Search

The revered tradition of amateurism has transformed due to legal and legislative challenges initiated by the name, image, and likeness landscape. In contrast to the traditional National Collegiate Athletic Association model, college athletes have now gained the opportunity to benefit financially from their notoriety by adopting an influencer role. The purpose of this manuscript was to explore the conceptual and theoretical shifts resulting from the introduction of the influencer role, considering the existing literature on athlete–student role theory. By achieving harmony between the athlete, student, and influencer roles, athletes should produce the most significant gains in each area, including academic performance, athletic achievement, and monetary benefit. However, greater psychological and sociological consequences may emerge for athletes if the influencer role further complicates the conflict between their athlete and student roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) purpose is to protect college athletes within a hypercommercialized institutional setting, the protections prevent college athletes from accessing the lucrative marketplace. Extant literature has conceptualized the operating functions of the NCAA within the context of a patriarchal framework in which college athletes are infantilized, and authoritative institutional control is thereby justified. However, social media has provided a platform to engage in counter-storytelling and activism. As such, this study examined engagement with college-athlete-led social media activism. Utilizing a content-analysis methodological approach, social media engagement with the Twitter hashtag #NotNCAAProperty was examined over the course of the 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Findings revealed that most interactions were supportive of college athletes and suggest that social media may be a strategic mechanism for college athletes to engage in advocacy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The replication of successful National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletic departments is commonly pursued through the targeted hiring of athletic administrators at successful athletic departments. The significance on replicating organizational success through this transfer of people is indicative of the emphases placed on winning and revenue acquisition distinct to collegiate athletic departments. During this transfer, athletic directors inherently infuse transferred organizational practices and logics into the replicating organization. Utilizing Directors’ Cup points as a determinant metric of success, this study examined the relationship between success in Division I collegiate athletics and athletic department inclusivity of LGBTQI+ members. Findings illustrated that inclusivity of LGBTQI+ members were a statistically significant predictor of Directors’ Cup Scores among NCAA Division I member institutions. Such findings are indicative of the importance in fostering an inclusive organizational environment relative to success in collegiate athletics. Further implications illustrate the positive perpetuation of LGBTQI+ inclusion through the attempted replication of successful collegiate athletic departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student-athletes often identify with the athlete role and demonstrate high levels of athlete identity. High athlete identity leads to many unintended consequences such as low career maturity and difficulty adapting to a life beyond sport. Additionally, high athlete identity often leads to mental health concerns among the student-athlete population. Informed by self-categorization theory (Turner, 1982), the purpose of this study was to explore athlete identity and mental health among NCAA Division III student-athletes. The Athlete Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) and The Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 were completed by 332 NCAA Division III student-athletes. The results demonstrated that Division III student-athletes did not identify highly with the athletic role and did not show concerning levels of anxiety, depression, and/or stress. Further, no relationship between athlete identity and mental health was found. This study strives to provide a keen insight into the athlete identity and mental health of Division III student-athletes in hopes of better understanding this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-perception is the level of competency at which individuals evaluate themselves in certain areas or domains (Marsh & Shavelson, 1985). An individual's self-perceptions contribute to their global self-worth and even predict performance (Cuellar, 2014; Harter & Neemann, 2012). This study measures the self-perception scores and experiences with racial discrimination of 306 NCAA Division I college athletes using the Self-Perception Profile for College Students (Harter & Neemann, 2012). Scores are compared across race. Findings suggest that White college athletes have significantly higher self-perception scores than college athletes of color, with recent discrimination (within the last year) as a significant predictor of multiple areas of self-perception. The implications of this study suggest that faculty and other campus stakeholders should pursue positive relationships with the college athletes they encounter. Positive relationships between college athletes and faculty may help raise college athletes' self-perceptions, and in turn, performance in a variety of areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]