Athletic Directors Research Articles

An investigation of destructive leadership in a Division I intercollegiate athletic department: Follower perceptions and reactions

Recent events in intercollegiate athletic department organizational cultures demonstrate the need to examine the experiences of personnel who serve in a toxic leadership culture. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify how three head coaches, one associate athletic director, and a facilities manager perceived and reacted to 6 years of destructive leadership. Each participant was interviewed for 60–90 min. Consistent with Padilla, Hogan, and Kaiser’s (2008) toxic triangle theory, findings suggest that perceptions and reactions to the evaluated athletic department were seemingly negative. The leadership and actions of two head coaches, the athletic director, and the university president were perceived as destructive to the department and the institution. The culprits of the destructive consequences were the university’s lack of internal and external checks and balances, a president who centralized control, and an absence of effective athletic department leadership. Follower repercussions identified were avoidance of the athletic director, keeping opinions to oneself, and adherence; followers employed their strategies to avert conflict or job termination.

One-Year Concussion Prevalence in Marion County, Florida High School Athletes

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate data on concussion prevalence in 1 geographic location and to identify which sports have a higher prevalence of concussion in the Marion County, Florida, school district. MethodsHigh school athletic trainers in Marion County, Florida, are required to compile statistics related to number of participants and concussions sustained in the county school district during each season. They provided the data for the 2011-2012 school year to independent analysts with the permission of the athletic director. The study evaluated 3689 student-athletes (2102 male, 1587 female), and 34 concussions (24 male, 10 female) were reported. Concussions were self-reported by the athletes and diagnosed by trainers on field or by follow-up after physician referral. Consent was included in consent to participate in interscholastic athletics, and all athletes enrolling in a sport during the 2011-2012 academic year were included regardless of participation level. Number of participants and concussions sustained was calculated per 100 participants for each sport and in total for 1 year. ResultsThe percentages of concussions per sport were as follows: basketball, 1.83%; cheerleading, 0.40%; football, 2.83%; soccer, 1.84%; track and field, 0.44%; and wrestling, 0.70%. Ten additional sports were included in the study but had no reported concussions. Total prevalence for the district was 0.922% (1.14% male, 0.63% female) during a 1-year period. ConclusionThe concussion prevalence in this district during the 2011-2012 school year was just under 1%. The sport reporting the highest prevalence was football, followed by soccer. Females reported a higher rate of concussions than males in sports played by both male and female participants. This highlights the need to minimize risk for concussion, especially in noncollision contact sports, and in female athletes.

Youth sport and spirituality: Catholic perspectives

Unsportsmanlike behaviour by student athletes or parents at youth sporting events happens with regularity these days. Much recent research reveals that young people are dropping out of sport at alarming rates due to the often toxic elements in the culture of youth sports. The timely, innovative essays in Youth Sport and Spirituality present a wide-ranging overview that draws on resources from Catholic spiritual and theological traditions to address problems such as these, as well as opportunities in youth sport in the United States. The book consists of two sections. In the first, prominent scholars in philosophy, psychology, theology, and spirituality reflect on how youth sport contributes to the integral development of the person and his or her grasp of spiritual values or how it impedes such development and leads to desolation with respect to questions of meaning. The second half of the book consists of chapters written by coaches, athletic directors, and specialists working with youth coaches. These practitioners share how their approaches to working with youth in sport contribute to the integral development of their players and their openness to transcendent values. The essays examine coaching as ministry, youth sport and moral development, and how parents can act as partners in youth sports, among other topics. The book will interest coaches, athletic directors, and youth ministers in Catholic elementary and high schools in parish settings, as well as undergraduate and graduate students in education who are preparing to teach in Catholic schools.

Did coach's behavior violate sexual harassment policy?

Gidget Pambianchi was head coach of the Arkansas Tech University women's softball team in 2011 while Steve Mullins was the athletics director.

Did a coach's comments, behavior justify dismissal?

Gidget Pambianchi was head coach of the Arkansas Tech University women's softball team in 2011 while Steve Mullins was the athletics director.

Did a coach's comments, behavior justify dismissal?

Gidget Pambianchi was head coach of the Arkansas Tech University women's softball team in 2011 while Steve Mullins was the athletics director.

Did a college's failure to renew a contract violate an AD's rights?

Paul Thein was named athletic director at Feather River Community College in 2001.

Athletics director's favoritism toward boyfriend irrelevant

Case name: Briggs v. University of Detroit‐Mercy, et al., No. 14‐1725 (6th Cir. 05/12/15).

Female NCAA Division I Athletic Directors: Experiences and Challenges

This study examined the experiences and challenges of 10 female Division I athletic directors. Four themes emerged from the interviews: (a) lack of female role models; (b) females are not qualified to manage football programs; (c) scrutiny about (lack of) ability and experience, and (d) benefits of intercollegiate coaching experience. The findings of this study suggest these are the central causes for females’ inability to reach maximum career mobility in the intercollegiate athletics industry. Participants encouraged women trying to enter the intercollegiate athletics industry to find a mentor who can advocate for them as they navigate through their career. In addition, participants encouraged those entering the industry to gain experience in as many facets of the athletic department as possible.

NEC's commissioner shares perspective, guidance

Conference realignment easily ranks as one of the biggest challenges facing Division I commissioners and athletics directors.

Did a college's failure to renew a contract violate an AD's rights?

Paul Thein was named athletic director at Feather River Community College in 2001.

College Athletics Spending: Principals and Agents v. Arms Race

It is widely held that collegiate athletic directors are trapped in an expenditure arms race. But the arms race explanation completely omits the actual consideration of the university budgeting process. In its place, the arms race logic imposes strained assumptions about the cooperative setting and the naïveté of university administrators, along with a curious distinction of one type of revenue to reach its conclusions. And the interpretation of the data on spending and benefits from college sports has not been done particularly well in the past. This paper presents an alternative principal-agent explanation that is based on the observed actual financial (budget) relationship between university administrators and their athletic department and consistent with the entirety of the aggregate-level data on college athletics finance. Empirically discerning between the two models is crucial since each generates decidedly different policy implications.

English

Public relations (PR) is becoming increasingly important in college athletics as the frequency and severity of controversy, legal issues, and crises heighten. With many stakeholders concerned about college athletic programs, coupled with an increased media presence and skyrocketing budgets, it is imperative that athletic programs communicate effectively and efficiently in times where clarity is needed. With that, the purpose of this research is to continue learning about the roles and perceptions of PR within an athletic department, as seen through the lens of ath-letic directors. Building on the work of (Ruihley & Fall, 2009), this research seeks to discover more about the following PR areas: tasks, stakeholder reach, benefits, and roles of PR staff. With mixed-method findings from NCAA Divisions I-A and I-AA athletic directors (n = 49), results indicate top responsibilities of the pri-mary PR staff member as maintaining media contacts and working with coaches and athletes. The top stakeholders indicated were student athletes, media, and the university. The top perceived role was problem-solving process facilitator. Lastly, the top indicated benefits of PR were identified in themes of communication and message, relationships, and strategic planning. The results of this research assist in understanding more about the fit of PR in college athletics.

Politics and Pigskins: Leader Political Support and Doug Williams’s Termination from Grambling State University

Management research long has benefitted from the examination of sport teams and organizations to inform its theories. Similarly, sport management research can benefit from the investigation of business organization research concepts. In the present study, a narrative case study approach is taken to review Doug Williams’s second tenure as Grambling State University’s head football coach. Archival data (i.e., media reports, university communications, and court documents) indicated that Grambling University was an environment ripe for political behavior. Further, the data reveal that Williams’s social capital and political will led to his demonstration of political support for his players, and that this behavior created loyalty and commitment from Williams’s followers (i.e., his players), but simultaneously generated anger and resentment among his superiors (i.e., the university president and athletic director), and resulted in Williams’s termination. Thus, the presently reviewed case indicates politics is a viable area of future exploration for in sport organization research.

The Massachusetts School Sports Concussions Law: A Qualitative Study of Local Implementation Experiences.

Reducing the incidence and negative consequences of concussion among youth athletes is a public health priority. In 2010, Massachusetts passed legislation aimed at addressing the issue of concussions in school athletics. We sought to understand local-level implementation decisions of the Massachusetts concussion law. A qualitative multiple-case study approach was utilized. Semi-structured interviews with school-employed actors associated with the law's implementation were used for analysis. Interview data were subjected to a conventional content analysis. A total of 19 participants from 5 schools were interviewed. Schools were purposefully selected from communities varying in socioeconomic status and population. Participants included 5 athletic directors, 5 coaches, 4 athletic trainers, 4 school nurses, and 1 health and wellness coordinator. Eight themes emerged regarding specific ways schools have implemented the law. Six themes emerged regarding factors influencing implementation. All cases employ neurocognitive testing as a means to assess concussions, place decision-making authority in athletic trainers' hands, and use a 30-minute online video to disseminate concussion education. Employing athletic trainers could pose challenges to school districts with limited financial capacity, as financial assistance from the state is not provided under the law. The validity of neurocognitive testing and the effectiveness of online concussion training need further study. Cooperation from student athletes, their parents, and physicians is necessary for full implementation of the law.

Retention Initiatives Used by Professional Bachelor's Athletic Training Program Directors

Context: Retaining athletic training students has been identified as problematic by approximately half of athletic training program (ATP) directors. It is unknown what ATP directors do to improve athletic training student retention.Objective: To identify initiatives that ATP directors use to improve the retention rates of athletic training students in their programs.Design: Qualitative study.Setting: Undergraduate ATPs.Patients or Other Participants: We asked directors of ATPs across the nation to complete an Internet questionnaire. We obtained responses from 171 out of 343 ATP directors (51.6%). In addition, we completed follow-up interviews with 16 randomly selected ATP directors.Main Outcome Measure(s): During the online questionnaire, we asked ATP directors to describe any specific initiatives they or their ATP used that were aimed at retaining athletic training students and ideally what they would like to do to improve athletic training student retention at their institution. During the follow-up telephone interviews, we asked participants to further describe their retention strategies and other techniques not already mentioned in their questionnaire responses to gain further insight. We used a general inductive approach to analyze the data and performed multiple-analyst triangulation, member checks, and a peer review to ensure the trustworthiness of the analysis and results.Results: During data analysis, we identified 3 themes that highlight the ATP directors' initiatives to retain athletic training students. Directors discussed fostering a family atmosphere, strategic planning, and having resources available to support students as ways to improve retention.Conclusions: Athletic training program directors are encouraged to integrate students into their programs early through informal and formal participation opportunities, evaluate student potential prior to formal admissions, plausibly through an interview process, and educate students on scholarship opportunities to help offset tuition and fees associated with program completion.

Implement practical strategies to successfully manage multiple challenges

Managing and supervising part‐time coaches, dealing with declining budgets, keeping up with technology, monitoring social media, and balancing multiple roles can prove challenging to even the most experienced college athletics directors.

The Role of Personality in Job Satisfaction Among Collegiate Athletic Trainers.

The degree to which an individual likes his or her job is known as job satisfaction. A person with higher job satisfaction is less likely to depart from a profession than a person with lower job satisfaction. Researchers studying job satisfaction among other allied health professionals suggest a personality component could explain why the reasons for departure can be so individual. Collegiate institutions. To determine the relationship between job satisfaction and personality among collegiate athletic trainers (ATs). A total of 202 ATs (68 [33.7%] men and 134 [66.3%] women), were recruited using the National Athletic Trainers' Association e-mail database. We excluded any AT from this study who worked outside of the collegiate setting. The response rate was 20.2%. Data were collected using a Web-based survey instrument consisting of 3 sections: (1) demographics, (2) job satisfaction survey, and (3) Big Five Personality Inventory. Independent t tests were run to determine sex differences, and correlations were run to evaluate relationships between demographics and job satisfaction and between job satisfaction and personality. Women reported higher levels of neuroticism than men. Extroversion and conscientiousness showed a weak positive relationship with job satisfaction. A moderate positive relationship was found between agreeableness and job satisfaction. A moderate negative relationship was noted between neuroticism and job satisfaction. Based on our findings, head ATs or other organizational leaders may consider using personality assessments during interview processes, or athletic training program directors may be able to better guide students interested in athletic training based on knowledge of their personalities.

Financial Management and Gender Equality in Interscholastic Athletics

Interscholastic athletic programs must avoid gender-based budgetary inequity lawsuits to ensure their successful operation. Potential problem areas are the methods used to generate athletic funds, female sports funding and the maintenance of Title IX compliance. Eighty-two interscholastic athletic directors from eastern Kentucky region shared their perceptions concerning these potential problem areas. They completed an online survey based on past literature (1, 2, 3) addressing themes concerning effective strategies for generating athletic funds and maintaining equitable athletic budgets for both gender sports. The results indicated that participants adopted both direct sales (food, apparels, and tangible product items) and indirect sales (advertising spaces, conducting camps, and offering services) to generate revenues for their athletic programs. They had adopted the popular fundraising methods which were commonly suggested by past literature. In general, participants also agreed that female students should receive necessary financial support and opportunity to accommodate their participatory need. It is suggested that keeping an accurate Title IX report is the key to ensure a high level of Title IX compliance. Potentially the most controversial finding is that participants prefer to keep the majority of funds for football and men's basketball.

Relationships between the Congruence of Required and Perceived Leadership Behavior and Satisfaction in Athletes

The purpose of the current study was to explore the relationship between the congruence of perceived and required leadership behavior and the effect of this relationship upon athlete satisfaction in a Chinese setting. Using a sample of volleyball players (n = 233) and athletic directors (n = 19), the present study examined the congruence between required and perceived leadership behavior and the resulting satisfaction of Taiwanese athletes. Analyses revealed athletes were more likely to be satisfied when their perceptions of their coaches' positive feedback behavior conformed to the expectations of their athletic directors. These results confirmed aspects of the multidimensional model of leadership in a cultural perspective.