Investigating Multiplicity: Institutional Logics and Division II Commuter Student Athletes

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of commuter student athletes who were hypothesized to experience a multiplicity of institutional logics while competing at the NCAA Division II level. Second, if multiple competing logics were present, the authors intended to test a theoretical model of logic multiplicity development. Utilizing a case study methodology, the authors collected data from commuter student athletes competing at the Division II level. The study’s findings indicated that commuter student athletes perceived the presence of multiple competing logics and that these logics indicated an aligned or minimally estranged organization. In particular, the high compatibility and high centrality of multiple competing logics signified an organization aligned between academic, athletic, and family values, whereas the low centrality and low compatibility of social identification and societal factors denoted an estranged organization for commuter student athletes. The implications of this research within sport management are presented herein

Brand management in top-tier college athletics: Examining and explaining mark-usage policies

The practice of an interscholastic athletic department reproducing the logo of a collegiate team for its own use is becoming increasingly visible. Qualitative questionnaire responses from collegiate brand managers suggest that licensing departments differ in their perceptions of the outcomes associated with allowing logo replication in high school athletic departments. Perceived consequences of two enforcement strategies—prohibitive and cooperative—are highlighted, as are implications and directions for future research

March Madness in the Collegiate Sport Workplace: Cultural Implications for Sport Employees

Drawing upon Schein and Schein’s three-level conceptual framework of organizational culture, the purpose of this study was to examine how organizational culture and a sense of community manifest within intercollegiate athletics departments during March Madness. Considering the popularity of intercollegiate sport and March Madness, it is important for scholars to understand how organizational culture may influence the attitudes and behaviors of collegiate sport employees in the workplace. Thus, semi-structured interviews and observations were conducted to better understand how culture, community, and the phenomenon of March Madness traverse. Analysis of the data revealed a unique organizational culture within intercollegiate athletics departments, distinguishing them from other nonsport organizations. It was also discovered that socialization processes occur during March Madness, which can foster a sense of community. Implications for these findings are discussed and practical recommendations for collegiate athletics departments are provided

Safety or Style? An Examination of the Role of Football Equipment Personnel

The national recognition of concussions has increased greatly over the past de-cade. While concussions have moved to the spotlight, institutional policies and procedures are just beginning their climb into the public eye. This research delves into a sphere of sport that has to date been largely ignored, the role of equip-ment personnel. Equipment personnel were chosen due to their connection to concussions and organizational power. Organizational power has traditionally rested with those who acquire the most resources. Coaches usually represent such power. However, power can also be derived from maintaining resources. Quali-tative methodology was utilized to gauge the perceptions of equipment person-nel on a variety of topics related to organizational power and concussions. The results revealed that equipment personnel have little overall professional power. Although a majority of participants reported that they believed they retained the power to choose protective equipment for student-athletes, this autonomy was neither consistent nor sovereign. Informal power structures were discovered in which coaches were thought to have more power than their formal supervisors. Administrators should consider implementing policies that grant greater autono-my to equipment personnel in order to better protect student-athletes

Organizational Behavior in Sport Management

Practitioner interviews provide insight into theory application, allowing students to see relevance of the topic to career goals, be challenged to find their managerial style, and compare their strategies to the strategies of someone working in the sports industry QR linked audio files containing excerpts of practitioner interviews and summaries of chapter content encourage student engagement Case studies allow students to immerse themselves in the industry related issues, challenging assumptions, and encouraging higher-order thinking.https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/health-kinesiology-facbookshelf/1007/thumbnail.jp

Navigating Role Ambiguity & Conflict: Exploring the Role of the Referee Within the Olympic Sporting Structure

This phenomenological study seeks to better understand the role of the referee in the Olympic sporting structure and to deconstruct the apparent dichotomies that exist within this role. Eleven rugby sevens referees each completed a pre and post interview for a total of twenty-two interviews. From the data, four sources of role ambiguity or conflict emerged; (1) remaining unnoticed vs. media exposure; (2) the team vs. individualistic nature of officiating; (3) being a judge vs. being an athlete, and (4) amateurism vs. professionalism. This study discusses how these dichotomies highlight the major sources of role ambiguity and role conflict for rugby sevens officials within the larger Olympic context. Implications regarding increased role clarity, reduced role strain, and referee management are discussed.  &nbsp

The Influence of Emotions in the Collegiate Sport Workplace: An Analysis of Sport Employee Pride, Passion, and Engagement

Within the sport industry, organizations can build a competitive advantage by developing and retaining employees that are engaged, work with passion, and feel a profound connection to their job. As such, sport management scholars have called for more explorations of positive constructs as they support employee growth and development. Specific to the college athletics context, this study examined how employee emotions (i.e., pride and passion) influenced employee job engagement. Further, we explored how perceived organizational success explained the relationship between these emotions and job engagement. A sample of full-time managerial, non-coaching intercollegiate athletics employees (N = 312) completed a survey about the influence of their pride and passion on job engagement via perceived organizational success by way of structural equation modeling. Per the results, pride’s relationship with job engagement was not mediated by perceived organizational success, but passion’s relationship with job engagement was mediated by perceived organizational success. These results speak to the impact of college sport employees’ emotions in the workplace. We conclude with a description of how emotions can be utilized to build a competitive organizational advantage in the college sport workplace