Determinants of Career and Institutional Sport Management Tenure: An Investigation of the Effects of Organizational Performance, Scandal, Race, and Gender

Abstract

As the intercollegiate athletics industry has become more commercialized, athletic directors (ADs) have evolved into a role similar to that of a chief executive officer (CEO), in order to adapt to the increasing complexities of today’s landscape. However, studies of management tenure in the sport industry are sparse. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a variety of factors on sport management tenure, using the survival analysis methodology. Results indicate athletic organizational performance is a significant predictor of management turnover, while academic performance is not. Scandal increases the probability of exit for the AD, but only at the career level. Importantly, race and gender were nonsignificant. This research demonstrates the importance of providing the sport industry with more advanced methodologies to improve understanding of the determinants of sport management tenure, resulting in multiple novel managerial implications for managers and leaders across the sport industry.