The Current State of Corporate Social Responsibility Behavior in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division-I Athletic Departments

Abstract

The Current State of Corporate Social Responsibility Behavior in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division-I Athletic Departments Nicholas Schlereth, David Scott, Shawn Berman Abstract National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletic departments are generating revenue that would place them in comparison with Forbes100 “Best -Small Business” list (Badenhausen, 2014). Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the main issue that is investigated in this paper as it pertains to the actions of the Division I athletic departments. The Division I athletic departments are at the highest level in collegiate athletics based on the ability to offer more athletic scholarships to student athletes. CSR is the belief that a company should be a good citizen in society (Bowen, 2013). The paper will take a global perspective view of the CSR actions of athletic departments through a content analysis of the department’s websites for the constructs: environmental sustainability, cause related marketing, and community service. The paper serves as means for understanding if athletic departments are conducting CSR, and is the first timea content analysishas been applied to the investigation of CSR actions. The paper submits that NCAA Division I athletic departments are taking CSR actions in support of the three constructs researched. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v1n2a4