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"To keep a proper perspective on the role of athletics": An examination of the perceived role of intercollegiate athletics in the New England Small College Athletic Conference
Abstract
This research seeks to understand the actual perception of the proper role of athletics on the part of student-athletes, faculty, and presidents within the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), an intercollegiate athletic league comprised of 11 highly selective National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III institutions. Data for this research was collected using a survey instrument to sample attitudes and perceptions from all three constituent groups so as to ascertain more fully conference-wide trends. The greatest perceptual differences overall in responses to these statements were registered between faculty and student athletes. Faculty were considerably more skeptical of the values to be gained from the time and effort expended on intercollegiate athletics, while student-athletes consider these same expenditures to be not only valuable, but on an equal plane with those made in the academic realm. Presidents and student-athletes demonstrated perceptual similarities on those statements that examined the perceptions of the relative importance of intercollegiate athletics in relation life on NESCAC campuses. Follow-up interviews with presidents were held to collect qualitative data to formulate a more complete picture of conference-wide attitudes and perceptions. Presidents were chosen to be interviewed because they have the most power and influence over the formation of intercollegiate athletic policy as outlined in the conference bylaws. Findings from these interviews indicate that perceptual “sub-groups” exist amongst the presidents. These perceptual sub-groups can be defined as “promoters,” “acceptors,” and “doubters.” Presidents in each sub-group maintain that NESCAC reflects their own personal notions of the classic and ideal role of intercollegiate athletics, believe that the above cited classic and ideal perceptions are under fire and are increasingly difficult to maintain, and declare that NESCAC has not been immune to the growing interest and emphasis in sport in American society. In addition, many presidents were surprised at the level of significance attributed to and required for the management of intercollegiate athletic policy and were therefore unprepared to deal with the increased managerial expectations and attention required to deal with athletic policy issues.
Subject Area
Management|Higher education|Physical education
Recommended Citation
Covell, Daniel Dexter, ""To keep a proper perspective on the role of athletics": An examination of the perceived role of intercollegiate athletics in the New England Small College Athletic Conference" (1999). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9950146.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9950146