Gendered Leadership Networks in the NCAA: Analyzing Affiliation Networks of Senior Woman Administrators and Athletic Directors

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine and compare the informal networks of both senior woman administrators (SWAs) and athletic directors (ADs) within National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I institutions. Drawing on extant literature citing the underrepresentation of women in sport leadership positions, we incorporate a network approach to build and analyze affiliation networks of SWAs and ADs. Guided by the framework of Leadership in Networks, we argue that the social structures within which ADs and SWAs operate impact opportunities for leader emergence and leadership outcomes. By comparing the AD and SWA affiliation networks, we illustrate the differences in informal networks among men and women leaders in sport, highlighting how informal networks may contribute to the lack of women in sport leadership positions. Previous scholars have long cited an “old boys’ club” as a barrier to women achieving leadership positions, but we argue these studies have largely relied on dispositional evidence rather than methodological and analytical strategies designed specifically to examine relationships and the corresponding network structures. Our results indicate that the SWA network is far less cohesive than the AD networks, and the few women in the AD networks are largely located outside the center of the affiliation networks. Implications regarding the impact of informal networks on the underrepresented nature of women in leadership positions are discussed.

Women in sports leadership: A systematic narrative review

“…Several co-existing and often contradictory components of gendered selection practices have also been outlined, including a tendency towards careerism, informalism (i.e. operation of ‘old boys’ networks’), an emphasis upon entrepreneurialism and financial acumen, paternalism and a tendency towards authoritarianism (Katz et al, 2018; Knoppers and Anthonissen, 2005). Professional managerial experience is also considered important in some settings (Hovden, 2000a).…”

“She is the Best Female Coach”: Female Swimming Coaches’ Experiences of Sexism

“…Female coaches struggle to build networks and obtain mentors (Greenhill, Auld, Cuskelly, & Hooper, 2009;Walker & Bopp, 2010) due to the male-dominated nature of the environment. Strong evidence of an "good ole boys" club and the absence of a similar network for women has been identified as well (Katz, Walker, & Hindman, 2018;Taylor & Hardin, 2016). In nonsport environments, mentorship has shown to improve job satisfaction, career mobility, and career commitment (Chao, Walz, Gardner, 1992;Høigaard & Mathisen, 2009).…”

A Call for Culturally Responsive Transformational Leadership in College Sport: An Anti-ism Approach for Achieving Equity and Inclusion

“…The issue of mentorship has often been associated with women being excluded from the old boys' club, a network of predominantly White men disseminating resources and opportunities to other White men, perpetuating homologous reproduction of this group as leaders (Shaw, 2006 ; Walker and Bopp, 2011 ; Walker and Sartore-Baldwin, 2013 ; Singer and Cunningham, 2018 ; Lapchick et al, 2019b ). For example, Katz et al ( 2018 ) found that the SWA network is less cohesive compared to male-dominated athletic director (ADs) and consequently the appointment of an SWA was found not to be the most successful path to AD ascension because these women were “detached from the center of the network as only a single female AD” (McDowell and Cunningham, 2009 ; Katz et al, 2018 , p. 145). The aforementioned multi-level issues [micro- (interpersonal), meso- (institutional), and macro-levels (association-wide and societal)] grounded in sexism are also prevalent in the institutional racism within the NCAA, which underscores the interconnectedness between oppressive ideologies.…”

“…It has been well-documented how the NCAA was founded upon racist and sexist principles whereby racial minorities and women were largely excluded from leadership roles during the early twentieth century (Cooper et al, 2017 ; Katz et al, 2018 ). In recent years, several scholars have promoted culturally responsive leadership as a solution to the problems of racial inequities within K-20 schooling systems (Gay, 2002 ; Johnson, 2007 ).…”