Social capital, gender, and the student athlete.

Abstract

Despite battling perceptions of isolation from the overall college campus, student athletes often report higher social outcomes, such as a greater sense of community, than nonathletes. However, research has also begun to show an intricate networking within these worlds as female student athletes interact more with their peers on campus than do male student athletes, and White student athletes are reporting higher levels of social capital than their African American counterparts. The current study, then, sought to contribute a descriptive analysis of this notion by exploring the role of gender in outcomes of social capital for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division-I student athletes. Data were collected from 570 student athletes across 23 NCAA Division-I institutions, all of which were also affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS). Results revealed a significant interaction between gender of the student athletes and sport type (team sport or individual sport), that is, female student athletes in team sports reported higher social capital than those in individual sports, and male student athletes reported higher social capital in individual-sport settings than in team sports. The findings here suggest significant implications for coaches, work-team supervisors, and future research.

Social capital and health among participants in the cachibol league in Israel

“…The potential benefits of bonding and cognitive social capital may be more pronounced for women, as these concepts support the importance of women's informal social interactions (Ferlander et al, 2016;Pahl, 2000). A study of US college athletes found that women playing team sports held more social capital than those playing individual sports and men playing team sports (Clopton, 2012). Clopton suggested that women found "communal values" in belonging to a team and that social capital derived from team sports benefited women more than men because of their ability to sustain deeper and more meaningful relationships over time (Clopton, 2012).…”

A Division III Study: Does Being a Collegiate Athlete Cause Lower GPAs, While Also Causing Negative Treatment in the Classroom by Other Students?

“…This means that twenty-five percent of the team is in the same major, therefore many of them are in the same classes (Eitzen 1987). On the other hand, some research shows that athletes display greater levels of academic engagement (Clopton 2012). This highlights all the different points of view on this topic.…”

“…Another reason that women do better than men academically is the fact that female athletes are much less likely to think of themselves as "Jocks" which carries a negative academic connotation while male athletes are at high risk of being perceived that way (Clopton 2012). The concept of a "dumb jock" is a highly gendered stereotype and also a very pervasive concept (Watson 1987;Brede and Camp 1987).…”

“…It must be taken into account that more athletes are male in the sample and that male athletes fare much lower in terms of GPA in comparison to non-athletes (Vilhauser 1991). Since women score higher academically, they are less at risk to be called a "dumb jock" and therefore also less likely to fulfil that stereotype (Clopton 2012;Watson 1987;Brede and Camp 1987). This in particular ties into symbolic interactionism.…”

U.S. Public Opinion about the Personal Development and Social Capital Benefits of Sport: An analysis of the Great Sport Myth

“…Despite a lack of causal, but great correlational, evidence of the benefits of sport, numerous stakeholders (i.e., parents, coaches, athletes, sponsors, and fans) proselytize about the positive personal development and social capital benefits of sport. Frequently, they promote and invest in sport as a place to build character (Camiré & Trudel, 2010;Jones & Lavallee, 2009;Erdal, 2018), improve health (Neely & Holt, 2014;Staurowsky et al, 2015;Project Play, 2019), boost academic performance (Broh, 2002;DeMeulenaere, 2010;Staurowsky et al, 2015), and obtain social capital (Clopton, 2012;Dorsch et al, 2015;Erdal, 2018). Some of these benefits are even thought to extend to sport fans-who report higher levels of social capital and a sense of belonging in their communities, compared to others (Wann et al, 2011).…”