The public-private debate in interscholastic athletics has vexed athletic administrators and policy-makers for more than a century. The ability of private schools to secure athletic talent beyond the defined geographic borders that restrain public schools has led to competitive imbalance in many states. Competitive imbalance is evidenced by a disproportionate amount of athletic success demonstrated by private schools, often in the form of state championships. To determine the current landscape of interscholastic competitive balance, commissioners and high-ranking officials at each state association listed within the directory of the National Federation of State High Schools (NFHS) were contacted to identify their policies. Current competitive balance solutions include enrollment classifications, separate playoffs, enrollment multipliers and subtractors, tournament success factors, and consideration of socioeconomic factors. The results of this analysis provide an overview of competitive balance solutions being implemented in the United States.

Intramural sports exist as a relevant entity in the recruitment and retention of college students (Byl, 2002). The popularity of intramural sport has caused university recreational departments to increase intramural opportunities, thus increasing the need for more targeted marketing efforts. However, marketing strategies for intramural sport are not as refined, funded, or as thoroughly researched as strategies found within intercollegiate and professional sports (Schneider, Stier, Kampf, Wilding, & Haines, 2007). Therefore, in the current study, we examined the effectiveness of 10 intramural marketing techniques in relation to four participation motives and demographic characteristics for 208 intramural participants. Results revealed promotional items as the most effective marketing technique, whereas social media was the least effective. Regarding gender, men were more motivated by discounts, and women participated more for fitness. Our results could aid intramural sports coordinators to better use their marketing resources in relation to participant motives and avoid erroneous spending on ineffective methods.

No abstract

A Football Bowl Subdivision college head coach position is desired in the American football coaching profession due to associated financial benefits, social network improvements, and prestige. The rise of an individual from player, to assistant coach, and eventually head coach, is primarily understood anecdotally. This empirical evaluation of head coaching attainment provided insight into the career progression of these important sport leaders. The purpose of this study was to assess prior experiences (e.g., playing and assistant coaching) of first-time Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football head coaches hired from 1998-1999 to 2013-2014 (n ¼ 200). Data were collected to determine if the quantity of playing and coaching experiences indicated variance within or predictability for career attainment. The five experiential categories investigated were: Playing Experience, Coaching Experience, Affiliation, Coaching Success, and Descriptive Variables. Several significant predictors among the coaching variables emerged, including coaching experience, affiliation, and past coaching success. Playing experience variables were found to be largely non-significant, suggesting that career attainment of college football coaches does not hinge on playing experience.