An Investigation of Risk Management Plans in Intramural Sports Programs within Public Universities

Abstract

This study surveyed 369 public four-year institutions in an effort to determine the preparedness of these organizations with regard to risk management and its effects on the operation a recreational sports program. A total of 195 responses were tabulated in the data. Sixty-one percent of the responding institutions stated that they had a risk management plan in place. Three-fourths of the respondents stated that this risk management plan improved the quality of their services and two-thirds stated that the risk management plan reduced injury rates within their programs. The existence of risk management plan was found to be significantly related to the size of the annual operating budget of the organization. Future research should focus on four areas: (1) The relationship between risk management plans and the number of participants; (2) The specific roles of risk managers; (3) The differences between public and private institutions with regard to legal issues; and (4) The impact of risk management plans from the perspective of the participants.