Digital Commons Network^™

Factors Shaping The Graduate Assistantship Experience In Ncaa Division I Athletic Departments, Kelly P. Elliott, Kate Labate, Josh Tennant, Chris Espinosa

The COSMA Journal

Graduate Assistantships (GA) are a critical component of career preparation in sport management, yet little is known about how the GA experiences vary across institutions, and intercollegiate athletic departments. This exploratory study examined differences in intercollegiate athletic department GAs based on NCAA Division I subdivision, length of time the GA served in the position, and how the GA found the opportunity. Survey data were collected from GAs listed on athletic department staff directories. The instrument assessed functional areas, supervision, compensation, satisfaction, and perceived career impact. Chi-square analyses compared GA experiences across institutional and student-level variables. Overall, the findings suggest that …

Growth, Governance, And Organizational Crisis In Nonprofit Rowing Club: Failures In Leadership In A Growing Organization, Noah Legendre, Ehren R. Green

The COSMA Journal

This case explores governance and leadership challenges within a growing nonprofit sport organization governed by a volunteer board of directors. Within this case, the Litchberg Valley Rowing Club (LVRC), a rowing organization in a small community, experienced rapid growth in membership, financial resources, and competitive success. Despite this growth, the organization maintained informal governance structures and policies to guide its decision-making. In this case, the board of directors elected to terminate the head coach because of difficult contract negotiations and other issues at hand. This decision was met with public backlash, raising concerns about club leadership and the future of …

Exploring The Motivations Of Undergraduate Sport Management Students, Kyle J. Brannigan, Tyler J. Hajek

The COSMA Journal

This study explored the motivations of undergraduate sport management in four university programs. Convergent mixed-methods research through the theoretical framework of Self-Determination Theory was incorporated with an adapted questionnaire of the Academic Motivation Scale and semi-structured interviews through Thematic Analysis. Ninety-six surveys with nine interviews were deemed usable across four regionally focused, vocationally minded, and accessible universities. Overall, students reported higher levels of extrinsic motivation than intrinsic motivation. The findings suggested intrinsic motivation to know and extrinsic motivation through regulation for identification scored highest with the participants. No significant differences were found between classes and ethnicities. However, male students experienced …

Revisiting The Flutie Effect: The Impact Of Collegiate Athletics On College Choice, Robin Hardin, Michelle L. Childs, Win G-Y Koo

The COSMA Journal

This study revisits the Flutie Effect by examining factors that influence a student’s college choice which includes the role of athletics and its brand. The study assessed items related to academics, interpersonal influences, campus culture, and athletics through a survey of first-year students. An exploratory factor analysis produced a seven-factor model explaining 71.51% of the variance. The strongest factor was emotional and behavioral identification with university athletics, reflecting fandom, affiliation, and pride in athletic success. Athletics significantly influenced college choice, but their impact extends beyond athletic success to include broader dimensions of branding, fandom, and affiliation. For institutions seeking to …

International Student Athletes And The Covid-19 Global Pandemic: Disruption, Uncertainty, And Coping, Isabella M. Franks, Trent A. Petrie, Whitney G. Moore, Carmyn Hayes

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

COVID-19 and its ripple effects (e.g., social distancing, sport cancellations, quarantining) negatively affected the careers of collegiate student-athletes. The disruption to university systems and collegiate athletics and the stress and uncertainty felt globally likely increased international student-athletes' (ISAs) risk for distress. Yet, ISAs also possessed unique characteristics and were immersed within supportive sport environments, which may have shaped their psychological responses in distinct ways. The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity to understand how ISAs, as individuals navigating both athletic and international identities, responded and coped. To date, no study has examined the initial coping experiences of international collegiate athletes, even …

Perceived Safety For Collegiate Student-Athletes: Race, Gender, And Mental Health Outcomes, Macey L. Arnold, Hunter P. Williams, Justin Harker, Heather Kiefer, Julian Yoon, Trent A. Petrie

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Inadequate levels of perceived safety on campuses have been reported by college students (e.g., Maffini & Dillard, 2021) and connected to college students' mental health concerns (e.g., sleep disturbances; Etopio et al., 2019). Little is known about student-athletes’ (SA) perceptions of safety, particularly related to their racial and gender identities, and how their perception of safety is related to their mental health. We surveyed 213 SAs regarding their safety perceptions on campus, athletic department, and teams, along with anxiety (GAD-2), depression (PHQ-2), and sleep disturbances (PROMIS-SD). White SAs reported higher levels of safety than Black SAs for all three environments …

Performance, Pressure, And Prescription: A Qualitative Investigation Of Maladaptive Coping In Collegiate Cheerleading, Chris Corr, Taylor Behl

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

While cheerleading is a staple among athletics competition in the United States, cheerleading has perennially struggled to achieve legitimacy as a competitive and rigorous sport. However, cheerleaders experience similar stressors to those of their athlete peers. In addition, cheerleaders occupy unique and distinct stressors pertaining to expectations for appearance and behavior. While extant research has examined maladaptive coping mechanisms among competing athletes, the distinct pressures and stressors associated with cheerleading may be associated with unique engagement in maladaptive coping. Accordingly, the present study sought to examine the prevalence and propensity of maladaptive coping behaviors among a sample of current and …

'It's Going To Be Colder Than San Diego': Pre-Transition Experiences Of American Postgraduate Athletes At One British University, Lara Killick, Pete Schroeder

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Athlete migration is a visible element of the sport-globalization nexus. At the intercollegiate level, a new migration pattern has recently emerged. Numerous British universities are recruiting American postgraduate athletes for a variety of sports. International athlete migration has been examined using the cultural transition model (CTM) (Ryba et al., 2016). CTM features three phases that profile the developmental tracks migrant athletes experience in a new culture. This study used CTM to qualitatively explore the pre-transition experiences of American postgraduate athletes. Nineteen Americans playing at one British university were interviewed prior to the 2022-23 academic year. Data were recorded, transcribed, and …

Nil And Contract Law: Advising A Prospective College Athlete Through Competing Name, Image, And Likeness Agreements, Jason Kight, Marcy Faircloth, Lori Mikl, Rachel Silverman

The COSMA Journal

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) agreements have created significant financial opportunities for amateur and collegiate athletes while also introducing complex legal, ethical, and strategic decision-making challenges. This decision-focused teaching case places students in the role of trusted advisors to Archie Stafford, a highly recruited high school athlete who must evaluate and compare multiple NIL contract offers connected to his preferred college options. By analyzing NIL agreements, students assess contract enforceability, identify key legal and business risks, weigh legal, contractual, ethical, and reputational disclosure obligations, and formulate a reasoned recommendation aligned with Archie’s academic, athletic, financial, and long-term career goals. The …

Can Ungrading Make Sport Management Education More Practical And Engaging?, Michael A. Odio

The COSMA Journal

In this essay I take on the subject of grades in sport management education. While grades are used as a measure of success across higher education, they are an imperfect measure of achievement and learning and have major limitations in terms of student employability. The ungrading movement brings attention to the ways grades can harm learning by shifting attention away from students’ development, and instructor or peer feedback, and intrinsic motivation, while incentivizing compliance and risk-aversion. These harms directly affect what are arguably some of the most important aspects of sport management education, as when grades are the main incentive, …

Aligning Sport Management Programs With The Evolving Needs Of Hopeful Intercollegiate Athletic Administrators., Kelly P. Elliott, Don Rockey

The COSMA Journal

Pathways to becoming an Athletic Director (AD) vary considerably across intercollegiate athletics, highlighting the need for sport management programs to better align academic preparation with evolving professional expectations. While prior research has explored AD roles across NCAA divisions, limited attention has been given to how academic curricula and experiential learning opportunities support students pursuing these careers. This study examines differences in sport management curricula and experiential offerings across programs affiliated with Division I FBS, Division I FCS, Division II, Division III, and NAIA institutions. Two research questions guided the study: (1) What differences exist in required coursework across divisions? and …

Beyond The Classroom: Leveraging Community Engaged Learning To Teach Corporate Social Responsibility In Sport Management, Amanda Greene Dr., Charles Jones, Natalie Smith

The COSMA Journal

This manuscript presents a case study exploring the use of community engaged learning (CEL) to teach corporate social responsibility (CSR) in an upper-level sport management course. The purpose of this study is to examine how participation in a semester long community engaged learning experience influences student understanding of corporate social responsibility, civic identity, and theory-to-practice application. Students partnered with a local nonprofit affiliated with a professional sport organization to design and execute a donor engagement event addressing youth needs in the community. Guided by experiential learning theory, the course emphasized out-of-classroom learning, industry mentorship, and reflective practice. A longitudinal qualitative …

Measuring Strategic Plans In Cosma Accredited Programs, Coral Bender, Michael Smucker, Zachary Beldon, Jay Jisha, Dene Williamson

The COSMA Journal

Strategic planning is an important part of ensuring efficiency across industries, despite this, many struggle with writing measurable and appropriately aligned strategic planning documents. Summatively, strategic planning documents should be a guiding force for all things, including budgeting. The present paper analyzes every Operational Effectiveness Goal (OEG) and corresponding measure made publicly available for COSMA Accredited programs during the 2023-2024 reporting to gain a better understanding of what accredited sport management programs priorities in the measurement of their strategic plans. Emphases on community affiliations and feedback as well as a reliance on institutional level data emerged. Practical applications for sport …

The Cornshocker Contract: Navigating Nil In A New Athletic Economy, Jason Kight

The COSMA Journal

This teaching case examines how Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) reforms are reshaping governance, athlete branding, and competitive identity within NCAA Division II athletics. Set at the fictional Platte Valley State University, the narrative places students inside an evolving administrative dilemma involving booster-led collectives, transfer-portal pressures, and a sponsorship controversy that tests institutional values. Designed for sport management classrooms, the case emphasizes experiential decision-making and asks students to evaluate the interaction among stakeholder interests, organizational legitimacy, and crisis response rather than to perform exclusively doctrinal legal analysis. By situating contemporary NIL developments within a regional Division II context, the case …

Uneven Playbooks: Coaching Disparities In The Mideastern Spotlight, Jakai Lowe

McNair Scholars Collection

This study examines whether there are significant differences in the treatment of men’s and women’s head basketball coaches at Big Green School in the Big Mideastern Conference, focusing on compensation, program resources, staffing support, and media exposure.

Improving Transfer Portal Decision-Making Through A Microsoft Excel Optimization Model, Peyton Steffes

Honors Projects

The creation of the transfer portal has increased the mobility of collegiate athletes, giving players the autonomy to switch teams throughout their career. As a result, the roster development process has become more complex, as coaches are tasked with the challenge of recruiting from the transfer portal, which involves an extensive decision-making process. Coaches not only have to evaluate a substantial pool of players, but they also must consider the following constraints they are under: scholarship budget, roster spots available, and positional needs. To simplify this decision-making process, this analysis includes the results of a Microsoft Excel data optimization model …

Marching Health From Music To Injury: The Implications Of Marching Band Athletic Training Accessibility, Madelyn Liebhardt

Honors Projects

The following study explores the importance and need of athletic trainers (ATs) in marching band settings. Athletic Training is an essential backbone to many sports programs worldwide. Athletic Trainers are commonly seen as active staff members for many high school, collegiate, professional teams as well as in clinical office sites. Athletic Trainers are also staffed in non-traditional settings such as corporate settings, performing arts, military branches. Marching bands are categorized under non-traditional sports settings and ATs are becoming more highly preferred in this area. This study follows the Bowling Green State University (BGSU) Falcon Marching Band (FMB) during the 2025 …

Teaching With S2scc-Ai: A Practical Framework For Sport Management Classrooms, Kimberly D. Bynum, Wendy T. Gillis

The COSMA Journal

ABSTRACT

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity, are radically changing how higher ed students approach their college learning experience. These shifts are especially impactful in undergraduate sport management programs, where employers expect graduates to demonstrate teamwork, critical thinking and digital literacy skills. As AI becomes embedded across sport industry functions such as event operations, marketing, analytics, and fan engagement, higher ed pedagogy must evolve to reflect the professional contexts students are preparing to enter. In this paper, Student-to-Student Co-Creation enhanced by AI (S2SCC-AI) is advanced as a practical, COSMA-aligned pedagogical framework for leveraging …

The Bg News April 08, 2026, Bowling Green State University

BG News (Student Newspaper)

The BGSU campus student newspaper. April 08, 2026. Volume 105-Issue 24.

International College Athletes’ Perceptions Of Nil And Its Impact On Their Experiences: A Theory Of Capital Approach., Jessica K. Brougham, Rebecca M. Achen

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

The name, image, and likeness (NIL) policy altered the landscape of college sports and provided college athletes with new opportunities to monetize their talents and personal brands. However, while the NCAA stated that all athletes would be able to participate in NIL deals and be compensated for the use of their NIL, international college athletes (ICAs) soon discovered they were restricted from participation while located in the U.S., due to their student visa status. Through nine semi-structured interviews of current and former ICAs we identified themes related to Bourdieu’s theory of social capital and Bauder’s theory of citizenship capital that …

Building Competence And Confidence Through Experiential Learning: A Case Study Of The Bengal Triathlon, Caroline E. Faure Edd; Atc

The COSMA Journal

This descriptive case study examines the perceived effectiveness of the Bengal Triathlon, an experiential learning (EL) activity integrated into a sport management course at Idaho State University. Drawing on student reflections over three years, the study highlights how this experience enhanced students’ confidence and skills in planning and managing sport events, particularly in high-pressure areas such as risk management, event logistics, and customer service. Despite participation being a course requirement, a noticeable shift in student attitudes was observed. Students moved from seeing the event as a mandatory task to taking full ownership, driven by increased motivation and enjoyment. This case …

Linking Classroom Knowledge, Professional Quality, And Career Readiness Through Internship Performance: A Perspective Of Practitioners, Wonyoung Kim, Namhun Lim, Mark Vermillion, Yong-Chae Rhee, Jeffrey Noble, G Clayton Stoldt

The COSMA Journal

Experiential learning has become a foundational tool of sport management (SMGT) education (Grant et al., 2024). However, there has been a lack of research on how practitioners of internship sites assess students' career readiness based on the multidimensional factors, such as internship performance, professional quality, and level of SMGT knowledge. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of sport management (SMGT) knowledge and professional quality on students’ career readiness, which is mediated by internship performance as perceived by industry practitioners. To achieve this, a path analysis was conducted using a total of 348 final internship evaluations completed …

We Want The Truth: Fan-Driven Branding And Organizational Response In Professional Wrestling, Jason W. Lee, Nick Davidson, Tim Wilson, Dylan Williams

The COSMA Journal

This teaching case study details a monumental moment in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) involving the announcement of the abrupt release of a long-tenured, beloved performer, Ron "R-Truth" Killings. The release came as a major surprise to WWE fans, as the performer had recently been featured in a high-profile, nationally televised "main event" match against the WWE icon and crossover pop culture star John Cena. After the news broke that the beloved performer would not be returning to the company, an instantaneous sentiment of shock and subsequent consumer backlash went viral. Ultimately, the WWE did an about-face, bringing …

Play For All: Financial And Legal Dilemmas In Proposing Adaptive Playgrounds, John J. Miller Dr., Jason W. Lee

The COSMA Journal

This case study examines the complexities of designing, funding, and legally complying with adaptive and inclusive playgrounds for children with disabilities. Inclusive playgrounds prioritize social integration by enabling children of all abilities to play together, while adaptive playgrounds focus on accommodating specific functional needs through specialized equipment. Both approaches support physical, cognitive, and social development and promote equitable community participation. Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), mandate accessibility in public and private recreational spaces, yet compliance alone does not guarantee meaningful inclusion. Additionally, funding remains a significant challenge, with full-scale adaptive playgrounds often costing hundreds …

Betting On Inclusion? The Ethical Dilemma Of Funding An Inclusive Playground, Jason W. Lee, John J. Miller Dr., Tasha Hyder

The COSMA Journal

This teaching case study provides an insightful exploration into multifaceted aspects of sport and recreation management. It narrates a fictionalized account enriched with real-life details, focusing on Rhonda Harper, a respected parks and recreation professional leading an initiative to fund an inclusive playground. While this endeavor has garnered support from local citizens, civic leaders, businesses, and children's advocates, raising the necessary $200,000 has proven to be challenging. A profound dilemma emerges when considering a potential $40,000 donation from a local gaming resort. Although this contribution could secure the needed funding for this initiative, it presents intricacies associated with the ethical …

A Case Study Of Faculty Composition And Workload In Sport Management Programs At Small-To-Medium-Sized Colleges And Universities, Joshua Greer, Nicholas Zoroya, Aimee T. Vlachos, Alan Ledford

The COSMA Journal

Sport management has transitioned from its origins in physical education to an established, business-oriented academic discipline, prompting new questions about how faculty composition and workload shape program delivery in resource-constrained contexts. This case study investigates faculty structures, instructional variety, and workload in sport management programs at small- to medium-sized U.S. colleges and universities, as defined by the Carnegie Size & Setting Classification. A mixed-methods survey of faculty (n = 61) was analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis. Quantitative results indicated that core courses are primarily taught by full-time faculty, with most programs relying on one to three full-time …

The Relationship Of State/Trait Anxiety And Performance In High School Athletics, Jason Dzierwa

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

The relationship between anxiety and sport performance has been investigated since the early 1900s when Yerkes & Dodson coined Yerkes-Dodson Law, which stated that there was an inverted “U” shape between arousal and performance (Gill et al., 2025, p. 158). Although this research was originally conducted using an animal model, it was eventually applied to human contexts, including athletic performance. According to this law, athletes must have a moderate level of arousal in order to perform at their best, while having too little or too much arousal will negatively influence athletic performance. Because anxiety often includes physiological (i.e., somatic) and …

The Importance And Development Of Team Record Keeping Practices: The Development Of Record Keeping Practices For Bowling Green Men's Rugby, Fitzpatrick Metzger

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

If you participated in team sports, do you know the history of the teams you played for? It is fair to assume that athletes who play at the top collegiate level have greater knowledge of the team’s history for which they play. These high-level collegiate teams have the funding and resources necessary to document their team’s history properly. Club and Varsity sports indeed have separate budgets and resources available. Throughout the sports industry, it is well known that each university provides its athletic department with differing annual budgets, which are dependent on many different factors. Based on the Proposed Fiscal …

Sense Of Belonging In Black Female Student Athletes At Predominantly White Institutions (Pwis), Danai Hardges

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Where do I belong? This is a question most people ask themselves when placed in new environments. This is a common experience for marginalized individuals. Feelings of belonging can have an intense impact on how an individual interprets their experiences within a setting. Looking at the individual differences that influence an individual’s sense of belonging is important in understanding their experiences. This concept has been explored with intercollegiate athletes in the past. There is a plethora of research grasping an understanding of the difference in realities for student-athletes versus non-student athletes, female athletes versus male athletes, and Black student-athletes versus …

Surviving Leadership Change Within A Collegiate Athletic Department, Anna Flores

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Turnover rates in college athletics occur for a multitude of reasons, often leading to changes in leadership (Pack & Won, 2017). Poor working conditions, low salaries, and overall employee burnout are just a few of the reasons why people leave their roles in college athletics, according to Pack and Won (2017). This phenomenon affected me deeply in the fall of 2025, but not in the way one might think. My long-time boss and mentor, Taylor Jefferson, stepped away from his role as Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Brand Enhancement at Bowling Green State University, leaving me blindsided. Since then, …