text: User:Begoon/Talk header

title: User:Begoon/Talk header


license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: File:DigitalDesign.20111205.pdf


text: File:DigitalDesign (HW).20111205.pdf

title: File:DigitalDesign (HW).20111205.pdf


text:
Engineering Projects/Rubberband gun/Howard Community College/fall2011/501 Rubberman2

Problem Statement
Our goal here is to create a working gatling gun that fires rubber bands as ammunition. It needs to be fully automatic and very similar to its military counterpart.

Team Members

 * Fahad
 * Charles
 * Mderrick
 * Corey

Summary
We received the project of creating this rubber band gun. The biggest issues that were evident in the previous teams were that the gun was getting stuck and not actually shooting the rubber bands. We created a design that will eliminate those problems and is a very simple yet effective plan to make this gun with as few issues as possible. We had initially gone with the same design as we did in the previous four week project session, but decided to change the design as we quickly realized that it was not a good design for us to work with even though we had seen examples of it working. We decided to go with the idea of a gun like the Disintegrator! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GAUnuuBkW4

Story
We started out thinking this will be a easy project looking at many designs and going with the one we thought was the best one. we started to construct the project and soon figured out that it is much harder than it looks as we faced many difficulties. We had initially assumed that the design we chose, a cardbord cylinder would be perfect for it. Thinking about its light weight and already round shape we decided to build the gun of the cardboard cylinder. Then later we fell into sea of troubles, From finding the right materials, getting the materials in time. The barrel not spinning smoothly. Not finding the right motor to spin the barrel. The barrel being to fragile to handle all the force of the rubberbands and all the cutting and constructions required. We decided to abandon the first idea and go with a different deisgn called the Disintegrator. We found many videos of it online and it seemed very promising. Taking the lead, one of our team members orderd the parts of his own money and got a protype of the gun working within one week. We are hoping to get atleast the barrel done. so we can have some sort of an idea for the next team and provide them with as much info as possible so they do not make the same mistakes as us.

Decision List

 * 1. We decided to closely follow the design of the Disintegrator.
 * 2. We are using a special firing mechanism made specifically for rubber band guns.
 * 3. We are going to attach ten of those to a circular barrel and attach that assembly to a drill.
 * 4. We will have to have some sort of wedge-like trigger to disengage the locking part of the firing mechanism.

Material List

 * 1.: 8ft of 1/4" dowel
 * 2. 8ft of 5/16" dowel
 * 3. 4 1/4"x6x2 poplar plank
 * 4. 6'x8' CDX yellow pine ply wood
 * 5. Magnum Corp. 10-count trigger set with template
 * 6. Rubber bands.
 * 7. Wood glue
 * 8. 3/8" x 16" all-threaded rod
 * 9. 6 nuts
 * 10. Black & Decker 18V hand drill

Software List
We have used no software for this project, and we see no practical application of software in the future of the project.

Time
In class time is the best use so far, because the whole team is already together and we are all in the lab with all the tools needed.In addition to this in class/lab work time, the group decided to do indiviual work as it seemed to best fit everyone's schedule. The various busy schedules prevent us from all meeting up at other times during the week. All of our team members spent at least four hours a week working on this project.

Tutorials
1.) Using a band saw, cut 1/4"x6x2 poplar planks into twelve 6"x2" sections. Set aside remaining wood.
 * Firing Chambers

2.) Use a drill press to drill three 1/4" holes into each 6"x2" poplar section in the following locations:
 * 1 - 7/16" from the top and 3 5/16" from the right side
 * 2 - 7/8" from the top and 1 29/32" from the right side
 * 3 - 7/16" from the top and 1 1/4" from the right side.

3.) Use the leftover 1/4"x6x2 poplar plank wood to cut twenty-four 2"x1" pieces using a band saw. These are to be used as spacers between the poplar sections.

4.) Use band saw to cut 1/4" dowel into eighteen 1" long pieces.

5.) Insert three 1" long 1/4" dowel pieces into six of the 6"x2" poplar sections.

6.) Use wood glue to apply two spacers flush with the front and rear ends of each 6"x2" poplar sections with dowels inserted.

7.) Use wood glue to apply two spacers flush, stacked atop the previously applied spacers.

8.) Place sprocket on the front end dowel of each poplar section.

9.) Place a trigger on the center dowel of each poplar section. NOTE: The rear appendage of each trigger should be wrapped around and outside of the rear dowel. This dowel forces the trigger back into place once it has been actuated.

10.) Use wood glue to apply a second poplar section to each of the assembled firing chambers. Dowels should travels through both poplar sections effectively holding the trigger assembly in place. The spacers should provide 1/2" of space between poplar sections to allow enough room for trigger assembly to operate without restriction.

11.) Clamp poplar sections together and allow to dry overnight.

1.) Using a band saw, cut three 6" diameter circles from CDX pine plywood.
 * Firing Chamber Encasement

2.) Using a drill press, drill a 3/8" holes through the center of each plywood circle. NOTE: Be sure to measure correctly or the all-threaded rod will not fit correctly which, will create wobble.

3.) Lay one circle flat on work space then, using wood glue, apply the rear end of the firing chambers at even intervals around the outside edge of the circle. Be sure that the trigger assemblies are facing outward.

4.) Using wood glue, apply second circle on top of the front ends of the firing chambers. NOTE: Make sure the circle's center holes are evenly lined up so as not to create wobble.

5.) Add a weight to the top circle to press the firing chamber encasement structure together to allow the adhesive to dry properly.

6.) Allow the structure to dry overnight.

1.) Using band saw, cut 5/16" dowel into six 11" sections.
 * Barrel Assembly

2.) Notch one end of each dowel using a knife or file.

3.) Using wood glue, apply 1" of the non-notched end of each dowel to the center of each front spacer.

4.) Using wood glue, apply notched ends, straight across, to the third plywood circle. NOTE: Be sure line the plywood circle's center holes are lined up evenly to prevent wobble.

5.) Wrap a rubber band around the front and rear ends of the 5/16" dowels to allow adhesive to dry properly.

6.) Allow to dry overnight.

1.) Thread the 3/8" all-threaded rod through the center holes of each plywood circle, front side first. As the all-threaded rod passes through the first plywood circle, start screwing two nuts on the the threaded rod. One should fit flush against the rear side of the first plywood circle and the second should rest flush against the second plywood circle. The all-threaded rod should protrude 1 1/2" - 2" outside of the rear side of the third plywood circle.
 * Completing Rotating Barrel

2.) Screw a nut onto the backside of the all-threaded rod as well as the the front side.

3.) Using crescent wrenches, tighten both nuts together into the front plywood circle. The nuts should be tightened strong enough to hold the front circle firmly in place. NOTE: Do not over tighten and damage the wood.

4.) Using crescent wrenches, hold the nut on the front end of the second plywood circle still while you tighten the rear nut into it. This should hold the firing chambers firmly in place. NOTE: Do not over tighten.

5.) Insert the rear slack of the all-threaded rod into 18V drill.

1.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=q3hp79wG-Vs
 * Video demonstration

Next Steps
The next step in to complete in this project is to develop a mechanism that uses a wedge that moves forward to actuate the triggers as seen on Disintegrator. This mechanism will need to be attached to some sort of encasement around the rotating barrel assembly. This encasement should also have a handle installed on it for functional use. Once that is complete, one would need to develop a way to automatically reload the sprockets.


text:
User:Mderrick4950/enes100/Rubberband gun2

Link to team page Rubberman

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
I was assigned to the Rubber Band Gun project.

Write problem statement
Our mission is to create a rubber band gatling gun somewhat similar to the one in the video on the page.

Assign Task1
We are each supposed to do some research and decide what design we will use.

Compare actual work done to Task1
The same, no differences to rationalize.

Week1 Narrative
I researched designs for rubber band guns. Found mostly designs, tutorials, and examples for single shot guns. Some were "bolt-action" and others were regular single shot. I found one design that was a machine gun, but was not a gattling gun. I did extensive research on this gun which used a "free wheel" design to fire multiple shots quickly without reloading after each.

Week1 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Assign Task2
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week1 and week2 of the project here.

Compare actual work done to Task2
Rationalize differences

Week2 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

Week2 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Assign Task3
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week2 and week3 of the project here.

Compare actual work done to Task3
Rationalize differences

Week3 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

Week3 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Assign Task4
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week3 and week4 of the project here.

Compare actual work done to Task4
Rationalize differences

Week4 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

Week4 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.

Start Next Project Week0 activities
During this week you will perform the week0 activities of the next project.

Give instructor top 3 project choice list
We were allowed to remain as the same group on the same project with the addition of Corey.

Write problem statement
We need to perfect the firing mechanism of the gun. If that can be done, assembling the gun will not be an issue.

Assign Task5
Research designs for the firing mechanism and be able to make an informed opinion about what kind is best.

Compare actual work done to Task5
No differences in what was assigned and what was done.

Week5 Narrative
I researched designs for rubber band guns. Found mostly designs, tutorials, and examples for single shot guns. Some were "bolt-action" and others were regular single shot. I found one design that was a machine gun, but was not a gattling gun. I did extensive research on this gun which used a "free wheel" design to fire multiple shots quickly without reloading after each.

Week5 Peer Review
done

Assign Task6
Draw multiple designs and figure out what I think will work best for the gun. This will include researching and drawing and thinking critically about the firing mechanism.

Compare actual work done to Task6
I made numerous drawings of the mechanisms involved in the rubber band gun. Firing mechanism sketches are on pages 39, 45, and 47 in my Engineering Notebook. Trigger/ releasing mechanism sketches are on pages 39, 41, and 45 in my Engineering Notebook. Firing mechanism casing sketches are on pages 49 and 53 in my Engineering Notebook. Full assemble sketches are on pages 41, 45, and 47 in my Engineering Notebook. These sketches are made with enough detail to really start to put the whole project together. (This is exactly what I said I would do, so there are no differences to rationalize between what I decided to do, and what I actually did.)

Week6 Narrative
To serve as something to base my sketches off of, I had to use the research that I have done in the previous weeks and more. I have really had to focus on the details of the mechanics of these rubber band guns. I will post links to some of the most inspirational parts of my research. Some links will be to videos, and others will be to pictures. Also, I will copy information from other sources and paste it below to show some other ideas. I will give a brief title and/or description for each line item.

This is what the main project is based on. This is probably the best video of it because it shows it in use and up close enough to see details.

Rubber Band Gatling Gun

This is what the last session of this project was based on. We tried to get this idea to work, but it never came about. This does evidence that our ideas would have worked eventually. Also, there are a few details gleaned from this (and that previous session) carried over to this session.

Original Idea

This is an example of a machine gun that is not a gatling gun (gatling guns need to have a spinning barrel).

Machine Gun

This is an example of a locking mechanism on a free wheel driven rubber band gun. We are using this design because the rubber band is the force that drives the free wheel forward when the locking mechanism is not holding it in place (in other words, when it is free).

Free Wheel Principle

Week6 Peer Review
done

Assign Task7
The group will make an effort to actually begin the building process of this gun in the Engineering Lab during the allotted time and also at other meeting times throughout the week so we will still have to time to troubleshoot any issues we find with it once building begins.

Compare actual work done to Task7
Rationalize differences

Week7 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

Week7 Peer Review
Mderrick has shown many designs and helped develop the firing chamber used with the 10-count trigger set. These designs are coming to fruition with the wood I've purchased. He has truly helped this project progress from the spool-style to the trigger-style gatling rubber band gun. We need to see more actual development in the manufacturing of a rubber band gun though. Also, he has not updated his wikiversity project page in some time. CFurby 05:07, 4 December 2011 (UTC)

Assign Task8
Record what you are planning on doing for the team during the weekend between week3 and week4 of the project here.

Compare actual work done to Task8
Rationalize differences

Week8 Narrative
Upload photos to wikimedia. Upload video to youtube. Convert all spreadsheets, documents, and presentations to wiki format and create wiki subpage of your page for each of them. Link to them here in a narrative that tells a story. High light the problems (engineering problems) you had and how you solved them.

Week8 Peer Review
Go to each team mates weekly summary wiki page. Read their activities and narrative. Then go the associated discussion page. Say something positive on this page. Try some constructive criticism. Add your name and a signature ~ by entering four tildes in a row to create a time and date stamp. Create a new category if another team mate has already commented here.

Complete Project Page
Follow the "project done" format.

Start Next Project Week0 activities
During this week you will perform the week0 activities of the next project.


text: Template:Cite video

title: Template:Cite video


text:
Template:Cite video/sandbox

I just copied this template from Wikipedia. Let's see if any of it works. A test citation from Antipope:

(Note: output appears to match the Wikipedia template! This may be good to go)

title: Template:Cite video/sandbox


text:
Template:Cite video/doc

 * Note: This template was recently copied from en.wikipedia.org in response to a Help Desk request.  As it may rely on additional templates that may be different here, please report any incompatibilities you encounter to the Help Desk.  For example, red-linked items below haven't yet been copied from Wikipedia.  The documentation below also links to English Wikipedia policies, which may be technically informative but are not in force on Wikiversity.

Usage
Cut and paste one of these blank versions to use. Note that all fields must be lowercase, and remember to use the "|" (pipe) character between each field.
 * Horizontal list:

produces "2nd ed.".
 * series: When the document is part of a series of publications.
 * volume: Not generally required for a thesis. For one document published in several volumes. However, this template displays the text in this parameter in bold type after the title and series parameters. An alternative is to include the volume information in the title parameter after the main title (see example below). (NB: there is a separate Cite encyclopedia template).
 * date: Full date of document edition being referenced, in the same format as other dates in citations in the same article. Must not be wikilinked. Do not use for years without specifying the month: use year instead.
 * OR: year: Year of document edition being referenced
 * month: Name of the month of document. If you also have the day, use date instead. Must not be wikilinked.
 * origyear: Original document year, for display alongside the date or year. For clarity, please supply specifics, for instance   or  . This parameter only displays if there is a value for year or date.
 * publisher: Name of the individual or group releasing the cited version of the production, or airing the broadcast—for example, "Paramount Pictures" or "Disney" or "History Channel International". For translated works, this is the licenser/distributor.
 * location: Geographic location of the publisher.
 * time: Roughly what time, if accessible, a scene occurs within a production. Useful for citing specific scenes, quotations or data.
 * id: A unique identifier, used if none of the above are applicable. In this case, you need to specify the kind of identifier you are using, preferably with a template like ISSN or UPC. (Use one of the more specialized parameters (see below) when available; they are linked automatically. In other words, don't use, but  .)
 * isbn: International Standard Book Number such as 1-111-22222-9.
 * oclc: Online Computer Library Center ID number, such as 3185581.
 * quote: relevant quotation from the source.
 * ref: ID for anchor. By default, no anchor is generated. The ordinary nonempty value ID generates an anchor with the given ; such a linkable reference can be made the target of wikilinks to full references, especially useful in short citations like shortened notes and parenthetical referencing. The special value harv generates an anchor suitable for the harv template; for this to work, both people and date must be specified. See also anchors for Harvard referencing templates.
 * laysummary: Link to a non-technical summary (or review) of the document
 * laydate: Date of summary
 * separator: The separator to use in lists of authors, editors, etc. Defaults to ".", but "," may be useful also. If the parameter is present, but blank, no separator will be used.
 * author-separator: Parameter allowing punctuation style to be altered
 * author-name-separator: Parameter allowing punctuation style to be altered
 * display-authors: By default, the number of authors displayed is limited to 8; if 9 are provided, the ninth is displayed as "et al.". This parameter allows display of fewer authors before the "et al." (e.g., 2); alternatively, the "et al." may be suppressed by the use of 9.
 * postscript: The closing punctuation for the citation. If specified, over-rides the default behaviour of terminating the citation with a full stop. If the parameter is present, but blank, no terminating punctuation will be used. This may be useful when generating an output consistent with other templates. It is preferred to manually adding ending punctuation, as the punctuation occurs within the <cite> tag, so will appear before any icons added by browser plugins. Ignored if quote is specified.
 * lastauthoramp: The separator to use between the last two names in lists of authors. Defaults to "", but "&" may be useful as well.

title: Template:Cite video/doc


text: Template:Cite episode

title: Template:Cite episode


text:
Template:Cite episode/sandbox

Testing a usage from Wikipedia (Ayn Rand; find such via "what links here" at left):

Test ref.

Result below looks good! (redlinks are only because the articles aren't on Wikiversity but on Wikipedia)

title: Template:Cite episode/sandbox


text:
Template:Cite episode/doc

 * Note: This template was recently copied from en.wikipedia.org indirectly in response to a Help Desk request.  As it may rely on additional templates that may be different here, please report any incompatibilities you encounter to the Help Desk.  For example, red-linked items below haven't yet been copied from Wikipedia.  The documentation below also links to English Wikipedia policies, which may be technically informative but are not in force on Wikiversity.

Cite episode is for citing television or radio programs and episodes. The only required field is title. While it is principally designed and documented for serial, episodic broadcasts, an example is provided below of adaptation to a sporting event broadcast.

Usage
All fields must be in lowercase. The only required field is "title". Copy a blank version to use:

Horizontal format

Vertical format

Wikilinks
Most fields can be wikilinked (i.e. network = network name ), but should generally only be linked to an existing Wikipedia article. Any wikilinked field must not contain any brackets apart from normal round brackets  — don't use.

Description

 * title: The title of the program or episode being cited.
 * episodelink: The title of a Wikipedia article about this episode. Do not link this yourself, it will be linked by the template. Remember that you can use section names here if the only relevant material in Wikipedia is a section of a larger article such as an episode list.
 * url: May be used to provide an external link if no article exists in Wikipedia.
 * accessdate: Full date when url was accessed. Should be used when url field is used. Should be in the same format as other dates in citations in the same article. Must not be wikilinked.
 * series: The name of the series the episode belongs to.
 * serieslink: The title of a Wikipedia article about the series. As with episodelink, do not link this yourself. If the citation is being used in the article about the series itself, this call is not necessary and will in fact create improper formatting.
 * credits: Writers, directors, performers, producers, etc.
 * writers: Deprecated, do not use. The scriptwriter(s), appends after credits.
 * network: The network the episode was aired on. (ex. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Disney, USA Network)
 * station: Call letters of the local station (if any).
 * city: City of the local station (if any) or network.
 * airdate: Full date the program or episode aired.
 * OR began: Full date the first part of the program or episode aired.
 * AND ended: Full date the last part of the program or episode aired.
 * season, number: Many episodic shows are identified by separate season and episode numbers. Alternately, some shows prefer the format of a single episode number that includes the season within it; this format can be used by omitting the season field. Can only be used if the seriesno attribute is blank.
 * seriesno, number: Alternative parameter for British shows where each year's run is typically referred to as a series and not a season. Can only be used if the season attribute is blank.
 * minutes: Used when there is a need for citing a specific event that happens at a particular time within the episode. Roughly analogous to page number. Results in "<minutes> minutes in" being displayed in the citation. If both time and minutes are used, "<minutes> minutes in. Event occurs at <time>" will be displayed.
 * time: Used when there is a need for citing a specific event that happens at a particular time within the episode. Roughly analogous to page number. Results in "Event occurs at <time>" being displayed in the citation. If both time and minutes are used, "<minutes> minutes in. Event occurs at <time>" will be displayed.
 * transcript: Specifies that the source was a transcript, rather than its original airing
 * OR transcripturl: Identifies the URL of a transcript for the source.
 * quote: Used only when there is a need for citing a specific event that happens in particular sentence within the episode.
 * language: The language used primarily in the episode. Do not specify English.

Syntax (for the technical-minded)
Nested fields either rely on their parent fields, or replace them:
 * parent
 * child — may be used with parent (and is ignored if parent is not used)
 * OR: child2 — may be used instead of parent (and is ignored if parent is used)

Example of use for non-episodic broadcasts
A made-up example, with comments in italics annotating the adaptation:

es:Plantilla:Cita episodio fr:Modèle:Citation épisode hu:Sablon:Epizód hivatkozás it:Template:Cita TV ja:Template:Cite episode lv:Veidne:Video atsauce pl:Szablon:Cytuj odcinek ro:Format:Cite episode ru:Шаблон:Cite episode sl:Predloga:Cite episode sv:Mall:Cite episode uk:Шаблон:Cite episode

title: Template:Cite episode/doc


text: Template:ISSN

title: Template:ISSN


text:
Template:ISSN/doc

Usage
This template generates a link for finding data about a single (print or on-line) publication via its International Standard Serial Number (ISSN). The ISSN refers to the particular publication, not to a specific issue (or date) of that publication. The ISSN is used to help establish the publication as a Wikipedia reliable source.

For a publication with the ISSN 1234-5678, use 1234-5678.

Example:
 * Usage:
 * Links to: http://www.worldcat.org/search?fq=x0:jrnl&q=n2:0028-0836
 * Renders as:

Find ISSN of publication:
 * Find the ISSN by searching with the publication's name on the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries web site.

Note:

An ISSN is always eight digits long. Scroll down the Worldcat page to find the ISSN. Do not rely on the digits shown in the Worldcat URL for the particular publication, since the URL sometimes shows only seven digits, which is invalid to use as the ISSN.

Errors:

Articles with invalid ISSNs (as determined by the template) will be placed in.

title: Template:ISSN/doc


text: Template:UPC

title: Template:UPC


text:
Template:UPC/doc

Usage
This template generates one or more links for finding data about a publication or other item via its Universal Product Code (UPC). Up to nine codes are supported.

Do not use spaces, dashes or other punctuation, just the numerals in the code.

It may be used to implement other templates or directly; in both cases, please be sure that the context makes clear that it provides a link for UPC lookup. This template should not be used if the item has an ISBN, OCLC Control Number, or ISSN ("See also" section below).

Basic example

 * Usage:
 * Links to: http://www.searchupc.com/?q=732302715039
 * Renders as:

Plain link

 * Usage:
 * Links to: http://www.searchupc.com/?q=732302715039
 * Renders as:

title: Template:UPC/doc


text:
Template:YouTube

[https://www.youtube.com/ on

title: Template:YouTube


text:
Template:YouTube/doc

YouTube video links

 * id is the "YouTube id" which appears as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v= id
 * title gives an optional description that may replace the default title "Video"

YouTube show links
The show field may be abbreviated as s
 * show is the "YouTube show name" which appears as
 * title gives an optional description that may replace the default title (PAGENAME)
 * Note

YouTube show id links
The showid field may be abbreviated as sid
 * showid is the "YouTube show name" which appears as http://www.youtube.com/show?p= showidcode
 * title gives an optional description that may replace the default title (PAGENAME)
 * Note

YouTube user channel links
The user field may be specified using channel or simply u
 * user is the "YouTube user channel name" which appears as http://www.youtube.com/user/ userchannelname
 * title gives an optional description that may replace the default title (PAGENAME)
 * Note

title: Template:YouTube/doc


text:
Template:Google Videos

at Google Videos (Adobe Flash video)

title: Template:Google Videos


text:
Template:Google Videos/doc

Usage
creates

title: Template:Google Videos/doc


text: Template:YouTube user

title: Template:YouTube user


text:
Template:YouTube user/doc

Usage

 * user is the YouTube user
 * http://www.youtube.com/ example
 * http://www.youtube.com/user/ example
 * http://www.youtube.com/profile?user= example )
 * title gives a description. If the title parameter is not specified, the page name will be used.

Example
will show as:

Note that the template YouTube with u or channel gives the same result:

displays as

title: Template:YouTube user/doc


text: Template:External media

title: Template:External media


text:
Template:External media/doc

 * Note: this template has recently been copied from Wikipedia . The documentation below may reference aspects of Wikipedia policy that don't apply to usage here on Wikiversity.

Overview
This template organizes a set of external URL links to media in a small box labelled "External links", with an icon by each one to indicate the type of media. It is definitely not required when writing from scratch, and can be functionally replaced by an ordinary link in square brackets. But it's cute, and maintaining compatibility with it makes it easier to bring over content from Wikipedia.

How to use
Paste this into your article:

The external media template can be used multiple times in an article, and each instance can be used to link to more than one file.

Legend
Note: when adding a link to an external media source like this, it is essential that the source page be linked too with the date of retrieval, both to satisfy Wikipedia's sourcing criteria for the statement about the presented media and to ensure that the link can quickly be corrected should the source URL be changed. Reference tags can be used for this purpose. It's polite if you inform the administrator of the page you link to that you are deep linking to the content of his page, marking it as an external source, also providing a link to his complete page and that if he doesn't like it he can use a script to disable deep linking.
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Just an image, taken from the War against Nabis Featured Article. This example gives full contextual information along with references.

Image, using descriptive text with accompanying reference:

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ar:قالب:ملف خارجي bg:Шаблон:Външна медия fr:Modèle:Média externe ko:틀:외부 매체 mk:Шаблон:Надворешни снимки nn:mal:Eksterne media no:mal:Eksterne media ja:Template:External media ro:Format:Legături media externe ru:Шаблон:External media zh:Template:External media

title: Template:External media/doc


text:
User:Egm6321.f11.team2.rho/HW7

=R*7.4 - Laplacian in elliptic coordinates=

Given
The most common definition of elliptic coordinates $$\displaystyle (\mu, \nu)$$ is

$$ x = a \ \cosh \mu \ \cos \nu $$

$$ y = a \ \sinh \mu \ \sin \nu $$

where $$\displaystyle \mu$$ is a nonnegative real number and $$\displaystyle \nu \in [0, 2\pi].$$

Find
Verify the Laplacian in elliptic coordinates given by

Solution
Elliptical coordinates are

First, we assume

And then, we differentiate (7.4.2) and (7.4.3) with respect to each direction (i.e. x1 and x2).

And then,

Since $$\displaystyle ds^2 = \sum_{i} (dx_i)^2= \sum_{k} {(h_k)^2 (d \xi _k)^2} $$,

And the Laplacian equals

Thus,

title: User:Egm6321.f11.team2.rho/HW7


text:
TAO/Meetings/2011-11-15

Kurznotiz zur Leitfadenentwicklung in Wikiversity vom 15.11.2011
Besprechung im Rahmen des TAO-Workshops mit dem Research-Team

Brainstorming zu TAO Wikiversity
 * Orientierung in Wiki, Navigation ungewohnt
 * konkrete Aufgabenbenennung erforderlich
 * Schaffung von Anreize:
 * Vorzeigeprojekte bzw. Beispiele herausstellen
 * etwas Konkretes kreieren
 * Probleme identifizieren und gemeinsam lösen

 * Zielgruppe bestimmen - passt es auf die Zielgruppe
 * Praxiserfahrung mit Wikiversity sammeln
 * Eigene Erfahrungen mit Media Wiki reflektieren
 * problemorientierte Beispiele
 * grundsätzliche Idee verdeutlichen
 * Klärung des Ressourceneinsatz und Dynamik des Prozesses beachten

Zu klärende Probleme: ''Diese Punkte sind im Rahmen des weiteren Vorgehens und der weiteren Entwicklung des Leitfadens bzw. der Arbeit in der Communitie of Practice zu berücksichtigen.'' --Marquard Markus 21:31, 5 December 2011 (UTC)
 * Lizensierung von Inhalten
 * Datenschutz
 * Interferenz von dritter Seite
 * Einbeziehung dritter Parteien
 * Geschäftsgeheimnisse
 * Kompatiblität mit Geschäftsmodellen
 * Klärung von Verantwortlichkeiten

title: TAO/Meetings/2011-11-15


text:
User:MarkyParky~enwikiversity

Would you look at the "Inverse Function" WP article, where they use the old temperature conversion formula as an example of an inverse function. That idea is a popular cancer, and the guards there won't listen to math.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_function at "Real World Examples".

https://picasaweb.google.com/112167498780318401154/ScrapbookPhotos#5681793568547730738 ---JayEB

title: User:MarkyParky~enwikiversity


text:
Template:Inversions8

]

title: Template:Inversions8


text:
Category:User mg

Users in this category indicate they have knowledge of language Malagasy.

title: Category:User mg


text:
Category:User mg-N

Users in this category indicate they have skill level N for language Malagasy.

title: Category:User mg-N


text:
User:Jagwar

Home wiki Hametraka hafatra - Let a message - laisser un Message

Ny solonanarako manerana ny tetikasa Wikimedia dia Jagwar. Ao amin'ny tetikasa Wikimedia amin'ny teny malagasy no tena iasako. Raha manana hataka manokana ho ahy ianareo dia mametraha hafatra amin'ny alalan'ny fanindriana ny rohy eo ambony.

My nickname on all Wikimedia projects is Jagwar. I mainly work on Wikimedia projects in the Malagasy language. If you have a question or comment, leave a message on my talk page by following the link above.

Mon pseudonyme sur tous les projets Wikimedia est Jagwar. Je travaille principalement sur les projets malgachophones de Wikimedia. Si vous avez une quelconque demande à me faire, suivez le lien donné ci-dessus.

title: User:Jagwar


text:
Draft:Original research/Proof of concept

"Evidence that demonstrates that a business model or idea is feasible" is called proof of concept.

An idea is also a concept.

Theory
Def. evidence that demonstrates that a concept is possible is called proof of concept.

Def. a "short and/or incomplete realization of a certain method or idea to demonstrate its feasibility" is called a proof of concept.

Structures
The proof-of-concept structure consists of
 * 1) background,
 * 2) procedures,
 * 3) findings, and
 * 4) interpretation.

Phase I
"Proof of Concept PoC refers to early clinical drug development, conventionally divided into Phase I and Phase IIa."

"Phase I is typically conducted in 10-20 healthy volunteers who are given single doses or short courses of treatment (e.g., up to 2 weeks). Studies in this Phase aim to show that the new drug has some of the desired clinical activity (e.g., that an experimental antihypertensive drug actually has some effect on reducing blood pressure), that it can be tolerated when given to humans, and to give guidance as to dose levels that are worthy of further study. Other Phase I studies aim to investigate how the new drug is absorbed, distributed, metabolised and excreted (so-called ADME studies)."

Phase II
"Phase IIa is typically conducted in up to 100 patients with the disease of interest. Studies in this Phase aim to show that the new drug has a useful amount of the desired clinical activity (e.g., that an experimental antihypertensive drug reduces blood pressure by a useful amount), that it can be tolerated when given to humans in the longer term, and to investigate which dose levels might be most suitable for eventual marketing."

"A decision is made at this point as to whether to progress the drug into later development, or if it should be dropped."

"[A] proof-of-concept prototype is used in the initial stages of design."

Clinical trials
"However, definitive proof of concept would require prospective clinical trial evidence that demonstrates that optimization of dyslipidemia would result in a reduction in risk from the complications of atherosclerosis."

"[F]our volunteers infected with HIV [are] on highly-active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) [which is intensified] with subcutaneous enfuvirtide ... [and supplemented by] oral valproic acid ... [L]atent infection [is quantified] before and after augmented treatment by limiting-dilution culture of resting CD4+ T cells after ex-vivo activation. The frequency of resting cell infection was stable before addition of enfuvirtide and valproic acid, but declined thereafter."

Def. a "comparison test of a medication or other medical treatment (such as a medical device), [usually a comparison against] versus a placebo (inactive look-a-like), other medications or devices, or the standard medical treatment for a patient's condition" is called a clinical trial.

Proof of market
"The "any part" clause, however, applies to charges of monopolization as well as to attempts to monopolize, and it is beyond doubt that the former requires proof of market power in a relevant market."

Proof of mechanism
"Proof of Mechanism or PoM relates to the earliest stages of drug development, often pre-clinical (i.e., before the drug is given to humans, or before given to research animals). It could be based on showing that the drug interacts with the intended molecular receptor or enzyme, and/or affects cell biochemistry in the desired manner and direction. A decision is made at this point as to whether to progress the drug into later development, or if it should be dropped."

"Incorporating tracking studies into clinical trials of cell-based therapy at the earliest stage can provide proof of mechanism of the therapy and permit evaluation of the many contributory variables, even on a patient-by-patient basis."

"[B]iochemical markers [may be used] for early proof of mechanism"

"One early “proof of mechanism” study of farglitazar, a non-TZD PPARγ agonist, assessed 24-h insulin and glucose profiles in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study in patients with type 2 diabetes."

Proof of principle
"Proof of Principle" or PoP relates to early clinical development and typically refers to an evaluation of the effect of a new treatment on disease biomarkers, but not the clinical endpoints of the condition.

For specific drug development, "Proof of Principle studies are an early stage of clinical drug development when a compound has shown potential in animal models and early safety testing. This step of proof-of-principle (PoP) or proof-of-concept (PoC) often links between Phase-I and dose ranging Phase-II studies. These small-scale studies are designed to detect a signal that the drug is active on a pathophysiologically relevant mechanism, as well as preliminary evidence of efficacy in a clinically relevant endpoint."

"[A] simple, yet stringent, “proof of principle” study to answer the question, “Can dogs be trained to detect bladder cancer more successfully than would be expected by chance alone?” [resulted in] a mean success rate of 41% (95% confidence intervals 23% to 58% under assumptions of normality, 26% to 52% using bootstrap methods), compared with 14% expected by chance alone."

Proof of process
"Although the laws since 19th century mostly require "personal service" of process, and sworn "proof of process" that the defendant has received notice of trial, in many areas the parties involved in service of process get away with perjured proof of process, claiming to have delivered the legal documents which in fact have not reached defendant (but rather been discarded "in sewer")."

"One obvious route often suggested in much literature is a proof-of-process approach; that is, to require front matter from students—notes, drafts, sources, and so on."

"Of all the methods available to generate the “scientific evidence,” the classical inoculated pack studies are recognized to provide the ultimate proof of process adequacy for a specified set of conditions."

"A proof-of-process prototype shows that the production methods and materials can successfully result in the desired product."

Proof of product
A proof of product may consist of a new delivery formulation coupled to another process (product) for delivery. Proof-of-product is achieved first by a proof-of-concept match between the experimental profile from the new delivery formulation plus new process of delivery to "the effect of the standard regimen" and finally by a match "for onset and duration of efficacy".

"[A] proof-of-product prototype clarifies a design's physical embodiment and production feasibility."

Proof of production
"A notable exception is the Climate Change Levy: [Levy Exemption Certificates] LECs are issued by the UK regulator to electricity producers both in the UK and in a number of European countries and exported to the UK, where they are purchased as proof of production of renewable energy production."

"[A] proof-of-production prototype demonstrates that the complete manufacturing process is effective."

Proof of relevance
"This has to include the proof of relevance, ie, that changes in the marker are correlated to changes in disease state or outcome, as well as criteria similar to those used in analytical method validation, as repeatability, reproducibility, and sensitivity."

"We can become deluded into thinking that approval of peers through review processes is proof of relevance and social value."

Def. "proving that the event reporter is authentically relevant to the event it has reported" is called a proof of relevance.

Proof of technology
"[T]he objective of a proof of technology is to determine the solution to some technical problem, such as how two systems might be integrated or that a certain throughput can be achieved with a given configuration."

Def.
 * 1) "[a]n original object or form which is a basis for other objects, forms, or for its models and generalizations",
 * 2) "[a]n early sample or model built to test a concept or process", or
 * 3) "[a]n instance of a category or a concept that combines its most representative attributes" is called a prototype.

Def. "[t]o test something using the conditions that it was designed to operate under, especially out in the real world instead of in a laboratory or workshop" is called "field-test", or a field test.

A "proof-of-technology prototype ... typically implements one critical scenario to exercise or stress the highest-priority requirements."

"[A] proof-of-technology test demonstrates the system can be used".

"The strongest proof of technology performance is based on consistency among multiple lines of evidence, all pointing to similar levels of risk reduction."

Hypotheses

 * 1) Proof of concept should be the minimum necessary and sufficient for the proof.


text:
User:Tony.naar

commons:User:Tony.naar

title: User:Tony.naar


text: Survey design/Workshop/Evaluation

title: Survey design/Workshop/Evaluation


text:
Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies/Business, Politics and Sport 2011/Making Cheerleading an Official Sport

Gus Gardner, 2011 Original copy

Currently cheerleading is not classified as a sport as determined in the recent case of Biediger v. Quinnipiac University, and is therefore not recognised under current American Title IX legislation (Biediger, Lawler, Overdevest & et al, 2009). This decision was made on the basis that cheerleading does not meet the requirements of a sport. Many cheerleaders are calling for this to change, arising from a desire for respect and recognition, and argue that their ‘cheering’ is just as athletic as mainstream sports (West & Grindstaff, 2006). This article considers the politics and business surrounding cheerleading and asks the ultimate question of whether cheerleading should be classified as a sport. To do this we examined key areas such as what defines sport, if cheerleading could operate as a sporting business, and the politics and common opinion on this issue.

Sport can be defined as a physically challenging event, governed by a set of rules, and of a competitive nature (Hoye, Nicholson, Stewart & Westerbeek, 2009). Through analysis of cheerleading we have determined that it does not fit this definition. Subsequently we suggested the implementation of a subset sport called ‘competitive cheer’ or similar. We considered whether cheerleading could be a sustainable and profitable sport, based on statistics centered on participation, infrastructure, and sponsorship. The topic of cheerleading as a sport has led to much political debate on factors including the politics surrounding current legislation, such as Title IX (Simon, 2005).

We gained local, national, and international opinions on whether cheerleading or ‘competitive cheer’ should be considered an official sport. The opinions gained include those from American cheerleaders, Australian National Rugby League cheerleaders, and local and international cheerleading executives. Through key interviews conducted at a local and national level we determined some of the political and business issues surrounding this topic.

Based on these key areas identified, we believe if cheerleading could develop a consistent scoring system with a competitive format, and operate under a professional system, it should be considered a sport under Title IX legislation. Being recognised as an official sport within America would set a precedence in making cheerleading an official sport within Australia.

Video: Columbus High School Cheerleading 08 STATE CHAMPS 2:40mins

Introduction
Currently cheerleading is not classified as a sport as determined in the recent case of Biediger v. Quinnipiac University (2009), and is therefore not recognised under current American Title IX legislation. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs (Simon, 2005). This article considers the politics and business surrounding cheerleading at a local, national, and international level and asks the ultimate question of whether cheerleading should be classified as a sport. To do this we examined key areas such as what defines sport, the politics surrounding cheerleading as a sport, if cheerleading could operate as a sporting business, and the common opinion in making cheerleading a sport. To gain specific opinions on this issue, we conducted local and national interviews with the Canberra Raiders (2011) and the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (2011) (AASCF). Ultimately we determined that if cheerleading was recognised as an official sport within America it could help set a precedence in making cheerleading an official sport within Australia.

What is Sport
There are multiple examples that have helped to define what encompasses sport. According to Schwarz & Hunter (2008: 4) sport is defined as “activities, experiences, or business enterprises that center on athletics, health and wellness, recreation, and leisure time activities”. According to the Women’s Sports Foundation (2011) a sport is governed by rules and defined as a physical activity which involves propelling a mass through space or overcoming the resistance of a mass, a contest or competition against or with an opponent, and the acknowledged primary purpose of the competition is a comparison of the relative skills of the participants. The Women’s Sports Foundation seems to follow the traditional definition of sport, in that sport must be physically challenging, governed by set rules, and competitive. Many believe (Schwarz, et al. 2008) one of the common misconceptions about sport, in that it should be competitive, and have a standard set of rules, equipment, and facilities. This may be true in sports such as soccer, hockey, and basketball, although does cheerleading still ‘fit’ the definition of a sport. The term ‘sport’ is an all-inclusive term covering all the operations that make the event happen, and goes beyond what happens on the playing field. Cheerleading is consistent with Schwarz et al (2004: 4) definition, although it is not consistent with the Women’s Sports Foundation’s requirements of a sport. With the criteria of sport in mind, is a cheerleading squad’s primary purpose competition? The majority of cheerleading squads do not compete in any competitions, and their purpose is mainly entertainment and motivation (Ninemire, 2011). There are many cheerleading squads that do compete, although many of these competitions have different rules and structures, and are operated individually.

Video: About the Women's Sport Foundation 2min

There have been arguments proposed that the sporting element of cheerleading should be called “competitive cheer” The implications and benefits of making cheerleading a legitimate sport go beyond recognition, and include greater equality for women’s sport, and a greater opportunity for women at a college level. Nancy Hogshead-Makar (2011) an advocate at the Women’s Sports Foundation stated that “As long as it’s actually operating as a sport, we welcome it into the women’s sports tent,” she went on to say that “like gymnastics or figure skating, this is another aesthetic sport that if done right could provide lots more girls with legitimate sports experiences.” Girls still enjoy 1.3 million fewer opportunities to participate in college sports, and this statistic could change with the introduction of cheerleading into the sporting field (West et al, 2006).

Politics surrounding cheerleading as a sport
Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in education programs and requires that activities that receive federal financial assistance comply with gender equity in school sporting programs. Since the establishment of Title IX female sports participation has increased (Simon, 2005). Title IX requires schools to pass one of three tests. Firstly, the numbers of male and female athletes are to be substantially proportional to total numbers of males and females enrolled, secondly, that the school has a history and continuing practice of program expansion for an underrepresented sex, and thirdly, that the interests and abilities of an underrepresented sex have been fully and effectively accommodated (Simon, 2005).

Video: Why everyone deserves an opportunity to play 1:10min (Women's Sport Foundation, 2011).

Many schools and colleges cannot offer evidence of compliance to rule one and two, although many loosely comply with the third rule by “fully and effectively” accommodating female student’s interests. If cheerleading was organised into a ‘functioning sport’ that meets the requirements of a sport it could vastly help the unevenness between female and male sport. It would also help institutions meet the requirement of continuing the practice of program expansion for an under-represented sex (Gavdra, 2002).

The politics surrounding making cheerleading a sport are extensive. In a recent case, Biediger v. Quinnipiac University (2009) an American district court ruled that competitive cheer squads could not be used to meet Title IX requirements, as it does not meet the requirements of a sport (Hosick, 2010). Judge Stefan Underhill ruled that competitive cheer does not comply with the U.S. Department of Education standards for varsity sports, in that it does not meet the definition of sport. Underhill (2010) did concede that Quinnipiac University did help in the creation of a cheerleading governing body, although the body failed to create a consistent scoring system with consistent opponents. Underhill (2010) stated that “Competitive cheer may, sometime in the future, qualify as a sport under Title IX,” and also wrote “Today, however, the activity is still too underdeveloped and disorganized to be treated as offering genuine varsity athletics participation for students.”

The competitive cheer community and its governing body USA Cheer in response is working on developing the organisation and structure of the sport. USA Cheer Executive Director Bill Seely (2010) stated “We believe that we are close to establishing an intercollegiate sport with a distinctive new name and competition format,” and continued “We believe our plans will meet the requirements of Title IX, work within the college calendar, and be structured so that it can have strong participation from schools across the country” (Hosick, 2010).

United States District Court Decision Biediger v. Quinnipiac University (2009)

Can cheerleading be operated as a sporting business?
The inclusion of cheerleading into Title IX legislation could also be beneficial for colleges from a business perspective. One of these benefits could be increased enrollments with young athletes being attracted to colleges that offer strong sporting cheerleading programs. A second benefit could be increased government funding, through a wider variety of sports provided. A third benefit would be that the colleges would be seen as accommodating student interests, and as such meeting the third rule of Title IX legislation. Modern day sports require an organisation to go beyond what happens on the playing surface, in that the core sporting product is no longer independently sufficient in providing entertainment and economy (Hoye et al, 2009). We question whether cheerleading could survive in this unstable and competitive sporting market.

Cheerleading does have the potential to be operated and survive as a sporting business. This is based on the growing participation, sponsorship interests, and the infrastructure base. In 2010, statistics showed that 3.3 million American athletes participate in cheerleading (The Active Network, 2011), and the activity has seen a 20% increase in participation since 2000.

Modern day sports rely on the money that sponsorship brings. Advertisers and sponsors could use cheerleading as an effective way to reach a unique market segment. Cheerleaders are widely considered as role models, leaders, and trend setters among their communities. As such the ‘sport’ of cheerleading could attract sponsors looking to influence this predominantly youth market (The Active Network, 2011).

If cheerleading was included under the sporting banner it would require the necessary infrastructure. There are multiple examples of universities with substantial cheerleading facilitates that could be used for the ‘sport’ of cheerleading, including the University of Louisville (2011), Morehead State University, University of Kentucky, and Long Beach University of Alabama. Many of these facilities include arenas, gymnasiums, playing fields, and multi-complexes that could be easily used for the sport of cheerleading.

America
In a paper by West et al (2006), researchers traveled to multiple cheerleading squads located around America, and asked cheerleaders whether cheerleading should be a sport. One quote from a competitive cheerleader encapsulated the participants overall view. He stated “for cheerleading to be a sport, it goes from squad to squad. A squad that competes, that has competed in the past, they want to compete in the future, and they’re working to compete. I’ll say that squad is a sport.” Researchers also found that a consistent view was that competitive orientation alone does not make cheerleading a sport. Cheerleaders also stated “it is also the athleticism and skill” that makes cheerleading a sport.

Newspaper article: Born on Sideline, Cheering Clamors to Be Sport (Thomas, 2011)

Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation
In a primary interview conducted with the program Director of the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation (2011),Rosemary Sims-James, she stated that “Cheerleading should be an official sport, and its own sport, and not an arm or leg of dance or gymnastic”. She went on to state that “Cheerleading is a combination of stunting, baskets, pyramids, jumping combinations, team tumbling, and dance. It requires hours of progressive training each week. There are very few sports that are more intense than the training of competitive cheerleading. It is like the Ironman of performing arts”.

Canberra Raiders
To gain local opinions on the business and politics of making cheerleading an official sport, the authors conducted an interview with Kait Ludwig, Coach and former cheerleader of the Canberra Raiders (2011). Kait gave the following observations to the authors questions: In Australia, it’s a bit difficult to analyse cheerleading as many associate cheerleading purely with the NRL (2011) and its cheerleaders / dance teams. However, there are many ‘American’ cheerleading squads that exist and compete against one another around the country. If you look at the definition of a sport, there are arguments both for and against the inclusion of cheerleading as a sport but this differs between the two styles that are here in Australia. The Australian Sports Foundation (2011) defines sport as “a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which, by its nature and organisation, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport.” ‘American’ cheerleading fits these criteria as it satisfies the following:
 * Do you think cheerleading should be classified as a sport?

1) Achieves a result: entertains crowds

2) Physical Exertion: flips, throws, stunts etc.

3) Competitive: All Star Cheerleading Association holds competitions throughout the year.

4) Generally Accepted: Most find the ‘American’ style of cheerleading to be similar to gymnastics.

NRL cheerleading generally satisfies the first two requirements of the definition. However, NRL squads only perform at their own home games. At finals games, both squads are invited to attend but rarely take part in a ‘dance – off’. Some may argue that the lack of a ‘competition’ element excludes NRL cheerleading from being a real sport. I think that American cheerleading is definitely a sport but the non-competitive NRL cheerleading is more of a social/dance hobby.

The NRL may look into developing a competition schedule for the cheer squads but I’m sure that with their busy schedules, this would be sitting at the bottom of the priorities list.

Cheerleading often goes hand in hand with modeling/promotional work. In both forms of cheerleading in Australia, squads can make money from sponsors and promotional work or performances (usually at corporate events). This is how many squads can afford to pay their cheerleaders and raise funds to compete.
 * Do you believe cheerleading could operate as a separate sporting business?

I don’t think cheerleading in Australia has a big enough profile to operate as a stand alone business. NRL clubs usually make money from their cheerleading squads by attracting several sponsors and inflating the sponsorship fee to make large profits off the girls.

In the USA, The Dallas Cowgirls (2011) (NFL) come under the umbrella of the Dallas Cowboys football team (2011) but they have their own clothing label, TV show and fans. Some might argue that this squad could operate as its own entity.

I think there is a small demand to make cheerleading a ‘sport’. However, it usually only comes from the several hundred participants. This type of action would probably require backing and support from the Football Leagues as cheerleading is more a ‘support’ sport under their umbrella.
 * Do you think there would be demand and subsequently participation in making it a sport?

I would argue No, purely because we currently have other ‘sports’ that are typically feminine (diving, gymnastics) which possess similar elements of cheerleading. I don’t think that cheerleading becoming a sport would have any impact on sporting equality especially now when most sports are seeing greater participation from both genders.
 * Could making cheerleading a sport help with gender inequity?

Recognised under Title IX legislation would set precedence in making cheerleading an official sport within Australia
Recognising Cheerleading as a sport under Title IX legislation, could help set a precedence in making cheerleading its own sport within Australia. Currently cheerleading is a sub-set sport within the recognised sport of gymnastics, although it is not a sport in its own right. Gymnastics Australia (2011) has established a separate governing body called the Australian Cheerleading Union (ACU) (2011), for the purposes of regulating cheerleading, and with an longterm view of establishing cheerleading as a sport under the Australian Sports Commission guidelines (AusCheer, 2011). By recognising cheerleading under Title IX legislation the ACU would have a greater evidence base and increased potential in making ‘AusCheer’ its own sport within Australia. This would benefit Australian cheerleading with enhanced recognition, and sporting legitimacy.

Conclusion
This article considers the business and politics surrounding making cheeleading an official sport. To determine whether cheerleading should be classified as an official sport under Title IX we considered the definition of sport, the politics surrounding cheerleading, the business of cheerleading, and the selected opinions of professionals within the industry. We concluded that if cheerleading could be operated under a professional system with a competitive format it should be considered a sport under Title IX. By making it an official sport in America, this could set precedence in making AusCher it own sport within Australia.


text:
Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies/Business, Politics and Sport 2011/Sport Celebrity Endorsements

U3017206, 2011 Original copy

Hey everyone, check out my presentation that I've uploaded on my wiki page on sport celebrity endorsements. It summarises all the main ideas and arguments from my essay in a new dimension. To get an even better resolution, click on the link to watch it on archive.org. Enjoy! Business and Politics of Sport Celebrity Endorsements Presentation

Sport celebrities and superstars have become the forefront of today’s sport media culture in both Australia and Internationally. Sport professionals have been looked upon as role models for decades and recently over the year’s companies have been trying to capitalise on specific professional sport stars images by paying famous athletes millions of dollars to endorse their products.The sporting industry is known as a multi-billion dollar global corporation and similar to that of other businesses and industries, its main aim is to prosper. This paper explores the central ideas around sporting endorsements, their purpose and how they are mutually beneficial for the endorser and endorsee. Positive and negative sporting endorsements in Australia and Internationally are outlined as well as the role business and politics play in sporting endorsements. Commodification of sports professionals is discussed with reference to sport celebrity endorsements. Impacts of endorsements on companies, brands, and sports celebrity images are outlined with reference to global superstars of the 21st century.

Introduction
Sport professionals have been looked upon as role models for decades and recently over the year’s companies have been trying to capitalise on specific professional sport stars images by paying famous athletes millions of dollars to endorse their products. The aim of a sporting endorsement deal is to create a mutually beneficial partnership, whereby a company provide financial benefits to the professional athlete to advertise/endorse their product.

This paper explores this notion in an Australian and International context discussing the advantages of a positive endorsement contract as well as the possible negative implications that may arise. The role that business and politics play in sport celebrity endorsements is also discussed specifically relating to companies, brands and sport celebrity images. Commodification in sport is outlined with reference to how sports professionals have become commodities, with their appeal, likeability and image sold to promote products and services to the public in the aim to gain greater exposure and market share.

Sports Endorsements
According to (Epstein, 2003) sporting endorsements are usually one of contractor-independent contractor relationships meaning that withholding tax, paying insurance and workers compensation are not part of the agreement. "An endorsement contract is a contractual agreement that grants the sponsor or endorser usually a sporting organisation the rights to use (i.e. license) the athlete’s name, image, and popularity in conjunction with advertising the endorsers products or services" (Epstein, 2003, p 39). In return the endorser agrees to provide monetary compensation or the like to the endorsee (athlete) (Epstein, 2003).

The media have converted sport into a huge form of entertainment witnessed by billions of people. Due to globalisation and commercialisation of sport, famous athletes are becoming the forefront of today’s sport media culture locally, nationally and internationally. With advances in broadcast communication technology and increased media coverage, sports celebrities are constantly in the limelight, either playing their sport, engaging in ‘off the court’ activities, and/or endorsing products or services (Jones & Schumann, 2000). Sports professionals have been looked upon as role models and idolised for decades. From local state football stars to international superstars, corporations and businesses capitalise on marketing and product advertising opportunities by paying famous athletes millions of dollars annually to endorse their products or services. The corporations that sponsor athletes inscribe their logos into consumer’s minds as they promote and advertise lifestyles based on consumption (Coakley etc al, 2009). Product endorsement has become a lucrative business for marketers and athletes alike; thus, the decision to sign a particular athlete is important financially as well as strategically (Jones & Schumann, 2000) Famous athletes, in particular, when endorsing an athletic product or service, can be viewed as experts in their field (Pikus, 2005). Thus to enhance sales for their endorser, sporting celebrities strengthen their persuasive argument by associating their success with a product (Pikus, 2005).

With sport being one of the largest global phenomenon in recent history, there is no doubt in stating that fans spend huge amount money on purchasing tickets to see their favourite stars play as well as purchasing souvenirs and merchandise (Shoman, 2006). Other individuals purchase additional gear at stores specifically worn by their favourite player upon noticing their endorsements via media. Due to the popularity of athlete endorsements, more and more athletes are appearing in commercials supporting specific products or brands greatly influencing what sports fans purchase (Shoman, 2006).

Impacts on Companies, Brands and Endorsees
Marketing and advertising corporations use sport celebrity endorsement deals as a promotional strategy to launch new products, reposition brands and reinforce brand image and awareness (Kim & Na, 2007). “The use of famous sporting celebrities can contribute to greater brand recognition and can create a positive perception in regard to the endorsement product” (Fullerton, 2007, p211). The aim of the marketers is to portray the celebrity in such a way, that it persuades the consumer to purchase the product initially as well as develop a high degree of brand loyalty to encourage repeated product purchase (Fullerton, 2007).

Positive Endorsements
The use of a sporting celebrity as an endorser can positively influence a company's image by linking the celebrities success and public image to the product, helping to create credibility for the organisation (Fullerton, 2007) (Sassenberg & Johnson, 2010). There are three stages that occur during an endorsement deal: 1. the formation of the celebrity image, 2. the transfer of meaning from the celebrity to the product and 3. transfer from product to ad recipient (Kim & Na, 2007). This indicates that for an endorsement to be effective there must be a match between the endorser and the marketer in order to balance the needs of both parties in the partnership (Fullerton, 2007). For this relationship to be more effective and prosper, there must also be a match with the target market (Fullerton, 2007, p 212). There are a number of factors that have been identified as potentially impacting endorsement effectiveness which primarily relate to the endorser including: the endorser is a high achiever, is believable/credible, is well known, is recognisable, provides ease of recall, is congruent with the target market, is physically attractive and consideration of future prospects (Fullerton, 2007, pp217-212).

As a result of Tiger Woods' success and lucrative endorsement deal with Nike, he was able to get masses of people to purchase golf clubs, merchandise and take up the sport of golf (Fullerton, 2007). Nike’s use of an effective strategy with statements from Woods such as “I use it, so should you” was aimed to make Nike the leader in the golf equipment market (Fullerton, 2007, p 212).

Tennis info blog (2007) likewise state that Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer both famous professional tennis players, have very lucrative endorsement deals with Nike as well as several other companies, putting them on the list of the top 25 highest paid athletes in the world (Fullerton, 2007, p212). Through the growth of commercial sport, professional athletes demand higher salaries turning some into national and international celebrities, who then use their celebrity status to endorse products sold around the world (Fullerton, 2007). Not only are sporting celebrities receiving greater endorsement contracts, but companies are willing to spend millions of dollars on endorsement deals to improve their promotional strategies in an attempt to associate their products with their endorsed athlete (Kim & Na, 2007).

Negative Endorsements

Despite the numerous positive aspects of sport celebrity endorsement deals, there are several potential negative facets that companies, brands and celebrities need to consider. Today, endorsement contracts have specific moral clauses that allow a company/brand (the endorser) to unilaterally terminate an endorsement contract with a celebrity who acts in ways which are deemed unacceptable, potentially damaging the reputation of the endorser (Fullerton, 2007). Criminal actions performed by the endorsee may cause an endorsement contract to be negatively portrayed whereby their actions may have detrimental effects on the endorser and their company and products. The endorser must re-evaluate the contract if incidents such as murder, abuse, sexual misconduct and substance abuse occur.

The Tiger Woods scandal is one of the most prominent in history and one of the most recent. It is a prime example of how such a prominent figure in sport can have such a negative effect on his image as well as the image of his endorsers due to his involvement in a sex scandal. In 2009 Woods was earning $100 million annually in endorsement income from several contracts, much greater than any other athlete (Knittel & Stango, 2010). (Knittel & Stango, 2010) state that in the ten trading days after the scandal occurred, brands endorsed by Woods suffered significant declines in stock market value. The core three endorsements deals with Nike, Electronic Arts and PepsiCo (Gatorade) lost over 4 percent in cumulative market value, evidently indicating the detrimental affects celebrity scandals can have on companies and brands (Knittel & Stango, 2010).

Endorsement conflicts are also prevalent whereby an athlete endorses one brand of product while the governing body involved with the athlete’s sport endorses another brand (Fullerton, 2007). Kim Clisters a professional tennis player came under such a conflict where she indicated she would not participate in the 2004 Olympic Games where her team was sponsored by Adidas, if not allowed to wear the File apparel, her main endorsement brand (Conrad, 2009).

Sporting celebrities endorsing unwholesome non-sport products is also an area of scrutiny. Several issues have become apparent over the years where celebrities not only endorse sports products but also endorse alcoholic beverages, tobacco and casinos (Fullerton, 2007). The Australian National Cricket team was endorsed by Victoria Bitter as one of their main sponsors, having printed labels on the front of the player jerseys (Phillipson & Jones, 2007). These types of endorsements have been the topic of great debates and even been catalysts for regulation changes. Today, sports governing bodies in many countries prohibit sports celebrities the ability to endorse such products in order to reduce the promotion of non-sport products (Fullerton, 2007).

National Endorsement Deals
(The Advertiser, 2011) (Meyn, 2009)

International Endorsement Deals
Anecdotal evidence suggests that local and many national sporting celebrities earn less than international stars (i.e. Samantha Stosur vs Tiger Woods). However due to globalisation and the commercialisation of sport, sports stars are getting endorsed by companies at a much higher rate locally, nationally and internationally. (Carlson, 2008)(NY Daily News, 2011) (Verticle Scope, 2011) (Kwek, 2011)

Political Links to Endorsements
Politics is an integral part of sport on a locally, nationally and international scale. Sport evolves around political processes associated with issues such as who controls sport, the terms of eligibility, team selection, rules and rule changes (Coakley etc al, 2009). Politics include all processes of governing people and administering policies at all levels of an organisation, both public and private. These sporting organisations are commonly identified as ‘governing bodies’ (Coakley et al, 2009 p434). Without politics, policies, and governing bodies, sport would not exist as we know it today. With the ever increasing popularity of sport globally, government involvement increases with many sports professionals requiring sponsorship and endorsement contracts. Therefore we pose these questions: Has expanding business and global brands taken over the image athletes portray to their audience? Or is it the politics behind athletes actions that influence the brands?

Business Links to Endorsements
Sport is a multi-billion dollar business, unique to other industries as it involves contract rights, free agency, eligibility, endorsement deals, corporate sponsorship, construction of sporting infrastructure and event management just to mention a few (Conrad, 2009). Sport is multifaceted and does not focus on the manufacturing of goods but rather the exposure of athletes participating in sports, pertaining to the entertainment industry (Conrad, 2009). Professional athletes have become global stars in the 20th century and have given rise to an increase in economic activities in the industry (Conrad, 2009). The increased popularity and complexity of the sports industry has resulted in the expansion of this global business (Conrad, 2009). Endorsements are much the same, with professional athletes demanding higher economic benefits from companies to endorse their products. A company i.e. Adidas seeks famous athletes who will endorse their products with the aim to increase consumer consumption ultimately increasing the companies market share value. However, should athletes such as Stephanie Gilmore be earning over 10 times the amount in endorsements contracts, than their earnings from their achievements in sport? (The Advertiser, 2011). Is business taking over or is it all politics? Inevitably, business and politics are interlinked and revolve around increasing exposure of specific sports, athletes, products,companies and brands whilst maintaining structure in the industry.

Commodification and Endorsements
Commodification relates to the notion that economic value is assigned to something that previously was not considered in economic terms. In a sporting context this refers to a product, activity or perhaps even a person that originally existed for utility or pleasure purposes, now is made into something that can be used to make money, by promoting and selling the product (Christensen & Levinson, 2005). As sport has become a form of public entertainment, the prospect of making money is a definite motivation for sport organisers and athletes. Sport in essence has become corporate sport with corporate sponsorships supporting world class events, teams signing major sponsorship deals and high profile players obtaining million dollar endorsement contracts. Sport endorsement deals are a prime example of how sport has become a commodification and the drive to make money anywhere and anyway possible is becoming more apparent. Sports professionals have become commodities, with their appeal, likeability and image sold to promote products and services to the public in the aim to gain greater exposure and market share (Christensen & Levinson, 2005).

Conclusion
The sporting industry is one of the largest growing businesses in Australia and globally. In the 21st Century, sports professionals have been recognised not only as athletes but as superstars and celebrities. Today, with athletes becoming huge role models for consumers, companies and brands capitalise on professional sport stars appeal and likeability by paying famous athletes millions of dollars to endorse their products. With some athletes earning 10 times or more than their earnings from their annually sporting achievements, there is no questioning why athletes strive to obtain lucrative deals.

This paper analysed sporting endorsements, their benefits and negative impacts in an Australian and International context. Furthermore, the role that politics plays on influencing sports endorsement deals was outlined and how sport today has changed into a commercial, business driven global industry. Commodification was also made reference to, illustrating how professionals have become commodities, with their appeal, likeability and image sold to promote products and services to the public in the aim to gain greater exposure and market share. Evidently in the 21st Century, business and politics play a major role in sport celebrity endorsements affecting the perception that consumers have of companies, brands and sport celebrities.


text:
Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies/Business, Politics and Sport 2011/The Intersection of Politics and Business in Rugby Union

Antperry, 2011 Original copy

Introduction
Since entering the post-modern era, professionalism has clouded the world of sport. Rugby union has been no exception to its merciless growth, particularly in the 21st century. The ruthless rise of professionalism has been the precursor of rugby union drawing parallel to the realms of politics and business.

Rugby entered the professional marketplace to avoid being left “behind as a fossilised relic of a gentlemanly age that had gone” (Laidlaw, 2010). Indeed, it avoided being left behind. More than a decade on from rugby’s addition to the bazaar, the sport has become fond bedfellows with politics and business.

As rugby has continued to grow in its professionalism, politics and business, and how they intersect within the sport, have become entrenched within all facets of the game – international, national and local.

The amendments of rugby’s rules and the implementation of such changes by the International Rugby Board (IRB), has ensured rugby union remains an attractive product within the marketplace, thus helping it to remain a viable business on an international scale.

Sponsorship ensures adequate financial backing for national rugby competitions, allowing such competitions to flourish.

The inception of judicial committees in local levels of rugby, aimed at minimising illegal and foul play within the game, has contributed a steady income, enabling the sport’s smallest sector to remain afloat.

Business and politics, undoubtedly, intersect within the 15-a-side game.

International
As societies worldwide are presided over by a government, rugby, too, has its own governing body. The IRB is the world governing and lawmaking body for the sport. Of its four main functions, perhaps the IRB’s most significant role is the “governance of the Laws and Regulations and their enforcement” (International Rugby Board). This role ultimately determines how successful the sport is both on and off the rugby pitch.

As governments around the world continually legislate more rules, the IRB is no different. Calls for amendments to rugby’s rule book surfaced in the mid 2000s. Such amendments were dubbed as experimental law variations (ELVs) and were first trialled at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University in 2006. Following the 2007 Rugby World Cup, the sport’s global showpiece event, the ELVs came to wider prominence. Outgoing IRB president Syd Millar expressed the need for amendments because delays in the release of the ball from the contest for possession were having adverse effects on the game (Rugby Football History, 2007).

The IRB announced in 2008 that its Council had approved a global trial of ELVs. For a period of 12 months, commencing 1 August 2008, all levels of rugby union were to trial 13 of the 23 approved variations to rugby’s current laws. Following the trial period, 10 of the 13 trialled rule variations were implemented into Law on 23 May 2009 (The Telegraph, 2009);

•	Law 6 - assistant referees allowed;

•	Law 19 - Kicking directly into touch from ball played back into 22 equals no gain in ground;

•	Law 19 - Quick (lineout) throw permitted in any direction except forward;

•	Law 19 - Positioning of player in opposition to the player throwing in to be two metres away from lineout and the line of touch;

•	Law 19 - Pre-gripping of lineout jumpers allowed;

•	Law 19 - Lifting in the lineout allowed;

•	Law 19 - Positioning of receiver must be two metres away from lineout;

•	Law 20 - Five-metre offside line at the scrum;

•	Law 20 - Scrum-half offside line at the scrum;

•	Law 22 - Corner posts no longer touch in goal.

Head of the IRB’s Referee Board Paddy O’Brien stated that before the adoption of the ELVs, rugby was not subject to the laws of the game and the constant blowing of the referee’s whistle was enough to “send the spectators out of the ground” (Harlow, 2006). When rugby went professional, it became a business and if it were to lose the support of its clientele, it would be left in a vulnerable position in the marketplace.

This is where politics and business intersected on rugby’s international stage. The introduction of said ELVs by the IRB has ensured that rugby remained an attractive product and has since seen business thrive in the international bazaar. The game is now simplified, faster and a more open “product” on the pitch (Harlow, 2006). It is also more entertaining according to Stellenbosch University Rugby Club president Jourie Roux, who saw the ELVs trialled before the rest of the rugby world (Harlow, 2006).

This year’s Rugby World Cup (RWC) tournament in New Zealand, the first to be played since the introduction of the amended laws, produced $NZ268.7 million (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011) in ticket sale revenue with two matches still left to be played. The figure exceeded Rugby New Zealand’s target of $NZ268.5 million (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011) set two years ago. Overall, 87% of available tickets were sold at the tournament (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011) and the showpiece event attracted 100,000 visitors from around the world (Rugby World Cup, 2011). Furthermore, RWC 2011 was broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide, more than any previous Rugby World Cup tournament (Rugby World Cup, 2011). Indeed, international rugby seems to be more a more entertaining product post the implementation of the ELVs.

In 2010 (post the introduction of the ELVs), average attendance figures for the southern hemispheres and the northern hemisphere’s pinnacle international events, Tri Nations and Six Nations tournaments respectively, eclipsed the average attendance recorded at 2007 RWC matches (pre the introduction of the ELVs). 49,111 spectators attended nine Tri Nations matches in 2010 and an average of 70,351 spectators were on hand for each the 15 Six Nations fixtures in the same year, while the average attendance at the 48 RWC games in 2007 was 47,376 (Wikipedia, 2011).

The amendments made to rugby’s laws and the introduction of them by the IRB indeed shows the intersection of politics and business within the 15-a-side game, and as a result, the sport has since benefitted at an international level.

National
There was a time when rugby had no external support. It was, essentially, valueless to the outside world. But with the arrival of professionalism came the commoditisation of rugby. Sponsorship of the sport all of a sudden became an option. Now, rugby and sponsorship are synonymous with one another.

Sponsorship within rugby has been defined as a “relationship between a provider of funds, resources or services and an individual, event or organisation which offers in return some rights and associations that may be used for commercial advantage” (Rugby Australia).

Competitions are now sponsored by globally recognised organisations, even on a national scale. The inception of sponsorship within rugby’s national realm has been brought on by the growing pressures of professionalism and the need for the game to keep pace with other global sports.

Sponsorship is dealt with by the national body and the steps involved in the process have been outlined; (Rugby Australia)

1.	Setting up a sponsorship plan that outlines the various options available to sponsors;

2.	Sponsorship proposal – is developed to target a sponsor or group of sponsors;

3.	Sponsorship agreement – a formalized partnership agreement securing the sponsorship for your club/Association;

4.	Final checklist to ensure that the process is complete.

Businesses require money to stay afloat, remain competitive and to make improvements to products. Rugby on a national scale is no exception.

The successful completion of the sponsorship process portrays the intersection of politics and business, as the money needed for national rugby to thrive is supplied by sponsorship.

In 2008, ABSA, a consumer bank in South Africa, renewed its long-standing sponsorship of the Currie Cup, South Africa’s premier domestic rugby competition (Biz Community, 2008).

Angie Burton, GM, group marketing at ABSA, said of the sponsorship renewal: “From a business perspective, the ABSA Currie Cup sponsorship creates an opportunity for the rugby public to interact with and experience the ABSA brand through various leveraging and marketing activities” (Biz Community, 2008).

A sponsorship deal worth £20m saw Premiership Rugby, England’s top-flight national competition, become The Guinness Premiership in 2005 (Morning Advertiser, 2005). The deal was aimed at enhancing “the fans’ experience as much as possible” and “to grow the club game in England still further” (Morning Advertiser, 2005).

In 2010, Premiership Rugby announced a four-year sponsorship deal with Aviva, who would replace Guinness as its title sponsor, worth £20m. It was intended that the joining of the two would lead to “significant investment into community programs” (The Guardian, 2010).

The inception of sponsorship within rugby’s national realm was perhaps a necessity. Governing organisations saw the need for sponsorship to maintain the high standard of national competition seen in England and South Africa. Sponsorship has enabled national rugby union to remain a viable business in which the public interact with, highlighting the intersection of politics and business on the sport’s national stage.

Local
Since the advent of professionalism, rugby has become more competitive and the thirst for victory is stronger than ever before. In a team’s quest for glory, its players will do anything to achieve magnificence and to satisfy the demands and expectations of fans and coaches alike. The actions of players, though, are not always within the laws of the game, even at rugby’s local levels. In an attempt to combat the illegal and foul play committed by players, local rugby union bodies have established internal judiciaries.

New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union’s (NSWSRU) Judiciary deals with “all protests, disputes, misconduct or other matters stipulated in the Union’s Objects and Rules, these Competition Rules, the Code of Conduct or such items referred to it by the Board or the Executive Director” (New South Wales Suburban Rugby Union, 2011).

New South Wales Country Rugby Union’s (NSWCRU) Judiciary Committee determines all matters arising from: “Orderings off from the playing enclosure; Citings by the Citing Commissioner; Breaches of the Code of Conduct; Citings by the Chief Executive Officer; Any dispute referred by the Board” (New South Wales Country Rugby Union, 2010).

Similarly, Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) holds the following as warranting disciplinary action from its Judiciary: “When a Player is Ordered Off the playing enclosure; When a Player is cited for an act or acts of Illegal and/or Foul Play; When a Player has been Temporarily Suspended three times in accordance with Regulation 17.20; When an act or acts of Misconduct may have been committed by a Union, Player or Person” (Queensland Rugby Union, 2003).

Since their inception, local rugby judiciaries have played a large part in minimising the number of cases in which players commit illegal and foul play. While one would hope local union bodies introduced such committees purely to maintain the sport’s clean image, other agendas are strongly evident. Just as rugby is a business on the international and national stage, it is, too, at a local level. While local rugby is insufficiently backed fiscally by sponsors and other corporate bodies, much unlike the sport’s two upper tiers, the presence and operation of judiciaries ensures an income.

Players and participants summoned to a judicial hearing have the opportunity to appeal a decision made by a judicial committee, but for a price.

NSWCRU grants players the right of appeal. A cheque for $200.00 made out in favour of the Union must be lodged with the appeal. Referees, too, have the right of appeal, and must also include a cheque for $200.00 when lodging an appeal (New South Wales Country Rugby Union, 2010).

QRU also allows players and participants the right of appeal from any decision of a Judicial Committee. Each notice of appeal must be accompanied with a deposit of $250.00 (Queensland Rugby Union, 2006).

The presence and operation of judiciaries essentially highlights one of the intersections of business and politics in local rugby. Its mere existence and policies, put in place by governing bodies, is a catalyst for some of the sport’s income in its local sector.

Conclusion
Since its turn to professionalism, rugby union has become inseparable from the realms of politics and business and the intersection of the two within the sport is evident at every level – international, national and local.

On the international scale, the IRB’s amendments to rugby’s rule book have created a more open and entertaining product. This has increased the sport’s appeal and as a result, rugby is thriving within the international bazaar.

The commoditisation of rugby since the arrival of professionalism has seen the sport, at a national level, combine with sponsorship and benefit because of it.

The implementation of judiciaries and their policies at rugby’s local level provides the sport’s smallest sector with a source of income, enabling it to remain viable.

Indeed, politics and business intersect within rugby’s international, national and local levels. The arrival of professionalism, one could argue, was the precursor of their involvement within the sport. As a result, rugby union has flourished since the attachment was formed and has most certainly avoided being left “behind as a fossilised relic of a gentlemanly age that had gone” (Laidlaw, 2010).

Presentation
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