Athletic Directors Research Articles

Manage challenges by emphasizing clear, ongoing communication within and beyond your department

As director of athletics at Olivet Nazarene University, Gary Newsome has found it challenging to maintain a strong coaching staff that also has a strong mission fit.

Perceived Benefits of Graduate-Level Professional Education in Athletic Training

The commissioners of the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE) and the Board of Directors of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) have acted to move the professional degree in athletic training from a bachelor’s degree to a graduate degree. The decision was largely based upon growth of the profession and aligning with the face of healthcare education. Therefore, we wanted to understand the perceived benefits of the graduate model. Using a qualitative paradigm, we electronically interviewed 29 students and faculty members (13 athletic training faculty and program directors, 16 students) currently in Professional Masters Athletic Training Programs (PM ATP). These represented 13 of the 29 (45%) CAATE-accredited PM ATPs. Five themes emerged from the data: (1) engagement and time spent in clinical education allows students to prepare for their roles as athletic trainers, (2) faculty stress the importance of interprofessional education, (3) expecting prior foundational knowledge allows focused education training at the graduate level, (4) increased professional commitment to stay in athletic training rather than use the training/education as a stepping-stone to other career paths, and (5) higher student maturity facilitates deeper learning. Based on these results, the perceived benefits of the PM ATP model are multifactorial.

Was an assistant AD treated unfairly because of his race?

Rodney Hampton became assistant athletic director — and head men's basketball coach — at Snead State Community College in 2010.

Sports-Related Emergency Preparedness in Oregon High Schools.

Background:Best practice recommendations for sports-related emergency preparation include implementation of venue-specific emergency action plans (EAPs), access to early defibrillation, and first responders—specifically coaches—trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and automated external defibrillator (AED) use. The objective was to determine whether high schools had implemented these 3 recommendations and whether schools with a certified athletic trainer (AT) were more likely to have done so.Hypothesis:Schools with an AT were more likely to have implemented the recommendations.Study Design:Cross-sectional study.Level of Evidence:Level 4.Methods:All Oregon School Activities Association member school athletic directors were invited to complete a survey on sports-related emergency preparedness and AT availability at their school. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to analyze the associations between emergency preparedness and AT availability.Results:In total, 108 respondents (37% response rate) completed the survey. Exactly half reported having an AT available. Only 11% (95% CI, 6%-19%) of the schools had implemented all 3 recommendations, 29% (95% CI, 21%-39%) had implemented 2, 32% (95% CI, 24%-42%) had implemented 1, and 27% (95% CI, 19%-36%) had not implemented any of the recommendations. AT availability was associated with implementation of the recommendations (χ2 = 10.3, P = 0.02), and the proportion of schools with ATs increased with the number of recommendations implemented (χ2 = 9.3, P < 0.01). Schools with an AT were more likely to implement venue-specific EAPs (52% vs 24%, P < 0.01) and have an AED available for early defibrillation (69% vs 44%, P = 0.02) but not more likely to require coach training (33% vs 28%, P = 0.68).Conclusions:Despite best practice recommendations, most schools were inadequately prepared for sports-related emergencies. Schools with an AT were more likely to implement some, but not all, of the recommendations. Policy changes may be needed to improve implementation.Clinical Relevance:Most Oregon high schools need to do more to prepare for sports-related emergencies. The results provide evidence for sports medicine professionals and administrators to inform policy changes that ensure the safety of athletes.

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

PurposeWomen 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/approachThis 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.FindingsThe 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/implicationsAlthough this study lacks generalizability, TPB is helpful in understanding underrepresentation of women in the AD position.Practical implicationsFurthermore, 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/valueThis study is one of the first to apply TPB to explain career advancement of women in senior management positions in athletic administration.

An Intersectional Analysis of the Workplace Experiences of African American Female Athletic Directors

Using intersectionality theory as a lens, the present study investigated the organizational experiences of African American women athletic directors. We use data collected from face-to-face interviews with ten African American women athletic directors of NCAA Division I, II, and III U.S. intercollegiate athletic departments. Findings of our investigation reveal that the intersection of their race and gender identities, in conjunction with societal and occupational stereotypes, resulted in many of them working in environments where they faced constant challenges to their identity and authority in response to social and occupational stereotypes, misperceptions concerning their leadership roles, and perceptions that their hiring is more a result of their demographics than of their qualifications. We highlight the importance of recognizing how stereotypes intersect to produce differential experiences, and we seek to increase awareness of how implicit stereotyping influences the thoughts and behaviors of African American women athletic directors and also the individuals interacting with them. Our findings have implications for the well-being, recruitment and retention of African American women in leadership positions.

Fair Play at Chisholm University

Chisholm University's new athletics director must reallocate the athletics budget in its entirety, balancing legal obligations with broader educational and financial goals. A committee appointed to work on this issue had failed to reach consensus due to disagreements about how to comply with Title IX, the law mandating gender parity in all educational offerings, including athletics. The athletics director has the facts organized into an optimization problem so she can systematically balance the tradeoffs and manage system demands or constraints. Excerpt UVA-QA-0789 Aug. 23, 2012 FAIR PLAY AT CHISHOLM UNIVERSITY In October 2011, a few weeks into her tenure as Chisholm University's new athletic director (AD), Juliet Burke received an e-mail from Charles Widmore, the university president. Burke was to determine a new direction for the department and to reallocate the athletics budget in its entirety. Widmore presented Burke with one clear objective: in optimizing the budget, to balance legal obligations with broader educational and financial goals. Each program came with its own mix of revenue-generating opportunities and associated costs. The potential for discord was heightened, however, by the issue of gender parity—commonly referred to by the relevant passage of the Equal Opportunity in Education Act of 1972: Title IX. Since her own days as a student-athlete 20 years prior, Burke had been well aware of the conflicting opinions on gender issues in athletics, but she was surprised that the issue remained controversial, as Widmore's e-mail made clear. Because of conflicting views about compliance requirements, a committee appointed to work on this issue had failed to reach consensus on whether funding changes were indicated. Some members argued that, given current economic conditions, income provided by men's athletic events—football in particular—was the top priority, that at best Title IX was an unfortunate constraint and at worst an unfunded mandate for marginal women's programs. Other members urged that the cart must not come before the horse, that educational goals and the school's long-standing spirit of gender equity should drive decisions more than lucrative programs or wealthy alumni. . . .

Multi Criteria Decision-Making: Ticket Sales Outsourcing in an NCAA Division I Athletic Department

Outsourcing in sport is not a new phenomenon. Specifically, outsourcing in intercollegiate sport has become common among athletic departments across the NCAA. While outsourcing can be employed to generate increased revenues via enhanced sales, marketing, or fundraising functions, many midmajor institutions are utilizing outsourcing partners exclusively to manage ticket sales. As such, this case presents a scenario in which an athletic director and her management team are faced with assessing three options related to ticket sales outsourcing at a midmajor NCAA Division 1 institution. Utilizing the lens of multi criteria decision-making, financial, nonfinancial, and circumstantial data are provided for readers to address an outsourcing decision in the context of intercollegiate athletics. By examining three options including maintaining the status quo, considering another outsourcing partner, or bringing ticket sales operations in-house, this case provides an opportunity for students to investigate the role of ticket sales outsourcing as it relates to revenue generation, a pertinent issue for athletic departments across the NCAA.

Fit theory, gender, and collegiate sport careers

Person-environment fit theory describes how individuals fit into their work environments while identifying distinct types of fit and specific predictors and outcomes. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine the influence of gender on fit perceptions while also establishing specific fit predictors and outcomes that are most relevant to NCAA administrators and head coaches. This study included participants (N = 788) employed in the positions of athletic director, associate/assistant athletic director, senior woman administrator, and head coaches from all three NCAA divisions and included coaches from all championship sports. Participants overall perceived PJ fit most positively followed by overall fit and PO fit indicating that PJ fit is the most accurate indicator of fit among NCAA head coaches and administrators.

Model Athletic Assessment Tool

The goal is to create a program assessment for the Department of Athletics. Some philosophies of local, state, and national organizations were examined before beginning the development phase. Procedures for implementing the program assessment were established. Forms were developed to assist in implementing and managing the assessments. Components of program assessment focus on philosophical foundations, procedures for measuring performance, instilling good citizenship in student athletes, and utilizing self-reflection for assessment. These components are essential to any athletic program, and athletic directors and other school personnel who can competently scrutinize each aspect and formulate assessments, policies, protocols, and procedures can help an athletic program grow and reach its full potential.Philosophical FoundationsAt Independence High School (IHS), athletic employees strive to follow the mission statement of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS, n.d.):The National Federation of State High School Associations serves its members, related professional organizations and students by providing leadership for the administration of education-based interscholastic activities, which support academic achievement, good citizenship and equitable opportunity. (para. 1)Additionally, athletic employees follow the mission statement of the IHS Athletic Department, as it reads in the coach's handbook:The goal of every sport will be to develop our student-athletes into productive, contributing citizens of our community and society. We will emphasize focus on establishing sportsmanship as well as a positive feeling of school spirit. All athletic programs will be conducted in accordance with the rules, regulations, and policies of Independence High School, the Raleigh County Board of Education, and the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission. (Moore, n.d., p. 10)IHS is also under the guidance and jurisdiction of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (Commission). The Commission's mission statement reads,The Commission believes that a controlled activities program is a strong factor in the development of courage, personality, cooperation, and leadership. The Commission believes that representatives of a school should be good citizens of that school, hence the need for requirements and regulations governing eligibility that have been standardized. The Commission is designed to provide means for the unbiased and amicable settlement of disputes regarding activities. The Commission seeks to present proper ideals of sportsmanship so that coaches, players, school authorities, game officials, and spectators may combine to make any activity enjoyable and productive of physical and social benefits to both sides involved in the contest, with partisanship and prejudice eliminated as far as possible. To accomplish these objectives the Commission asks the cooperation of its members, all lovers of clean, wholesome activities, and all fans, young and old, who believe in our American system of interscholastic. (Commission, n.d., p. 1)The Raleigh County School District (RCSD, n.d.) also sets forth core beliefs that IHS is required to adhere to:We believe leadership for all matters; we believe all students must be provided a safe, caring and nurturing environment conducive to learning. We believe all students must be actively engaged in a robust curriculum embedded with high quality expectations. We believe all students must be provided explicit instruction from highly effective educators. We believe all students must be provided a variety of strategic resources to be successful. (p. 1)There is no lack of organizations that have specially tailored mission statements, goals, objectives, and beliefs. In each case and at every level, I am sure a significant amount of time was spent specially crafting and wording these statements. …

Model High School Athletic Safety and Security Plan: Charles County Public Schools Thomas Stone High School Athletic Emergency Action Plan

PrefaceThis plan is designed for but not limited to the use of all athletic department/Thomas Stone personnel in caring for the injured, whether they are a student athlete, coach, administrator, or event spectator. Always refer to the main emergency plan for the school in the event of conditions or incidents not listed in the athletic plan.Each venue's specific emergency response plan identifies several ways to contact emergency medical services and summon further help. Some of the venues have a fixed telephone line that is easily accessible in case of an emergency; for locations that do not, a cellular phone or walkie-talkie relay system will be used.Prior to start of contest, the Thomas Stone High School certified athletic trainer or coach should meet with visiting team coaches and visiting athletic trainers to review emergency procedures.IntroductionEmergencies may arise at any time during athletic events. Expedient action must be taken to provide the best possible care to the sport participant in emergency and/or life-threatening conditions. The development and implementation of an emergency plan will ensure that the best care will be provided.As emergencies and athletic injuries may occur at any time and during any activity, the sports medicine team must be prepared. Athletic organizations have a duty to develop an emergency plan that can be implemented immediately when necessary and to provide appropriate standards of emergency care to all sports participants. This preparation involves formulation of an emergency plan, proper coverage of events, maintenance of appropriate emergency equipment and supplies, utilization of appropriate emergency medical personnel, and continuing education in the area of emergency medicine and planning. I hope that through careful preparticipation physical screenings, adequate medical coverage, safe practice and training techniques, and other safety avenues, some potential emergencies may be averted. However, accidents and injuries are inherent with sports participation, and proper preparation on the part of the sports medicine team should enable each emergency situation to be managed appropriately.Components of the Emergency PlanThese are the basic components of an emergency plan:1. Emergency plan personnel2. Emergency communication3. Emergency equipment4. Roles of first responder5. Venue directions with map6. Emergency Action Plan checklist for nonmedical emergencyEmergency Plan PersonnelWith athletic association practice and competition, the first responder to an emergency is typically a coach or certified athletic trainer. The type and degree of sports medicine coverage for an athletic event may vary based on factors such as the sport or activity, the setting, and the type of training or competition. Certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), first aid, prevention of disease transmission, and emergency plan review is required for all athletics head coaching personnel associated with practices, competitions, skills instruction, and strength and conditioning, as well as the sports medicine staff. Head coaching personnel are responsible for implementing emergency plan review among their staff.The development of an emergency plan cannot be complete without the formation of an emergency team. Roles of individuals within the emergency team may vary depending on factors such as the number of members on the team, the athletic venue itself, or the preference of the on-site administrator or athletic trainer.All members of the emergency response team must make sure the athletic trainer, the athletic director, and the principal are notified of any and all student athletes taken to the emergency room, regardless of the transportation method.There are six basic roles within the emergency team:1.Establishing safety of the scene and immediate care of the student athlete. …

Model High School Athletic Marketing Plan

Beacon Academy, like many schools in the Indonesia, has a small marketing team dedicated to recruiting students in a highly competitive market. Many competitors rely on their brand name and/or test results to recruit and retain students-Beacon has neither. As a newer school that just finished its first year of major examinations (IGCSE), marketing of the school has been limited to philosophy and facilities. Fortunately, some very creative individuals head the school and the facilities are some of the best in the area.The school is aesthetically pleasing and has great facilities, but athletics is poorly marketed. Part of that stems from the poor performance in athletics, but this is primarily due to a very small student body, a high staff turnover, and the use of internal teachers (who lack professional coaching experience) as coaches. The other and most important reason for a poorly marketed athletics program is the lack of creativity in marketing. Indonesian schools and their marketing experts stick with a series of preordained marketing techniques: open houses, a quarterly newsletter, major events (Founder's Day, etc.), and the like. There is a lack of ingenuity and desire to promote athletics (or the school, in general) creatively and effectively.The dynamic of Asian schools is still predominantly academically based, but there is a growing trend to incorporate sports in the students' school lives. Like many trends, the understanding that sports could teach students transferable skills or help them develop traits valued beyond university was late coming to Asia. However, this poses a great opportunity for Beacon Academy to get ahead of the curve and woo prospective students from other competitors.Creating the Marketing PlanIn forming a marketing plan, the Beacon Academy Athletic Department first had to lay out objectives to use as a guideline. After talking to the board director, the athletic director laid out the following objectives:* generate a website for Beacon's athletic conference to be used by Beacon and participating schools,* develop and standardize the awarding of an athletic scholarship from Beacon, and* create a plan of action for photographing, marketing, and writing up athletic events.The latter highly depends on the students' interest in taking photographs and creating weekly write-ups as part of their requirements for their IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma or Duke of Edinburgh International Award (DofE). Many of these marketing tools could be student led, with the athletic director and the marketing department overseeing these activities.Customizing the athletic scholarships was a time-consuming process, not because of the difficulty of setting up a structure, but because of the precedent that the board had laid out prior. Because of the size of the school, the board wanted to push the scholarship program to fill seats (understandably so). Beacon Academy had just opened its Senior School and needed to fill its freshman and junior class, respectively. However, the fish market-style of haggling for the percentage of tuition covered by a scholarship does not aid in implementing this system effectively. The parent community is small and thoroughly interconnected, so offering a lower percentage to a student athlete with similar skills and qualities of a student athlete who received a higher percentage prior to these matrices would be an uphill battle.Figure 1 shows the school profile (brochure format). One challenge was creating a matrix that flowed with the existing profile, that could be easily understood, and that was aesthetically pleasing. With school colors being a violet and orange away from a rainbow, the matrix needed to have flair yet not throw off the flow of the rest of the profile. Figures 2 and 3 show the newly created Middle School (Grades 6-8) and Senior School (Grades 9-12) scholarship matrices. The school had previously used percentages for tuition awarded and, for the sake of consistency athletics created an award program with levels of percentages in increments of 10%. …

Best Practices in Athletic Donor Relations: The NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision

The purpose of this investigation was to identify best practices in intercollegiate athletic donor relations for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Neither philanthropy research nor athletic fund-raising research presents a contemporary model of donor relations best practices. Additionally, athletic development tactics are given little attention in evidence-based literature. To investigate this topic, three rounds of the Delphi method were completed by 17 intercollegiate athletic development directors in the FBS. Forty-two best practices for donor acquisition and 38 best practices for donor retention and upgrade emerged. Implications for intercollegiate athletic development campaigns are addressed. Subscribe to JASM

The Impact of Mental Skills on Management Skills and Selecting Management Models on Sports Managers

The aim of the study was to present a model of affecting the mental skills on management skills and selecting management models of manager’s directors. The research is a correlation with what was conducted in survey type. 199 out of the 405 members of Isfahan sport directors were classified and randomly selected as samples. Research tools were Bass’s management patterns questionnaires (1996), management and mental skills have had proved that the nominal validity, content and dynamics was used. Path analysis was applied to analyze the data. The results showed that psychological skills have effects on management skills and choice of the management model of Isfahan athletic directors. Also management skills are affected by management patterns. The achieved results are indicative of the benefit and the fitness of the structural equation model (AGFI=0/90, GFI=0/90, RMSEA=0/55). The managers need to be at an adequate and appropriate level of psychological skills and these skills have direct effect on the use of their human and technical skills. Conceptual and political skills are ultimately effective on selecting management model, so managers have to increase their psychological and mental skills, so that they would be able to lead their organizations to the maximum effectiveness.

Aspirations Through Association: Using Athletics to Enhance Institutional Prestige

Increasingly, sport managers are attempting to use athletics to positively affect their colleges' and universities' prestige. To highlight this contemporary issue, this case study presents an athletic director, Dwight Stanley, who has to give a recommendation on whether his institution should maintain its membership in the NJCAA or pursue membership in another athletic association, namely the NAIA or NCAA DIII.This case study is designed to capture the tension sport managers face as they encounter complex decisions. Accordingly, each membership option is presented with its advantages and disadvantages, as well as its supporters and detractors.Consequently, students will be required to critically assess a variety of factors to determine the institution's most feasible course of action. Given the popularity of careers within intercollegiate athletics, this case study provides an excellent way for students to engage in considering the complexities of such positions.Additionally, though the case study is presented within the context of intercollegiate athletics, the analytical process required to select a course of action is transferable to other segments of the sport industry.

Exploring Interactions Between NCAA Division I Athletic Directors and University Presidents: A Qualitative Study From Athletic Directors’ Perspectives

The landscape of college athletics is rapidly changing, due to issues like conference realignment, deregulation, academic integrity, and presidential control. As member institutions work toward a shared vision and future, the role of the athletic director (AD) continues to evolve and change. Given these changes and the increase in presidential control over National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) issues, this study explored relationship dynamics between ADs and presidents on university campuses from the perspectives of ADs. Research questions addressed what these interactions look like in developing a relationship between AD and president, how to foster positive interactions, and how to maintain them. Interviewing 12 ADs from a variety of Division I institution types, four major themes emerged: trust and communication, alignment, respect for expertise, and formal and informal relationships. In addition, the ADs interviewed talked at length about the relationship with presidents on their own campus,...

Leadership Styles of College and University Athletic Directors and the Presence of NCAA Transgender Policy

&lt;p&gt;In September 2011, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced the &lt;em&gt;Policy on Transgender Inclusion&lt;/em&gt;. It provides guidelines for transgender student athletes to participate in sex-separated athletic teams according to their gender identity. The &lt;em&gt;2012 LGBTQ National College Athlete Report&lt;/em&gt;, the first of its kind, provided information to help serve gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer (GLBTQ) students. Although the &lt;em&gt;Policy on Transgender Inclusion&lt;/em&gt; has been around since 2011 and the &lt;em&gt;2012 Report&lt;/em&gt; provided insights, the extent by which best practices have been implemented has not been adequately explored. This study examined the relationship of athletic directors’ leadership frames to transgender inclusion policies at institutions with NCAA athletics. Athletic directors from active member NCAA schools were contacted: 340 in Division I; 290 in Division II; and 436 in Division III. Leadership was examined according to the Multi-frame Model for Organizations in addition to Intersectionality Theory. The human resource frame was the most common and the political frame was the least. There were no statistically significant differences among NCAA Divisions or between private and public institutions. Although athletic directors acknowledged transgender policies and were aware of the legal parameters, lack of policy presence was prevalent on campuses.&lt;/p&gt;

Key strategies influence culture, resources in college athletics

As she tries to manage her own and others' expectations while leading her athletics department to stay true to its purpose and achieve its goals, Sandy Hatfield Clubb knows she can truly only influence two areas in her role as athletics director at Drake University — resources and culture. Those areas also rank among her greatest challenges. But she has found innovative strategies to manage those challenges.

Women and Mentoring in Collegiate Athletics

The number of women working and participating in intercollegiate athletics has steadily increased the past four decades. This has led for a need to develop women as leaders within collegiate athletics and one way of doing this is through mentoring. Mentoring provides guidance in regard to both the professional development and psychosocial support. In our research, we investigated mentoring within the college athletics environment by interviewing female athletic directors and female graduate assistants. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (a) importance of mentorship; (b) quality of mentorship; (c) availability, and (d) lack of female mentorship. Our research builds on the idea that mentorship is important and valued by both the mentor and protégé but the key is determining how to best connect the two groups. This would possibly lead to higher job satisfaction, higher employee retention, and more productive work environment.

Support Received During the Transition to Practice for the Secondary School Graduate-Assistant Athletic Trainer.

Transitioning into clinical practice can be stressful for the newly credentialed athletic trainer (AT). The support provided by mentors, peers, and athletic training faculty can increase confidence and enhance the transition. To create specific initiatives for a smoother transition, the perspectives of those in the secondary school setting are needed. To examine the transition to practice and mentorship of newly credentialed ATs providing medical care in the secondary school setting. Qualitative study. Secondary school setting. A total of 14 ATs (2 men, 12 women; age = 23.0 ± 2.0 years) participated in our study. They were employed in the secondary school setting through graduate assistantships, had been credentialed for less than 1 year, and had completed professional bachelor's degree programs. We completed 14 semistructured phone interviews. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Two researchers independently following the stepwise progression of a general inductive approach completed the data analysis. Trustworthiness was established through multiple-analyst triangulation, peer review, and member checks. Two major themes emerged regarding the support received by our participants: past mentors and current networks of professionals. Past mentors provided autonomous learning opportunities during clinical education and then served as resources for guidance and advice. Current networks of professionals were defined by 2 subthemes: professional medical care providers and non-medical care providers within the secondary school setting (ie, athletic directors, coaches, parents). Former preceptors and faculty provided resources and support to help develop the newly credentialed AT's confidence and facilitate the transition. Preceptors should allow increased independence to help their students develop as clinicians. The creation of networks within the community, that is, the secondary school itself, is also critical in the transition as it provides the AT with role legitimation.