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ABSTRACTDisproportional state tournament success within interscholastic boys basketball has been the catalyst for competitive balance policies. State athletic associations adopt policies based on a variety of characteristics that often include public/private status. Using the theory of distributive justice as a framework, the purpose of this study was to determine the competitive balance landscape of boys basketball, as well as investigate which school characteristics most impact disproportionate success. Results indicated that private schools in the smallest enrollment classifications had the highest disproportionate success, urban private schools had the highest levels of sustained success, policies beyond enrollment classifications are largely ineffective, and predicting widespread success was not possible due to the nuances among states. The practical application indicates that national or regional competitive balance polices are not pragmatic, but urban private school success in smaller enrollment classifications should be one consideration for individual state policy development.

AbstractWithin the context of sport, team captains are often relied on to fulfill formal leadership roles. However, there is a lack of empirically-informed resources to help sport coaches develop team captains. To address this research-to-practice gap, the Developing Sport Team Captains as Formal Leadersmodel is presented. Specifically, five key processes are discussed: fostering a team culture of leadership; determining the role(s) of team captains; identifying and selecting team captains; developing and supporting team captains; and evaluating and reinforcing team captains. By effectively developing team captains as formal leaders, team captains are equipped to provide leadership in sport and are more likely to transfer leadership skills to other life domains.

Part-time student employees fulfill vital roles for the university, while also gaining valuable work experience that direct perceptions and opportunities for future employment. This study examined the direct effect of organizational culture types on affective commitment of part-time student employees of college recreation departments. Specifically, using the Competing Values Framework (CVF), four major forms of organizational culture types (i.e., hierarchy, market, clan and adhocracy) were examined. Multiple regression was used to analyze the relationships. The findings from 442 part-time student employees revealed clan and adhocracy cultures were significant positive predictor variables of affective commitment in recreational sport organizations. These findings are practically relevant given the flexible state of life students experience while working in college.

This study examined recreational sports, with a focus on a comparative analysis of the overall, social, intellectual, and fitness perceived benefits associated with participation in three separate recreational program areas: group fitness, intramural sport, and sport clubs. A survey instrument, based upon the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ) and Quality and Importance of Recreational Services (QIRS) perceived benefit scale, was administered to 1,176 students at a postsecondary institution. Results revealed a significant difference in perceived benefits between recreational program areas, with sport clubs reporting the greatest mean in all four perceived benefit groups (overall, social, intellectual, fitness). The study also found a significant positive correlation between all perceived benefit groups. These findings have implications for practitioners in terms of perceived benefit differences, suggesting advantages of the sport club program structure and the potential multiple effects of enhancing a perceived benefit group.