Health-related transitional programs can provide strategies for student-athletes to help them navigate the challenges they may face as they transition away from competitive athletics. However, few evidence-based transitional programs with a health-related focus exist, and even less research addresses program feasibility within specific institutional contexts. This study evaluated the feasibility of implementing a health-related physical activity (PA) transitional program for student-athletes at one NCAA Division II (DII) institution. Student-athlete alumni (n = 85) from the past five years were surveyed to gather information about their current PA and health-related quality of life. Additionally, these former student-athletes along with athletic department personnel (n = 28) responded to survey items assessing various dimensions of program feasibility. Results showed that over 90% of participants from both groups agreed more support is needed for the transition out of sport, particularly regarding PA and health resources. In addition to limited mental health resources, student-athletes perceived there to be a lack of resources related to post-career exercise guidance, highlighting a key gap given that 60% of former student-athletes in this sample were not engaging in recommended PA levels. Responses from athletic personnel suggested opportunities exist to integrate transitional programming within existing campus resources. These findings highlight the need for more health-related transitional support. As such, athletic departments should prioritize efforts to develop and evaluate programs that support health-related aspects of sport transition to optimize student-athletes' adjustment to life after sport. This feasibility study provides insights into the needs, resources, and barriers institutions face when developing transitional programming. These findings offer a foundation for implementing evidence-based support addressing student-athletes' health and wellness needs beyond competitive athletics.
Conference realignment is among the most transformational changes in intercollegiate athletics. The financial ramifications of realignment are significant. Though these have garnered the most attention, many changes stemming from realignment deal with qualitative elements of athletic departments. Altering rivalries, traditions, and sport sponsorship could affect athletic department cultures, yet little research has examined them. Therefore, this study used the organizational culture perspective to investigate the effects of conference realignment on the culture of Erie University’s athletic department. In 2013, Erie joined the Catholic Athletic Conference (CAC). To assess the effect of this change on Erie’s athletic culture, 20 interviews with coaches and administrators were conducted before the move and 16 were conducted two years after. Interview and other archival data were interpreted using thematic analysis. Findings indicate the athletic department culture shifted following two years of CAC membership. Participants conveyed an improved sense of pride and better institutional alignment. This culture change occurred despite a noticeable lack of success and lingering resource shortfalls. Erie’s realignment reflected consistencies and inconsistences with existing literature on conference change. The findings highlight the psychological power of affiliation and the importance of institutional alignment when changing conferences.
This study explored how student-athletes in a multi-year leadership development academy constructed and reconstructed their understandings of leadership across four years of participation. Using a qualitative design grounded in a social construction of leadership framework, we examined how 13 Division III student-athletes, first as participants and later as facilitators, articulated, interpreted, and constructed their leadership development experiences. Semi-structured interviews captured how student-athletes described the evolution of their leadership identities, skills, and applications across athletic, academic, and personal contexts. Thematic analysis led to the development of four interrelated themes: (1) leadership identity development; (2) confidence and competence building; (3) facilitation as a transformative catalyst; and (4) the application of leadership skills beyond sport. Findings highlight the dynamic and adaptive nature of leadership as co-constructed through ongoing reflection, peer interaction, and role transitions. By demonstrating how facilitation deepens identity development and expands leadership application, this study contributes to scholarship on sport leadership by emphasizing temporal, experiential, and socially constructed dimensions of student-athlete leadership development. Implications for practice underscore the value of longitudinal, scaffolded programming that integrates peer-led facilitation and supports holistic preparation for leadership across life domains.
This study introduces the Embedded Indigeneity Framework to examine how Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs) integrate Indigenous identity into athletics operations. Sport management scholarship often centers Power Five institutions and market logics, marginalizing Special Mission Institutions and their cultural foundations. As a result, institutionally specific nuances are often not considered when exploring the experiences and approaches of practitioners within these spaces. Using an inductive thematic analysis approach (Naeem et al., 2023), this study analyzes practitioner narratives to develop a framework grounded in five interconnected themes: Cultural Representation and Recognition, Structural Support and Educational Opportunity, Educational Opportunity and Structural Support, Personal and Historical Identity Integration, and Navigating Organizational Tensions. Guided by decolonial and social justice lenses, the framework highlights how indigeneity is not merely acknowledged but embedded across organizational life. By illuminating the relationship between identity, mission, and practice, this study expands the boundaries of sport organization scholarship and affirms the value of culturally grounded and justice-oriented approaches to intercollegiate athletics.
The relationship between the sport supervisor and head coach is a critical dyadic relationship within NCAA Division I athletics. The purpose of this study was to explore how the sport supervisor/head coach relationship is perceived by both NCAA Division I sport supervisors and head coaches utilizing the leader-member exchange theory. Through an interpretative phenomenological approach sport supervisors and head coaches from NCAA Division I institutions were interviewed. Findings affirmed sport supervisors serve as critical mediators in athletic departments and can shape the department’s internal climate through their relationships with head coaches. This study found trust to be foundational to high quality relationships between head coaches and sport supervisors. However, sport supervisors and head coaches have different perspectives on what builds a high-quality relationship outside of trust. Head coaches desire sport supervisors who show care and investment in the sport program and head coach and who are intentionally present (emotionally and physically). Sport supervisors desire head coaches to be transparent to build the trust and create a true partnership. This study elucidates critical needs of each party to nurture a successful relationship between the sport supervisor and the head coach in NCAA Division I athletics.
