The Influence of Athletic Success on the Self-Esteem of First-Year College Students

Abstract

This study examined how athletic success at a university, specifically in men’s basketball, impacted the self-esteem of first-year college students. A sample of students both before and after a period of athletic success completed surveys assessing their collective self-esteem as a member of the university (i.e., membership esteem, private esteem, public esteem, importance to identity) and their identification with the men’s basketball team. In support of the first hypothesis, those students with high-identification with the team showed more self-esteem (i.e., membership esteem, private esteem, public esteem, importance to identity) than those students with low-identification. Supporting the second hypothesis, students after the period of athletic success reported more membership self-esteem than those before the period of athletic success. This research demonstrates that a student’s psychological connection to a sports team has a greater impact on their collective self-esteem about the university compared to athletic success.

Keywords:

• social identity
• sport fan
• self-esteem
• intercollegiate athletics

Notes

Jason R. Lanter, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at Kutztown University, researches the attitudes and behaviors of sport fans. Dr. Lanter is also concerned with athletics and academics in higher education, and his comments have been featured in Athletic Business, The New York Times, TIME magazine, USA Today, and on NPR. Julie Z. Blackburn, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Faculty member in Exercise Science at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD. Her current research interests include athlete identity and career development in athletes. Dr. Blackburn teaches courses in sport and exercise psychology, sport sociology, and introduction to exercise science.