Ways In Which Intercollegiate Athletics Contribute To University Success

Abstract

The purpose of this study has been to determine the value that a winning athletic program can add to a college or university. The premise for this idea evolved from research regarding the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings, in which various factors are considered, including reputation. Since the athletic department is frequently referred to as the 'doorstep of the University,' the research sought to determine whether or not a winning athletic program does in fact enhance the reputation of a university, thus making it more appealing to talented students. Along with the annual rankings, a method called the Resource-Based View (RBV) was used to calculate athletic success, based on four characteristics that included win-loss record, compliance, graduation rates and financial health. Using the seven public institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the subjects, the athletic departments were analyzed and ranked based on these criteria and evaluated against each institution's ranking in U.S News using Spearman's Correlation Coefficient. Although the results of the study did not result in the strong relationship between a winning athletic department and university success that was predicted, the small sample size was a factor. This study sets up a starting point for a nationwide study of all institutions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a follow-up study and has great promise.