Learning from the Experiences of Collegiate Athletes Living through a Season- or Career-Ending Injury

An athlete’s identity is often related to the goals of their team and their ability to achieve excellence in sport. A threat to an athlete’s identity is a season- or career-ending injury. Athletes can respond to season- or career-ending injuries in ways detrimental to their psychosocial well-being (Ivarsson, Tranaeus, Johnson, & Stenling 2017). This study built upon existing knowledge by seeking to better understand the lived experiences of Division I collegiate athletes who experienced a season- or career-ending injury. There is a need for ongoing recommendations for helping athletes process their injuries. Researchers used a descriptive phenomenological approach. Researchers interviewed ten college athletes who experienced a season- or career-ending injury. Themes included: (1) physical and emotional stress, (2) resistance to resiliency, (3) importance of relationships with others, and (4) appreciation and cultivation for new possibilities outside of sport. This research provided insight for behavioral health professionals on injury response. This included the need for Posttraumatic Growth responses such as (1) building strong support pre- and post-injury, (2) recognizing healthy coping mechanisms, (3) cultivating new identities for athletes, (4) helping an athlete with identity loss, (5) helping athletes recognize new possibilities post-injury, and (6) helping an athlete maintain an appreciation for life.

Examining the Nature and Extent of Hazing at Five NCAA Division III Institutions and Considering the Implications for Prevention

Building on the scholarship of Hoover (1999) and Allan and Madden (2008, 2012), we examined the nature and extent of hazing at five NCAA Division III institutions. NCAA Division III athletics has not been a focus of scholarly inquiry on the subject of hazing, despite documented accounts of athletes experiencing hazing and the outsized impact varsity athlete hazing can have on campus climate, given the high percentage of the student body at Division III institutions that may be at risk. Across the five institutions in this study, 40.9% of athletes experienced hazing, compared to 24.8% of non-athletes. The percentage of athletes that experienced hazing at the five Division III institutions ranged from 19.6% to 56.5%. Athletes experienced high-risk and abusive behaviors and were more likely than their non-athlete peers to have attitudes and perceptions supportive of hazing. These results indicate there is a need for research-informed hazing prevention strategies that can be utilized by Division III colleges and universities. Researchers can build upon these findings by continuing to examine hazing and factors predictive of hazing across institutional type within NCAA Division III.

Female Volunteer Coaches in Community Sport: A Scoping Review and Research Agenda

Over the past two decades there has been an increase in female sport participation in countries around the world, however, this has not been matched with an increase in the number of females volunteering to coach at the community level of sport. This paper uses a scoping review methodology to synthesize and analyze the extant research published on female volunteer community sport coaches, to identify gaps in the existing literature, and to provide directions for future research. It identifies a general lack of reported research on female volunteer coaches within community levels of sport and reports that existing research has focused on five themes: female volunteer coach motives, barriers, values, supports, and retention. The paper proposes a research agenda focused on seven key themes: policy and governance, coaching pathways, recruitment, retention, performance, stress and wellbeing, and support, as well as suggestions for research methods to explore these themes.

Indiana Public High School Parents’ Perceptions of Interscholastic Competitive Balance

As part of the educational mission of interscholastic athletics, ensuring competitive balance is a priority of state athletic associations nationwide. Specifically, teams playing within a postseason championship tournament should have a fair and equitable chance to win. Private high schools, in particular, have been the focus of competitive balance scrutiny from public high school stakeholders due to disproportionately high success in many states. Despite much anecdotal scrutiny from public stakeholders, it is not clear how much they know about interscholastic policy or private school characteristics. Therefore, this study set to explore Indiana public high school parents’ perceptions of interscholastic competitive balance through qualitative interview data. Using thematic analysis, five themes emerged from the data influential to competitive balance (location, policy, sport culture, financial resources, and education). Each of these themes was influenced by an omnipresent private school impact, which reinforced a need for additional education of policy and private school characteristics.

An Examination of Sport Motivation, Motivational Climate, and Athlete Burnout within the Developmental Model of Sport Participation

Young adults’ retrospective recall of high school sport motivations, motivational climate, and burnout were compared based on whether they fit the “specializer” or “sampler” track within the Developmental Model of Sport Participation (DMSP, Côté & Fraser-Thomas, 2007). College students (N = 156) fitting these two DMSP tracks completed their recall of sport motivations (Sport Motivation Scale-II), motivational climate (Motivational Climate Scale for Youth Sports) and athlete burnout (Athlete Burnout Questionnaire). Separate one-way MANOVAs comparing samplers (n = 113) and specializers (n = 43) on these variables were not significant (p > .05). Multiple regression analyses showed amotivation and intrinsic regulation were significant positive and negative predictors (respectively) of burnout dimensions. Performance climate was predictive of exhaustion and sport devaluation, while mastery climate negatively predicted reduced sense of accomplishment. Although Self-Determination Theory was further supported in examining burnout, lack of differences across DMSP track suggests that samplers and specializers in non-elite, amateur youth sport settings do not differ in burnout.

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.

State Senior Games Participant Motivation

Sport provides many benefits to all who participate, from being socially mobile, to challenging one’s physical abilities. It offers opportunities for individual improvement in quality of life, self-confidence, and socialization. The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) exists to assist seniors (50+) in achieving a greater quality of life through activity and positive lifestyle opportunities. As interest in the area of sport motivation for senior adults continues to expand, there is still little information specific to the National Senior Games participants. This research contributes to the sport management literature by providing the basis of generalized information about NSGA participant demographic backgrounds and how they are motivated to participate in the individual state games held each year. Gaining pertinent information concerning the motivations of senior games participants, this study sought to identify specific motivation levels based on gender and the state of participation that may assist local and state organizations in the development and growth of similar events. Using the Sport Motivation Scale-6, demographic, and psychographic information results indicated that participants in different states are motivated differently and that participation is more personally important to women. Both genders were involved for the opportunity to challenge their abilities, improve or maintain their current health, and have a social connection to others. Keywords: Senior Sports, National Senior Games, Older Adults, Motivation

Examining the Role of Relative Age on Leadership Behaviours among Female Ice Hockey Players: An Exploratory Investigation

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of relative age on self-reported leadership behaviors among competitive female ice hockey players. Secondary purposes included examining whether a relative age effect (RAE) was present within the sample and if leadership behaviors differed according to leader status (i.e., formal versus informal leaders). Canadian female ice hockey players (ages 15-18 years) completed an online survey that contained the Leadership Scale for Sport along with additional demographic questions. Players were segmented into birth quartiles based upon Hockey Canada’s selection date and classified by leadership status. The MANOVA suggested that the frequency of leadership behaviors displayed by these athletes did not differ across birth quartiles. Furthermore, although there was a RAE trend within this sample of competitive female ice hockey players, the differences relative to population distributions were not statistically significant. Finally, formal leaders (i.e., captains/alternate captains) reported higher levels of social support, positive feedback, democratic behavior, and training and instruction than informal leaders. It appears that relative age is not a discriminating factor with respect to leadership behaviors. Competitive female ice hockey may be an avenue for all players, regardless of their date of birth, to develop and demonstrate leadership.

The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Academic Success and Athletic Identity in Collegiate Student-Athletes

Upon entering college in the United States, students are exposed to alcohol and, relatedly, the potentially dangerous experiences and effects that come with consuming alcohol. This is especially true for collegiate student-athletes, who have been found to have the highest consumption rate among student groups on campus. The purpose of the study was to understand the relationship between how student-athletes at a focus university, a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, experience alcohol consumption, how their consumption affects their academic grade point average (GPA), and how athletic identity plays a role in their experiences. While the research focuses on this one university, the findings are congruent with similar studies which focused on other colleges and/or the American college experience as a whole. Due to the large number of student-athletes in collegiate athletics, understanding and examining the correlation between alcohol consumption and the effect it has on academic success can be beneficial for multiple entities within a college dynamic. Survey data was collected from current student-athletes at a mid-sized Division I college in the Midwestern region of the United States. From this data, chi-square analysis showed that female student-athletes had statistically higher GPA than males, and a substantial sum of overall participants binge-drank during their last drinking occasion, and on both game and non-game days. A majority of respondents identify more with being a full-time athlete than being a full-time student. Results provide validity to past research studies, and allow for understanding to why student-athletes are at a higher risk of binge drinking. Practical implications and limitations are noted. Suggestions for future research include a larger sample from a variety of different universities, and understanding motivations between specific sports for academic success and alcohol consumption. Keywords: alcohol consumption, identity, gender, sport, culture, academics

Manifestations of Athletic Identity in Black Male Collegiate Student-Athletes: Introduction of a Model

The socialization of Black males into athletics leads to a heightened attention placed on their athletic identity. Once these student-athletes enter the collegiate environment, the institutions of higher education and associated athletic departments have neglected to holistically develop identity within Black male student-athletes. With this population representing less than 3% of the entire student-body population on college campuses (Harper, 2018), the support that they receive also does not help to counter the negative experiences that they have. Negative experiences then lead to negative outcomes such as becoming susceptible to stereotype threat and identity foreclosure. This paper presents a conceptual model to center race while connecting athletic identity within Black male student-athletes to their experiences on campus and the outcomes related to this identity.