The purpose of this literature review was to examine the current studies identifying sport specialization of collegiate athletes. Four aspects of specialization were identified: (1) age of sport initiation, (2) age of sport specialization, (3) differences of specialization between team-based and individual-based sports, and (4) reason for sport…

The presence of research regarding specific student populations demonstrates their importance to the field given the importance of research and knowledge creation in shaping higher education. A growing number of higher education scholar-practitioners have engaged in work addressing college sport but an overwhelming dearth of college sport and…

In the USA, over 600,000 student-athletes participate in nationally organized intercollegiate sports and occupy socially prominent spaces on college campuses. Although their athletic accomplishments often garner much attention, there is growing interest in collegiate student-athletes' academic achievement and its precursors. One set of factors…

This integrative literature review explores the imperative for implementing Sports Development Officer (SDO) roles within higher education institutions (HEIs). The review synthesizes existing literature to highlight the importance of sports development in promoting holistic student development, enhancing campus culture, and fostering essential…

The extent to which sports build character is an increasingly contested topic, and scholarship has recently been focused on how coaches may (or may not) facilitate character development in their programs. Although existing literature examines coaches in youth sport and "big-time" college athletic programs, research on coaches in smaller…

This article seeks to synthesize and apply White racial identity theory and concomitant research to the interaction between athletic and racial identity, specifically as it relates to the experiential variations of how race impacts White athletes within the college sport environment. White dialectics, or the tensions that White Americans…

US college sports are prime cultural sites of racist and sexist ideological production [Coakley, Jay. 2015. "Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies." 11th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; Eitzen, Stanley D. 2016. "Fair and Foul: Beyond the Myths and Paradoxes of Sport." 5th ed. Landham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield]. Much of…

Research on the association between coaching behaviors and student-athlete well-being has revealed significant relationships among coaching behaviors and a range of outcomes including anxiety, burnout, self-confidence, college choice satisfaction, and willingness to cheat to win. Findings from multiple studies suggested the need for improvements…

Postsecondary institutions in the United States, including member institutions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), are charged with the responsibility of cultivating positive learning environments where all students have an opportunity to excel regardless of their demographic backgrounds (e.g., race, socioeconomic status,…

To assist readers who have specific interests, the WSF [Women's Sports Foundation] has created a series of Research Briefs from Her Life Depends On It III. Her Life Depends On It III is the Women's Sports Foundation's comprehensive report that reviews existing and emerging research on the links between participation in sport and physical activity…

Every week there is a national news story involving a collegiate student-athlete, and oftentimes the tale relates to a social work education issue. There are 731 social work programs, yet none offers coursework in student-athlete behavior and their environment. Student-athletes experience the same developmental challenges as nonathletes, and…

This article aims to review current literature on the enrollment and retention of student athletes at NCAA Division III institutions. However, the review identifies very few studies that specifically focused on Division III programs and none that looks at the influence of financial aid on the enrollment and retention of student athletes at…

The primary objective of this review of literature was to examine the relationship of eating disorders and disordered eating among female collegiate athletes. Since the institution of Title IX in 1972, the Educational Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, female participation in sports has been consistently rising at all levels of…

An ongoing controversy in the literature on the economics of higher education centers on whether the success of a school's athletic program affects alumni donations. This paper uses a unique data set to investigate this issue. The data contain detailed information about donations made by alumni of a selective research university as well as a…

Objective: To present different concepts and techniques related to the application of brain-based learning principles to Athletic Training clinical education. Background: The body of knowledge concerning how our brains physically learn continues to grow. Brain-based learning principles, developed by numerous authors, offer advice on how to…