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Confronting the Arms Race - Conference Commissioner Perspectives on Spending Within Intercollegiate Athletics

Weight, Matthew A.

Abstract Details

2011, Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies /Sport Administration.
The commercial enticements of national exposure and lucrative television contracts in intercollegiate athletics have led to an increase in spending amongst National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs. This phenomenon has been referred to as the arms race of expenditures wherein athletic administrators outbid one another in an effort to gain a competitive advantage (DeBarros, Dougherty, Evans, Newman, & Palmer, 2009; Knight Commission, 2010; Luebchow, 2008). Intercollegiate conference commissioners fill integral roles as administrators that seek to preserve athletics within their conferences and can offer a unique perspective on the arms race phenomenon (Big Ten, 2011; Covell & Barr, 2010; “The 10 most powerful people,” 2007). The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of conference commissioners on the arms race within NCAA Division I (FBS) intercollegiate athletics in order to gain a deeper understanding of current practices and to supplement this void in the arms race literature. Therefore, four FBS conference commissioners, 17 associate commissioners, and four assistant commissioners (n=25) were surveyed. The inquiry was informed by institutional theory, which enabled an examination of the conferences as orbits of competition (Washington & Patterson, 2011). Results indicated that a majority of commissioners believed the arms race was having a negative effect on their conference, and they had a lack of faith in any suggested policy changes. A general discontent with the current BCS model was also expressed, especially from the commissioners of non-automatic qualifying conferences. Finally, the commissioners indicated feeling a lack of power toward curtailing spending, even if they united with conferences on a national level.
Ray Schneider, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Nancy Spencer, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Amanda Paule, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
100 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Weight, M. A. (2011). Confronting the Arms Race - Conference Commissioner Perspectives on Spending Within Intercollegiate Athletics [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1320630353

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Weight, Matthew. Confronting the Arms Race - Conference Commissioner Perspectives on Spending Within Intercollegiate Athletics. 2011. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1320630353.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Weight, Matthew. "Confronting the Arms Race - Conference Commissioner Perspectives on Spending Within Intercollegiate Athletics." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1320630353

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)