The purpose of this study was to examine how neoliberal ideology at Big
Institution influenced student-athlete academic, athletic, career, and social developments utilizing a critical narrative framework and methodology. I examined how neoliberalism ideology at a higher education institution influenced National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) division I student-athlete academic, athletic, career, and social developments utilizing a critical theory framework presented in through narrative methodology utilizing vignettes. With this, I examined to understand: how do student- athletes understand neoliberalism at their respective higher education institution? And, how does neoliberalism at the student-athletes’ higher education institution influence their academic, athletic, career, and social developments? To understand these ideas and how the student-athletes were influenced, I utilized a narrative methodology where I conducted three interviews with 18 student-athletes who were on nonrevenue generating sport teams at a large, NCAA division I institution.
Neoliberalism is an ideology used to express and convey the authoritative, dominant force that capitalism, elitism, and culture may have on higher education institutions. Neoliberal ideology has an encompassing effect on higher education institutions from the changing roles of faculty to seek research grants and monetize research; the governance of colleges where administrators are now business like figures running a multi-million/billion dollar corporation; and, the changing structure and orientation of students being customers of a purchased good, with that being their education. Neoliberalism today has helped to pave way for institutional elitism and prestige. As institutions are developing ways in order to compete, be the best, and differentiate, national rankings and statistics, facility upgrades, and opportunities offered are at the forefront of international marketing campaign.
As traditional educational institutions have faded away to be characterized more so like business corporations, students and student-athletes alike are influenced heavily. Athletics departments and colleges as a whole may be characterized by “Nike” or “Adidas” schools due to the profound influence that athletics has on school image, brand, and culture. The elitist and prestigious cultures of athletics has influenced coaches’ salaries, recruiting, assets such as facilities and equipment, student-athlete development and identity, compliance and NCAA regulation, athletics department revenues and licensing agreements, and even has sparked conversations and lawsuits regarding name, image, and likeness compensation. Just as higher education has transformed into a powerful business industry, collegiate athletics has taken on that same mentality as profits and money are powerful forces.
The student-athletes who participated in this study and I developed many key concepts that helped to illustrate the influence of neoliberal ideology on their developments including: the experience of being recruiting to a powerhouse athletic institution; an overall authoritative, controlling influence of competition, elitism, and prestige in all facets of developments; the congruence of developments; the influence of participating on a non-revenue generating athletic team; and, the widely expressed and varied subjugation that the student-athletes experienced and were influenced by as a result of neoliberal ideologies.
It is with great optimism that this study provides insight into the profound influence that competition has on student-athletes. With this, athletics departments, administrators, coaches, and student-athletes should develop and take advantage of programming and opportunities to help navigate an ultra-competitive landscape.