“Are the Punishments Consistent?”: A Quantitative Analysis of NCAA Enforcement

Prior research on organizational misconduct within intercollegiate athletics focuses on the penalties administered by the NCAA and types of violations committed by member institutions, rather than the engagement of misconduct and the role of the NCAA as a social-control agent. Consequently, the purpose of this manuscript is to analyze the relationship between social control agents (i.e., the NCAA) and potential wrongdoers (i.e., member institutions), in addition to how the relationship affects the evolving line separating right from wrong. This quantitative study consists of a two-stage probit regression model which found evidence that the type of violations committed in major violation cases are significant in determining the likelihood of sanctions. This study will contribute to intercollegiate athletic administration by providing an opportunity to better comprehend NCAA enforcement procedures, along with utilizing the findings to discover how the NCAA functions as a social-control agent.

Mentoring Characteristics and Functions Important to Men and Women within Intercollegiate Athletic Administration

Female athletic administrators were asked about the role of mentoring in their careers as women while male athletic administrators were asked about the role of mentoring in their careers as men working in intercollegiate athletic administration. The researchers gathered and compared information on mentor characteristics as well as career and psychosocial benefits of having a mentor. Participants were 518 female and 778 male athletic administrators working at NCAA Division I, II, and IIII, NAIA, NCCAA, and NJCAA schools. A three-step content-analytic procedure was used to analyze the qualitative data. Men identified being trustworthy, supportive, respected, and a good listener while women identified being supportive, hardworking, and knowledgeable as the most important mentor characteristics. Men most frequently named coaching and challenging assignments as career benefits from mentors while women named exposure/visability and coaching. Both men and women most frequently identified counseling and role modeling as psychosocial benefits from mentors.

Theory of planned behavior and women in senior-level athletic administration

Purpose Women continue to be underrepresented in the athletic director (AD) position across all divisions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the USA (Acosta and Carpenter, 2014). The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of personal aspirations in pursing the AD position. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative examination focuses on the experiences of nine women who occupy senior associate AD positions and applies the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to examine how attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control influence their aspirations to pursue the AD role. Findings The authors suggest a combination of negative attitudes, subjective norms, and lack of perceived behavioral control negatively influencing a woman’s aspirations to pursue the AD position. These conclusions indicate women’s experiences of career advancement are constraining with regard to advancing to the AD position. Research limitations/implications Although this study lacks generalizability, TPB is helpful in understanding underrepresentation of women in the AD position. Practical implications Furthermore, the authors suggest organizational strategies that cultivate and value women’s experiences. These can equalize the hegemonic male environment of intercollegiate athletics and decrease underrepresentation of women in the most senior-level position in athletic administration. Originality/value This study is one of the first to apply TPB to explain career advancement of women in senior management positions in athletic administration.