JRMC 8350: Media, Marketing and Identity in College Sports

Schedule

Required materials

Grades and assignments

Policies

Class leadership

Project

Module 1: History, organization, and governance of college sports

Module 2: Media and college sports

Module 3: How sport changes colleges

Module 4: How sport changes participants

Explore

Module 4: How sport changes participants

College sports may function to make money and perpetuate themselves, but at the end of the day, they’re supposed to be about helping athletes, like all students, develop into adults ready to take on life’s challenges. As the NCAA ad says, there are over half a million athletes at American colleges, and most of them are going pro in something other than sports. But we all know that the commercial imperatives of college sports often compel athletic departments to cut corners on academics and personal growth, and that college sports can be deeply exploitative. However, athletes are gaining some autonomy thanks both to changes in NCAA rules and to court cases that have won back academic freedom. This section is going to be about understanding both the opportunities and challenges facing athletes in a quickly-changing landscape.

Day

Date

Time

Type

Module

Description

Wednesday

10/19/2022

11:59 PM

Weekly reflection

Module 4

10recruiting

Thursday

10/20/2022

2:20 PM

Class

Module 4

Recruiting

Wednesday

10/26/2022

11:59 PM

Weekly reflection

Module 4

11identity

Thursday

10/27/2022

2:20 PM

Class

Module 4

Athlete identity

Wednesday

11/2/2022

11:59 PM

Weekly reflection

Module 4

12transition

Thursday

11/3/2022

2:20 PM

Class

Module 4

Athletes and transition Jarya, Rachel)

Wednesday

11/9/2022

11:59 PM

Weekly reflection

Module 4

13compensation

Module 4

No results from filter

⁠

10recruiting

Readings: A dialogue through email newsletters

⁠

Gladwell original⁠

⁠

Epstein response⁠

⁠

Gladwell additional⁠

⁠

Reflection: While Gladwell and Epstein are focused on the nuances of cross-country (Gladwell’s second piece is responding to a third email newsletter I didn’t think you’d need to read), it’s worth thinking about this basic point that elite preparation comes at the expense of mass participation. Think back to whatever you know about sports recruiting to college—the role of club teams and camps, social media, recruiting websites, and the free-for-all. Is it your perception that most athletes end up at an institution where they can best maximize their potential? How could the current system be enhanced so that that happens more often? Share your ideas in a short post in #10recruiting.

11identity

Readings:

⁠

Engaging the Student-Athlete Identity⁠

⁠

Minding the Terrazzo Gap between Athletes and Nonathletes: Representativeness, Integration, and Academic Performance at the U.S. Air Force Academy⁠

⁠

A President and a Professor Clash, With Basketball Program as a Backdrop⁠

⁠

Hextrum⁠

⁠

Athletic Participation, Fraternity Membership, and Sexual Aggression Among College Men: A Meta-analytic Review⁠

⁠

Reflection: Pick one of the issues brought up in the readings. Find a recent story (either in the news or in your own recollection) of how that issue affects how athletes navigate college and their dual identity as athletes and students in a short post in #11identity.

12transition

Readings:

⁠

An Intersectional Analysis of the Workplace Experiences of African-American Female Athletic Directors⁠

⁠

A Collective Case Study of African American Male Athletic Directors’ Leadership Approaches to Diversity in College Sport⁠

⁠

Identity Foreclosure, Athletic Identity, and Career Maturity in Intercollegiate Athletes⁠

⁠

Reflection: How does participation in sports prepare an athlete for careers and life? Think about your own experience with sports and athletes. What lessons does sport actually teach and how can we determine how well coaches and teams are actually transmitting that knowledge? Write a short post in #12transition.

13compensation

Readings:

⁠

O’Bannon v. NCAA⁠

⁠

White v NCAA: A Chink in the Antitrust Armor⁠

⁠

California NIL⁠

bill (watch the embedded video with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and LeBron James, among others)

⁠

O’Brien⁠

⁠

Matter⁠

⁠

NLRB ruling on private college athlete unions⁠

⁠

National Labor Relations Board on college athletes⁠

⁠

Reflection: Right now, college athletes can access compensation in three ways: scholarships that can cover tuition, room, board, books and mandatory fees (but often cover only a fraction of those); “Alston payments” or stipends to cover cost of attendance expenses, and NIL agreements with sponsors or marketers. Similarly, graduate students have stipends, tuition waivers, and whatever side hustles they can manage. Particularly given your status as grad students, do you think athletes should be allowed to negotiate salaries with universities, more like professors and other employees negotiate? Or is the current system fair for all of them? Provide your take in #13compensation.

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