NCAA Research Articles

Preliminary Evaluation of Self-Reported Training Volume as an Adjunct Measure of Female Athlete Triad Risk in Division 1 Collegiate Female Runners.

Background/Objectives: This study tested whether self-reported training volume is predictive of female athlete triad risk collected using an established twelve-question triad screening tool in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I (DI) collegiate female runners. Methods: A total of 319 institutions were initially contacted, seven of which agreed to distribute surveys to their female cross-country and track and field athletes. A total of 41 of 149 respondents completed the survey and met all inclusion criteria. Linear and binomial logistic regressions examined the relationships between self-reported training volumes and estimated triad risk. Independent samples t-tests were also used to compare training volumes across the high (> 50th percentile for risk factor counts) vs. low-risk groups. Results: Total weekly competition and conditioning resistance training hours were associated with the total number of triad risk factors (p = 0.044) and were also predictive of the triad risk group (p = 0.037). Likewise, both competition and conditioning resistance training hours (p = 0.034) were higher in the high-risk group versus the low-risk group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that self-reported resistance training volume is predictive of triad risk, but additional research is required to determine if monitoring training volume can provide valuable, real-time assessments of triad risk in DI collegiate female runners.

Influence of Preexisting Conditions and Concussion History on Postconcussion Symptom Severity and Recovery Time in Collegiate Athletes.

Mental health conditions and concussion history reported by a collegiate athlete may contribute to prolonged recovery and symptom severity after concussion. This work examined the potential associations among concussion history, preexisting conditions, and sex relative to initial symptom severity and recovery duration following sport-related concussion (SRC) in a cohort of Division 1 National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes. This prospective cohort study analyzed symptom severity, recovery, and return-to-play (RTP) times reported post-SRC using data collected as part of the Pac-12 Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Affiliated Program and Health Analytics Program. Health history questionnaires that included self-reported history of preexisting conditions were completed at baseline. When consented athletes were diagnosed with a concussion, daily postconcussion symptom scores were evaluated until an athlete was clinically determined to be asymptomatic. Generalized linear and Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine associations between preexisting conditions and recovery and RTP times. Ninety-two concussions met inclusion criteria. Notable differences in initial symptom severity existed between females and males who had mood disorders (effect size [d] = 0.51) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; d = 0.93). The number of previous concussions was a strong predictor of athletes reporting preexisting mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and ADHD (p = 0.008-0.04). Females with ≥2 previous concussions required more days to RTP than males (d = 0.31-0.72). Weekly recovery and RTP probabilities substantially differed between athletes who did or did not have learning disorders (LDs; hazard ratio [HR]Recovery = 0.32, HRRTP = 0.22, d = 1.96-2.30) and ADHD (HRRecovery = 3.38, HRRTP = 2.74, d = 1.71-4.14). Although no association existed between concussion history and acute symptom severity, collegiate athletes with a history of concussion had higher probabilities of reporting depression, mood disorders, anxiety, and ADHD. Having ADHD or LDs likely strongly affects time to recovery and RTP for collegiate athletes.

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).

Judge rules against student‐athletes

Case name: Doe 1, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 1:23‐cv‐00542 (S.D. Ind. 07/02/24).

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).

Judge rules against student‐athletes

Case name: Doe 1, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 1:23‐cv‐00542 (S.D. Ind. 07/02/24).

American Football Headgear Impairs Visuomotor Drill Performance in Division I NCAA Football Athletes.

Background/Objectives: Previous evidence has shown that American football headgear (e.g., facemasks, visors/eye shields) differentially impairs reaction time (RT) to visual stimuli, most notably in peripheral fields of view. However, this has only been established with stationary RT testing, which may not translate to gameplay situations that require gross motor skills. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to build upon previous findings to elucidate the effects of various American football headgear on gross motor visuomotor drill performance. Methods: Division 1 NCAA football players (n = 16) with normal/corrected-to-normal vision participated and completed two experiments (EXP), each with differing conditions: EXP1- Varying facemask reinforcement and EXP2- Varying visor/eye shield light transmittance. In EXP1, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + light (HL), helmet + medium (HM), and helmet + heavy (HH) face mask reinforcement. In EXP2, participants completed an agility test for the following conditions: baseline/no helmet (BL), helmet + clear visor (HCV), helmet + smoke-tinted visor (HSV), and helmet + mirrored visor (HMV). For each condition in EXP1 and EXP2, participants completed a reactive agility task using a FITLIGHT trainer system where five poles were equipped with a total of ten LED sensors and were placed in a semi-circle 1 m around a center point. Participants were asked to step and reach with their hands to hit each ten lights individually as fast as possible upon illumination. Each reactive agility test was repeated for a total of three attempts. Results: Average reaction time was analyzed and compared between conditions and according to visual fields of interest (e.g., central vs. peripheral). Results from EXP1 showed that compared to BL, reactive agility was worsened by HL (p = 0.030), HM (p = 0.034), and HH (p = 0.003) conditions. No differences between facemask conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). For EXP2, HCV (p < 0.001), HSV (p < 0.001), and HMV (p < 0.001) conditions resulted in worsened reactive agility performance compared to BL. No differences between visor conditions existed for overall performance (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Overall, these findings suggest that American football headgear impairs reactive agility, which could result in worsened game performance and safety. Future studies investigating training strategies to overcome impairments are warranted.

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).

Court decision leaves some unresolved issues about employment status of student‐athletes

In a long‐awaited decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit issued its ruling in the case of Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., which deals with the employment status of collegiate student‐athletes. However, instead of a sweeping decision declaring whether they are or aren’t employees, the Court created a new legal standard by which an assessment of employment status should be made.

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).

Judge rules against student‐athletes

Case name: Doe 1, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 1:23‐cv‐00542 (S.D. Ind. 07/02/24).

Return to Play After an Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in the Collegiate Athlete: A Systematic Review Evaluating Return to Play Proportions and Associated Factors.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) return-to-play (RTP) factors and proportions across all National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) sports. DESIGN: Systematic review with prognosis and etiology components. LITERATURE SEARCH: Two independent reviewers searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases using terms related to RTP, ACLR, and NCAA for articles published up to June 30, 2023. STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA: Articles were included if RTP proportions or factors affecting RTP were reported and if the study population included NCAA collegiate athletes recovering from an ACLR. DATA SYNTHESIS: The proportion represents the total number of athletes who returned to play after ACLR over the total number of ACLR athletes from each cohort. The cumulative proportion represents the aggregated total from each included study. When eligibility information was available (ie, athletes in their final year of eligibility), RTP proportions were adjusted. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the study quality and scored by 2 raters. RESULTS: Nine studies were included. RTP criteria varied across the studies. Proportions of RTP ranged from 69% to 92%, with a cumulative RTP proportion after ACLR of 84% (628/745). The primary factors associated with the proportion of RTP were scholarship status, competitive eligibility remaining, depth chart position, and surgical graft type. CONCLUSIONS: The cumulative proportion of RTP was 84% and was associated with patient-specific and operative factors. Psychological and functional factors were not routinely reported, and rehabilitation protocols were unknown. Data were not explicitly available for any athletes outside of Division I. The criteria for RTP after ACLR varied. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2024;54(10):1-9. Epub 10 September 2024. https://doi.org/10.2519/jospt.2024.12483.

"Necessary evil": the difficulties of establishing programmatic culture in the transfer portal era.

The implementation of the transfer portal and eased transfer restrictions has drastically impacted the migration of college football players. While such athlete autonomy aligns with sweeping organizational policy adopted, and mandated, by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the absence of barriers preventing the mobility of players may have a resultant effect on the development of sustained organizational culture. Through interviews with direct stakeholders currently coaching football at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level, the findings of this study reveal that while the transfer portal is commonly utilized to achieve short-term success, building a roster composed predominantly of transfer players was perceived as unsustainable in the desired cultivation of meaningful organizational culture. As coaches grapple with the intensified demands to win football games, the findings of this study indicate that sustained long-term programmatic success may be more suitably achieved through the cultivation of distinct organizational culture rather than a reliance on transfer players.

NCAA football coach compensation and non-price competition for football players

ABSTRACT College football coach salaries at big-time programmes have increased substantially in recent years. We investigate non-price competition for incoming athletes as a source of salary increases. The NCAA cartel ensures that athletes receive compensation limited to the cost of attending college, which prevents football programmes from competing for athlete’s services on a price (compensation) basis. Non-price competition frequently emerges under these conditions. We develop evidence that increases in head football coach salaries cause increased football recruiting success using an instrumental variables approach to control for correlation between salaries and unobservable institution-specific factors affecting recruiting success. Results from a sample of 90 FBS schools over the period 2006–2015 support the presence of non-price competition for college football players. Each $1 million increase in head coach salary increases the quality of the incoming class of football recruits by about one standard deviation.

Leaders beyond sport: an exploratory comparative analysis of international and domestic college athletes’ leadership competencies

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to explore the leadership competencies of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college athletes and assess the potential differences between domestic and international college athletes.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative, non-experimental research design was employed, including the use of an electronic survey to collect data. Survey research allows for extensive data management and a quick data collection method (Creswell &amp; Creswell, 2018). The survey was conducted using online Qualtrics software, which allowed convenience in administration, maintenance, nationwide distribution and data export and analysis.FindingsThe findings of this study suggest that domestic college athletes develop greater leadership competencies than their international peers.Practical implicationsThe study implications include both practical and academic contributions. The research in the area of leadership development in college athletes has been growing. Previous research has focused on the benefits of the leadership development (Lewis, 2023); however, minimal research has been dedicated to exploring actual leadership constructs within the college athlete population. Moreover, this study focused on the differences between domestic and international college athletes’ leadership constructs. International college athletes go through additional challenges while balancing the academic part of being college athletes (Ridpath, Rudd, &amp; Stokowski, 2020).Originality/valueMinimal research has been dedicated to exploring actual leadership constructs within the student-athlete population. This study is the first study that explored leadership constructs from the quantitative lens and focusing on both domestic and international student-athletes. The literature on international student-athletes mainly focuses on the motivation arriving to the United States of America (Love &amp; Kim, 2011) and their transitional experiences (Popp, Pierce, &amp; Hums, 2011; Jolly, Stokowski, Paule-Koba, Arthur-Banning, &amp; Fridley, 2022). However, limited literature focuses on the preparation of international student-athlete for life beyond their sport.

“Suck it up, go play”: Mental health stigma in college coaches and their use of mental illness microaggressions

Objective: This study explored the extent to which college athletic coaches endorse mental illness microaggressions toward their student-athletes and the importance of mental toughness in sports, and how these impact support for help-seeking among student-athletes. Methods: Fifty-eight coaches at Northeastern U.S. colleges in the National Collegiate Athletic Association completed an online survey, including measures of mental illness microaggressions, mental toughness, and questions about vignettes portraying scenarios with a physically injured athlete and an athlete with anxiety. Results: Multivariate analyses revealed that endorsement of mental illness microaggressions was negatively related to willingness to refer an athlete with anxiety to counseling services and positively related to willingness to allow a physically injured athlete to return to play. However, mental toughness was not predictive of microaggressions or vignette responses. Conclusions: Endorsement of mental illness microaggressions appears to be related to how coaches respond to athletes experiencing a mental health issue or physical injury.

Female Orthopaedic Surgeons Are Less Represented as Head Team Physicians in Collegiate Athletic Programs

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) head team physicians (HTP), focusing on gender as it relates to divisional variability, medical specialty, and research productivity. MethodsIn December 2022, the NCAA member directory was utilized to obtain HTP information from the top 5 conferences within Divisions I, II, and III (DI, DII, DIII, respectively). Division I schools were selected from the previously established “Power 5” conferences. Divisions II and III used NCAA rankings. HTP data was collected from publicly available verifiable data sources. Data for gender, Scopus H-index, residency programs, and fellowship programs were collected. Mean, median, skewness, p-values, and odds ratio were calculated for analysis. ResultsOne hundred and eighty six NCAA institutions were evaluated: 69 DI (37%), 65 DII (35%), and 52 DIII (28%). DIII had the highest female representation (8; 16%). Out of the 67 orthopaedic surgery HTPs, 5 (7.5%) were female and 62 male (92.5%). There is a statistically significant difference in female orthopedic surgeon representation in the HTP field compared to males (p-value = 0.038, alpha = 0.05). Female orthopaedic surgeons have 38% lower odds of being represented as HTPs compared to males (p-value = 0.046, alpha = 0.05). Female HTPs in Divisions I and III had higher H-indexes than the overall average and median values for their respective divisons. ConclusionFemale HTPs are significantly less represented compared to males in the NCAA. Furthermore, female orthopaedic surgeons were found to have lower odds of being represented as HTPs compared to their male counterparts. For research productivity, female HTPs impacted the distribution as outliers in Divisions I and III.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Exploitation of College Profit-Athletes: An Amateurism That Never Was

The National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Exploitation of College Profit-Athletes: An Amateurism That Never Was

Court rules in favor of student‐athletes

Case name: Johnson, et al. v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, et al., No. 22‐1223 (3d Cir. 07/11/24).