Are athletes addicted to their identity? The development and validation of the Athletic Identity Addiction (AIA) scale

The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid instrument for assessing the extent to which athletic identity is related to the tenets of addiction. Specifically, it was investigated whether athletes experience a behavioral addiction regarding their participation and involvement in sport. A total of 576 athletes (118 student-athletes, 458 former student-athletes) were included within a two-phase study. The first phase focused on crafting and testing the instrument, while the second phase refining the instrument for validity and reliability. Results indicated a four-factor solution comprising the Athletic Identity Addiction (AIA) scale: (1) mood alteration, (2) withdrawal, (3) life conflict, and (4) relapse. Concerns within the EFA led us to remove salience and tolerance before reaching the final model. Each of the four factors established within AIA is substantiated by previous studies outlining challenges faced by athletes. This research provides insight into deep seeded issues of athletic identity, indicating the importance of sport managers’ developing appropriate means for aiding athletes in transitioning from elite sport participation. Findings also provide future, alternative perspectives for researchers to examine athletic identity

Education Through Athletics: An Examination of Academic Courses Designed for NCAA Athletes

Fundamental to the union of athletics and the academy is an underlying theoretical premise of education through athletics. Despite an organizational union of varsity athletics and American higher education, athletics is commonly viewed as extracurricular, tangential, or a detractor from the educational mission of the academy, and athletics-centric curricula have historically not been viewed as worthy of academic credit despite documented educational benefits. Through survey of a stratifiedrandom sample of National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I, II, and III athletic academic advisors (n = 240), this exploratory study examined the prevalence, design, and institutional perceptions of classes offered exclusively for varsity athletes. Results indicate roughly 1/3 of sample schools facilitate athletecentric academic opportunities, with the majority of courses being 1st semester transition, physical education, or leadership courses. Academic opportunities for athletes were greatest in western, public, and Division I institutions

The Relationship Between Athletic Identity and Academic Major Chosen by Student-Athletes

International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 915-925, 2017. This study examines the correlation between athletic identity and academic major selection among intercollegiate student-athletes. A thorough review of literature focusing on academic clustering, athletic identity, and academic development leads to the development of two hypotheses – 1) student-athletes with stronger athletic identity will have a declared major of decreased academic rigor; and 2) student-athletes with stronger athletic identity will be more likely to be undecided on their major. Data were collected through a survey administered to Division I, II, and III student-athletes recording academic major and their Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS). After analyzing the student responses, Hypothesis I is supported, while Hypothesis II is met with some limitation that leads to a lack of statistical significance. Overall, this study sheds light on a connection between academic choice and athletic identit

Coaches’ Perceptions of the Reduction of Athletic Commitment for Division II Student-Athletes: Development and Validation of a Measure of Athletic/Academic Balance

Growing concerns exist regarding the amount of time student-athletes spend honing their athletic craft at the potential expense of their academic pursuits. Recently, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II Management Council approved the Life in the Balance (LITB) initiative to allow student-athletes more time for academics and other extracurricular activities beyond their sport(s). The purpose of this study was to develop a reliable and valid measurement scale assessing coaches’ perceptions of balancing athletics and academics for studentathletes. Results of this study indicated three factors comprise the Athletic Academic Balance Scale (AABS): (a) policy impact, (b) contest reductions, and (c) midyear break. The AABS represents a reliable and valid scale to measure policy effectiveness for balancing athletics and academics for student-athletes. The scale extends role theory into student-athlete literature and helps assess the perception of internal stakeholders regarding future NCAA policies

College athletes and the influence of academic and athletic investment on sense of belonging

While the athletic and academic experiences of student-athletes have been frequently examined by scholars (Houle & Kluck, 2015; Rettig & Hu, 2016), there is a lack of research into which investment creates a sense of belonging on campus for student-athletes. Other factors, such as sport status, have only been conceptually discussed, while transfer status and gender, have been examined in non-athlete populations, highlighting a gap in our college student understanding of sense of belonging. We used structural modeling to examine the relationship between athletic investment, academic investment, and demographics within a context of student-athletes. Results indicated as both athletic and academic investment increase, the student-athlete’s sense of belonging on campus decreased. Additionally, student-athletes who were transfers, in team sports, or men were more likely to have a reduced sense of belong on campus

The Effect of Remote Work on Family and Work Dynamics within the Sport Industry

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of required remote work on work–family spillover within U.S. college sport. In particular, we examined the changes in work–family spillover (positive and negative), job commitment, and workaholism as employee’s work environment changed from traditional work expectations to work from home, and if these changes were, at least partially, due to parental responsibilities. Data were collected from full-time, National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic department employees (n = 1,139) in November 2019 and again in May 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and after the transition to remote work. Results showed that sport employees found a number of benefits associated with working remotely, including a significant decrease in negative work–family spillover. However, employees with children at home reported higher levels of negative family–work spillover after going to remote work. Workaholism was also higher after the move to remote work. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed

A Deficiency of Donors or an Abundance of Barriers? Title IX Fundraising Challenges from the Perspective of Athletic Department Fundraisers

This paper explores how Title IX effects college athletic fundraising, particularly how athletic fundraisers creates an unfair environment for non-football and basketball programs. Using distributive justice as a theoretical lens, we examine the perspective of athletic department fundraisers working at NCAA, Power Five athletic departments. Interviews from participants gleaned insights into only meeting the minimum legal requirements of Title IX, fighting between non-revenue programs for remaining resources, elevated requirements for program success for non-football and basketball programs, and more. This paper aims at providing insight into a distinct context of fundraising, which often avoids Title IX scrutiny, but is the primary outlet for athletic departments to raise additional funds for their sport programs

The Role of Organizational Capacity in Student-Athlete Development

In-depth interviews were conducted with the life skills coordinators of 9 of 21 institutions identified as being “dedicated” to service (Andrassy & Bruening, 2011). As a result of service being one portion of CHAMPS/Life Skills programming, we expanded our investigation to include all aspects of this student development program. In particular, we focused our inquiry on organizational capacity and its role in student involvement. Findings indicate these ‘dedicated’ athletic departments were characterized by strong organizational capacity for engaging student-athletes in meaningful service efforts. The critical role of coaches and mutual values among internal stakeholders emerged as the primary strengths of department’s human resources capacity. Despite the limited financial capacity, departments were able to creatively secure some funding for development programs. The ability to leverage external relationships, an organizational culture promoting participative decision-making and student-athlete development, and on-going efforts to improve service and life skills opportunities for student-athletes indicated strong structural capacity