State high school athletic associations are tasked with facilitating equitable athletic opportunities for all member schools. To accomplish this task, state associations implement rules designed to ensure competitive balance (Johnson, Tracy, & Pierce, 2015). With over 7.8 million participants, interscholastic athletics are extremely popular…

The underrepresentation of female leaders in intercollegiate athletics has long been a problem since the implementation of Title IX in 1972. While Title IX was successful in increasing the number of females participating in college sports, it was not as impactful on increasing the number of females leading in college sports. On the contrary, as…

This study examined the effects of participation in intercollegiate athletics on leadership development using a multi-institutional, longitudinal sample of students at four-year institutions. Using Astin's (1993) Input-Environment-Outcome model, we examined whether athletic participation influenced leadership development using the Socially…

Beyond heightened academic requirements, student athletes face a multitude of tasks including weight training, practice, film review, and travel for competition. This makes the student's life complex. As student athletes progress through their educational experience, they experience higher structured time demands in regard to their sport…

Sport and religion have been linked in many societies and are still a part of many traditions today. In recent years, the topic of prayer in interscholastic sport has received public attention due to many high-profile court cases. "Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe" (2000) was the landmark case that prohibited school officials,…

This study examined drinking patterns of three different college student groups: (a) intercollegiate athletes, (b) intramural/club athletes, and (c) nonathletes. Additionally, we investigated whether a relationship exists between drinking setting and risk of increased drinking. We analyzed data on the athletic involvement, drinking behaviors, and…

There is an uneasy relationship between fundraising for academic programs and intercollegiate athletics. This has little to do with individuals and almost everything to do with circumstances in higher education in the United States that have come into play in recent decades. This chapter identifies issues presidents will confront as they seek…

Middle-level sports programs can be defined as intramural, interscholastic, or a combination of both. The trend toward middle-level interscholastic sports programs has been accompanied by recurring and sometimes controversial issues for principals. For example, which age groups and grade levels should be allowed to participate? Which sports should…

Athletic administrators and decision makers within interscholastic athletics are expected to embrace a code of ethics that serves as a set of rules to guide their professional behavior. Included within this code are areas of controversy that present gender-related ethical dilemmas for administrators. Three specific ethical dilemmas involve (1)…