The Relationships Between Sport Club Activities and University and Member Attachment

Abstract

Given the social purpose of sport clubs, an anticipated outcome of club participation is a sense of attachment to the university and campus community. However, the sport behaviors that contribute to club members’ social attachment are largely unknown. Therefore, this study sought to examine which sport club activities are related to university and member attachment. A survey was administered to 175 sport club members at a large public university in the United States. Using a multivariate analysis of variance, sport clubs with moderately low to high social inclusionary tactics reported significantly greater university attachment than clubs with low tactics. Additionally, clubs with high social inclusionary tactics reported significantly greater member attachment than clubs with low to moderately high tactics. No significant difference in attachment was found when accounting for clubs’ frequency of competition or travel. The findings support the use of formal socialization to enhance club members’ feelings of attachment.

Does Athlete Status Explain Sexual Violence Victimization and Perpetration on College Campuses? A Socio-Ecological Study

“…The NCAA does not have any mixed gender sport competitions, and few teams function as mixed gender in that they share the same head coach, train together, and often travel together. Comparatively, research estimates 50% of recreational athletes participate on a mixed-gender team (Artinger et al, 2006; Lower-Hoppe et al, 2020), which may give rise to incidents of SV and RA. Research has found greater social benefits (Sturts & Ross, 2013) and reduced gender stereotypes (Cohen et al, 2014) associated with mixed-gender teams than sex-segregated sports, but has also found continued prejudice toward women by men on the team (Cohen et al, 2014).…”

Changes in University Club Athletes’ and Non-Athlete Students’ Stress and Perceived Gains Across a Semester

“…Sports, whether at an intramural, club, or varsity (i.e. National Collegiate Athletic Association or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) level, provide students opportunities for socialization and leadership, creating community identity within their institution, and engaging in vigorous physical activity for the associated physical and mental health benefits (Chen et al, 2010;Chu & Zhang, 2018;Gould & Carson, 2008;Hall-Yannessa & Forrester, 2004;Lower-Hoppe, Beattie, et al, 2020;Melendez, 2007;Mikulec & McKinney, 2014;VanKim & Nelson, 2013). College sport participation provides documented added value to academic achievement compared to non-athlete students, such as better academic adjustment (Melendez, 2007), better retention rates (Forrester et al, 2018;Kiss, 2017), higher grade point averages (GPAs) (Roddy et al, 2017;Vasold et al, 2019), and higher graduation rates (National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2017; U.S. Department of Education, 2017).…”