits to training with a coach of a certain gender. Examining the gender of competitive weightlifters and their coaches, total weight lifted in the snatch and clean and jerk events are analyzed using OLS regression. Results indicate that men weightlifters perform better with men coaches. Women weightlifters perform better with men coaches until the age of 43, then they perform better with women coaches. The difference in performance may be due to several factors including historical bias against women in the sport.

Racial Bias in National Football League Officiating.

Racial bias in sport is a prevalent research topic. Much of the previous research regarding bias among referees in sport focused on sports such as baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer. Professional American football is unique because race is more clearly defined when compared to these other sports. Additionally, by examining holding penalties, which are known to be more subjective and called predominately by a single official on the field (i.e., the umpire), racial bias in officiating can be more efficiently analyzed in professional American football. The purpose of this study is to examine potential racial bias regarding holding penalties in the National Football League (NFL). Three years of data from the 2013 to 2014 through 2015 to 2016 NFL seasons were used, including the races of officials and players involved in holding penalties. Results showed no evidence of racial bias in the calling of holding penalties by White officials. However, Black umpires were found to call more holding penalties when led by a White referee. Additionally, Black players were more likely to have holding penalties called on them earlier in the game by all officials.