2013 - Current Issue

Based on Complex Adaptive Systems theory, a head coach change is likely to impact players in a number of ways.  To measure the potential impact on Academic Progress Rate (APR), all head coaching changes in NCAA Division I FBS football (n =160) between the academic years of 2003-04 and 2010-11 were examined using the NCAA APR database.  Results indicated APR scores in the year of a coaching change were significantly lower than average APR scores, the nature of change (i.e., positive vs. negative) did not impact APR scores, internally hired coaches produced the highest APR scores, teams with the highest winning percentages had the greatest APR scores, and the two variables that significantly contribute to predicting APR in the year of a coaching change were average APR scores and academic year.  These results can be used by college athletics stakeholders for academic programming and human resource decision-making during times of coaching transition.

Given the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics, university administrators must constantly reexamine the direction of their athletic programs. Despite evidence suggesting limited profitability of athletic endeavors, many institutions sustain investment in Division I athletics. Yet, select institutions have reconsidered their commitment to Division I athletics and chosen to de-escalate from what they have deemed failing courses of action. While prior research has investigated organizations remaining committed to failing courses of action, limited research has considered the factors for reversing such behavior. Based on the theoretical framework of escalation of commitment, the purpose of this study was to investigate the factors for initiating de-escalation of commitment within the context of Division I athletics. Phone interviews were conducted with decision makers (n = 32) involved in the development and implementation of institutional de-escalation initiatives at eight institutions (N = 8). Data collected revealed three primary themes regarding factors for de-escalation in Division I athletics: (a) resource commitment, (b) student-athlete experience, and (c) philosophical inconsistency. Implications from this investigation speak to the necessity of institutions to consider alternative courses of action given the increasing level of commitment with Division I athletic participation.

The exposure of college baseball has grown dramatically in recent years due to increased television coverage. For many communities, the expenditures of sport tourists related to attending baseball games can significantly benefit the athletic department, local business, and the community as a whole. Thus, the purpose of this study was to address the lack of economic impact studies on college sporting events. In order to assess the economic impact of the selected college baseball season, expenditure patterns for the study sample (n = 256) were analyzed across eight spending categories including: retail, eating and drinking places, lodging, game tickets and concessions, recreational activities, entertainment, auto, and other. Results from this study suggest sport tourists attending home baseball games at this university provide a significant economic impact to the local economy. On average, sport tourists spent approximately $106 per game which benefited both the athletic department and local businesses. Information provided by this study can be utilized in several ways by athletic departments, local businesses, and tourist destinations. For university athletic departments, this information can go a long way in supporting revenue-producing decisions, which research suggests is among the top issues facing athletic administrations.

The purpose of the current study was to compare the athletic and academic team performance incentive clauses of Division I men's head basketball coaches participating in the 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. A secondary purpose was to conduct a comparative analysis between the 2009 and 2012 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball athletic and academic team performance contract incentives. A content analyses was conducted on the 68 coaches' compensation contracts listed in the 2012 USAToday Coaches' Compensation database. Results indicated these coaches had potential athletic team performance incentives equaling $13,174,858.00 compared to potential academic team performance incentives of $1,230,328.00. When compared to the previous results of Wilson, et al. (2011), Non-Automatic Qualifying (N-AQ) conference school coaches' annual pay increased 87.5% from 2009 to 2012 with average salaries increasing from $357,440.00 in 2009 to $513,872.00 in 2012. Automatic Qualifying (AQ) conference school coaches experienced a reduction in potential academic incentive payouts, while (N-AQ) conference school coaches experienced a 1074% increase in possible academic incentives from 2009 to 2012 with academic incentives increasing from $19,500 in 2009 to $229,000.00 in 2012. These results indicate the intercollegiate "arms race" continues to expand regardless of conference affiliation in Division I men's basketball head coach compensation.

This study sought to gauge college sport video-game consumers' ability to identify National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football players, whose likenesses are featured in such games. The study also measured whether consumers perceived the use of athletes' likenesses as sponsorship of these games, as well as whether certain demographic, usage, and other criteria may influence their positions on whether athletes should be compensated for such use, in excess of their current athletic scholarships. Findings point to the ability of consumers to identify athletes in the video games overall, and at a significantly higher percentage for nationally known football players whose likenesses are utilized in the games. Unsurprisingly, knowledge of college football as a sport, and of the video game series itself, significantly correlated with increased likelihood of identifying digital representations of real-life players. These and other findings, and their implications for NCAA policy and pending litigation related to student-athlete likenesses, are discussed.

The authors examined approximately 1,000 high school quarterbacks that are recruited into collegiate athletics to determine what factors impact the player's decision to transfer to another school, change their position from quarterback, complete their eligibility (and presumably graduate), to be drafted into the National Football League and/or to make a professional roster at any level. Results suggest that minority student-athletes are more than twice as likely to change their position. Players that attend universities near their hometown see significant benefits, perhaps because of greater access to their hometown's social network. Attending a university closer to home decreases the likelihood that the player transfers to another school, increases the probability that the player stays a quarterback, increases the likelihood that the player completes their eligibility, increases the likelihood of being drafted into the National Football League and playing at any professional level.

Over the past 40 years, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has established itself as the dominant intercollegiate athletics association within the United States, in part by expanding opportunities for schools to become members of the association. As a result, many universities decision makers decided to change their school's athletic affiliation to the NCAA. The purpose of the present research is to examine the impact that five social identities---size, women's college, historical black college and universities, and geography---have on the likelihood that members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) move the NCAA. Previous research by Washington (2004-2005) illustrated that colleges were simultaneously influenced by multiple identities. Results from a logistic regression model showed that NAIA universities that are categorized as historical black colleges, women's colleges, and located in the New England and Rocky Mountain regions are more likely to move to the NCAA when other schools in those particular identities move to the NCAA. These results could help the NAIA to target specific schools for membership as well as talk to those schools that are leaving to better explore why they are moving to the NCAA.

The purpose of this study was to examine cultural narratives of intercollegiate media guide covers and to compare present findings with previous research by Kane and Buysse (2005) which revealed that there had been a shift from non-action images of female athletes toward images of athletic competence and a decline in gender differences between female athletes and male athletes. Content analyses of 476 guides from the 2009-2010 season reveal a return to gender differences, as female athletes were less likely than male athletes to be portrayed on court and in action. Images were also mediated by the type of sport and the location of specific conferences aligned with geographical locations. Results represent a shift backward and suggest that the battle for accurate, responsible media portrayals of female athletes as competent sportswomen was only temporarily won.