Snakes in Sneakers: A Case Study of Organizational Politics in a NCAA Division I Athletics Program

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-35
Author(s):  
Marshall Magnusen ◽  
Andrew Gallucci ◽  
Stephen Kelly ◽  
Josh Brown
Keyword(s):  
Sport Management ◽  
Political Influence ◽  
Organizational Politics ◽  
Division I ◽  
Head Coach ◽  
Men's Basketball ◽  
Political Perceptions ◽  
Basketball Team ◽  
Assistant Coach ◽  
Management Students

This case is a creative illustration of organizational politics in a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) sports setting. It includes the exploration of several key concepts: political will, political skill, political perceptions, political behavior, and political influence theory. Upon arriving to his new job at the Division I level, an assistant men’s basketball coach finds himself to be a key piece in a political chess match between the highly successful Head Coach of the men’s basketball team and the Athletic Director (AD). The issue at hand is the hiring of the new assistant coach by the AD without the support of the head coach. The hire is an attempt by the AD to subvert and eventually replace the legendary head coach who, in the eyes of the AD, is long past his prime. Accordingly, the new hire encounters a variety of political scenarios, including strong resistance from the players and coaching staff of the men’s basketball team. This case, with the addition of detailed teaching notes, is designed to highlight salient elements of organizational politics to undergraduate and graduate sport management students, and explain how they can successfully apply this information and more effectively operate in the political sports arena.

The Underrepresentation of African Americans in NCAA Division I-A Head Coaching Positions

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
George B. Cunningham ◽  
Jennifer E. Bruening ◽  
Thomas Straub
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Ncaa Division I ◽  
Turnover Intentions ◽  
American Football ◽  
Division I ◽  
Head Coach ◽  
Men's Basketball ◽  
Football Coaches ◽  
Basketball Coaches

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that contribute to the under representation of African Americans in head coaching positions. In Study 1, qualitative data were collected from assistant football (n= 41) and men’s basketball (n= 16) coaches to examine why coaches sought head coaching positions, barriers to obtaining such positions, and reasons for leaving the coaching profession. In Study 2, assistant football (n= 259) and men’s basketball coaches (n= 114) completed a questionnaire developed from Study 1. Results indicate that although there were no differences in desire to become a head coach, African Americans, relative to Whites, perceived race and opportunity as limiting their ability to obtain a head coaching position and had greater occupational turnover intentions. Context moderated the latter results, as the effects were stronger for African American football coaches than they were for African American basketball coaches. Results have practical implications for the advancement of African American football coaches into head coaching roles.

scholarly journals Exploring a new Division 1 football program on a university campus

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-17
Author(s):  
Amanda Greene ◽  
Kason O’Neil ◽  
Gary Lhotksy
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Ncaa Division I ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
Division I ◽  
Athletic Department ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Collaborative Action ◽  
Cyclical Process ◽  
Division I Football ◽  
Management Students

Purpose This paper is an account of collaborative action-based research that centered on a new NCAA Division I football program at a regional southeastern university, and the positive impacts the collaboration had on the multiple stakeholders involved in the research, which were the university’s sport management faculty, the athletic department, and sport management students. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach During the action research, these stakeholders moved through a cyclical process that involved reflection, planning, action, and evaluation. Through the action-based cyclical process that was utilized, each of these stakeholders were able to learn, adapt, participate, and make positive change. Findings Positive change occurred with the athletic department’s marketing efforts and game day operations, opportunities for sport management students to participate and learn, and development of relationships between two departments. Research limitations/implications The cyclical nature of this research model often leads to original hypotheses and research foci to be highly altered during various stages. Another limitation within collaborative action research can be the breakdown in communication among the many parties involved in carrying out this type of research. Practical implications While the significance of this study was initially to capture fan information surrounding a new NCAA Division I football program, the stakeholders quickly realized that the action-based research study had more to offer than producing marketing reports for the university athletic department. Inclusion of the students as equal stakeholders in this project proved vital to student learning and involvement. Having the students play such an important role throughout each cycle of the project allowed for additional networking outside the classrooms with potential employers, as well as in-depth discussions and involvement in the classroom when synthesizing and disseminating the marketing information that had been gathered. Originality/value The collaboration between two separate departments within a higher education institution was vital to the overall success of the research project. The overall intent of this paper is to provide a practical approach to collaboration among individuals working in different departments of an organization, as the findings from this research project revealed the overall success of the project was only possible through the collaborative effort and joining resources, abilities, areas of expertise, and capabilities.

A new approach to bracket prediction in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament based on a dual-proportion likelihood

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajay Andrew Gupta
Keyword(s):  
National Collegiate Athletic Association ◽  
Expert Knowledge ◽  
Probability Model ◽  
Expected Value ◽  
Division I ◽  
Prediction System ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Men's Basketball ◽  
Popular Interest ◽  
The One

AbstractThe widespread proliferation of and interest in bracket pools that accompany the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament have created a need to produce a set of predicted winners for each tournament game by people without expert knowledge of college basketball. Previous research has addressed bracket prediction to some degree, but not nearly on the level of the popular interest in the topic. This paper reviews relevant previous research, and then introduces a rating system for teams using game data from that season prior to the tournament. The ratings from this system are used within a novel, four-predictor probability model to produce sets of bracket predictions for each tournament from 2009 to 2014. This dual-proportion probability model is built around the constraint of two teams with a combined 100% probability of winning a given game. This paper also performs Monte Carlo simulation to investigate whether modifications are necessary from an expected value-based prediction system such as the one introduced in the paper, in order to have the maximum bracket score within a defined group. The findings are that selecting one high-probability “upset” team for one to three late rounds games is likely to outperform other strategies, including one with no modifications to the expected value, as long as the upset choice overlaps a large minority of competing brackets while leaving the bracket some distinguishing characteristics in late rounds.

scholarly journals Linked(In)g Sport Management Education with the Sport Industry: A Preliminary Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2275
Author(s):  
Samuel López-Carril ◽  
Miguel Villamón ◽  
María Huertas González-Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Educational Innovation ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Sport Industry ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Management Students ◽  
The Impact

Social media are one of the most valuable management tools used by sport managers in the fulfilment of their daily tasks. However, the studies that share and analyse the impact of educational experiences that incorporate social media into sport management education for professional purposes are scarce to date. Thus, this study presents an educational innovation piloted in a sport management course where LinkedIn—the social media most associated with the professional sphere—is introduced through an experiential learning methodology, as a driver of students’ career development and as a tool to keep up to date and interact with the sport industry. To assess the learning outcomes, a new scale was developed and tested. A total of 90 Spanish undergraduate sport management students (M = 22.71; SD = 3.84) participated in the study, partaking in a pre-test and a post-test. Regarding the results linked to the testing of the scale, the statistical analysis reflects the scale’s two-dimensional nature, explaining 68.78% of the variance, presenting good psychometric properties (α = 0.95). On the other hand, significant increases in all the scale items between the two measures were obtained, with large effects size in the two dimensions (Cohen’s d ≥ 0.80). Therefore, it is concluded that LinkedIn can help to develop the professional profile of sport management students, Linked(In)g what is taught in the classroom with what the sport industry demands.

scholarly journals A Case Study of Excellence in Elite Sport: Motivational Climate in a World Champion Team

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Hodge ◽  
Graham Henry ◽  
Wayne Smith
Keyword(s):  
Motivational Climate ◽  
Head Coach ◽  
World Cup ◽  
Sports Teams ◽  
Dual Management ◽  
Assistant Coach ◽  
World Champion ◽  
Emotionally Intelligent ◽  
Depth Interviews

This case study focused on the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team during the period from 2004 to 2011, when Graham Henry (head coach) and Wayne Smith (assistant coach) coached and managed the team. More specifically, this case study examined the motivational climate created by this coaching group that culminated in winning the Rugby World Cup in 2011. In-depth interviews were completed with Henry and Smith in March 2012. A collaborative thematic content analysis revealed eight themes, regarding motivational issues and the motivational climate for the 2004–2011 All Blacks team: (i) critical turning point, (ii) flexible and evolving, (iii) dual-management model, (iv) “Better People Make Better All Blacks,” (v) responsibility, (vi) leadership, (vii) expectation of excellence, and (viii) team cohesion. These findings are discussed in light of autonomy-supportive coaching, emotionally intelligent coaching, and transformational leadership. Finally, practical recommendations are offered for coaches of elite sports teams.

The Gender Gap in Student Attitudes Toward Sexist/Nonsexist Language: Implications for Sport Management Education

2002 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet B. Parks ◽  
Mary Ann Roberton
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Sport Management ◽  
Intervention Study ◽  
Inclusive Language ◽  
Sexist Language ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Management Students ◽  
Instructional Settings ◽  
Types Of Instruction

This paper discusses three studies on changing people's attitudes toward sexist/nonsexist language. In Study 1, sport management students (N= 164) were asked how to persuade others to use nonsexist language. Many suggested education. Study 2 participants (N = 201) were asked if they had ever discussed sexist language in instructional settings. Analysis of their attitudes revealed an interaction between gender and instruction. Study 3 (N = 248) tested the effects of 3 types of instruction on student attitudes about sexist/nonsexist language. After a 50-minute intervention, Study 3 participants were generally undecided about sexist/nonsexist language, and their attitudes did not differ across instructional strategies (p > .01). In all conditions, males were significantly less receptive to nonsexist language than females (p < .01). This “gender gap” was magnified by a combination of direct and indirect instruction. Until more is known, the authors propose (a) modeling and (b) instruction grounded in empathy as initial strategies for teaching inclusive language.

Interns in Professional Sport: An Investigation of Gender Parity on the Job

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacquelyn Cuneen ◽  
M. Joy Sidwell
Keyword(s):  
Sport Management ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Professional Sport ◽  
Sport Organizations ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Sport Industry ◽  
Job Benefits ◽  
One Year ◽  
Management Students ◽  
Big Four

Internships permit sport management students to link classroom learning to the professional environment. Since internships provide students with opportunities to learn on-the-job and test their skills in the marketplace, the experiences should be uniformly beneficial to all students regardless of gender. This study was conducted to describe internship work conditions (i.e., opportunities to perform in essential marketplace functions) for male and female sport management interns assigned to ‘Big Four’ professional sport organizations. Participants were 74 sport industry professionals who supervised a total of 103 interns over a one-year period. A X2 Test of Independence found that male and female interns working in professional sport had comparable opportunities to perform and learn on the job. Differences in opportunity, hiring practices, and on-the-job benefits emerged primarily as a function of job specialization (e.g., operations, marketing, venue management), league/association, or gender of the internship supervisor rather than gender of the interns.

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