Student-athletes “taking the road less traveled:” Social Comparison Theory and the academically elite NCAA Division III institution

ABSTRACT

Rationale/Purpose

The purpose of this study is to utilize Social Comparison Theory and the Big Fish Small Pond Effect to examine the experiences of student-athletes and coaches from academically elite NCAA Division III institutions and their perceptions of what it means to them to be a student-athlete at an academically elite Division III institution.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors examined the intersectional patterns of NCAA level, academic prestige, and aggregate athletics department success and then conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 student-athletes and 12 coaches across two academically elite Division III institutions.

Findings

Four themes emerged: (1) understanding the recruiting competition and other schools academically elite Division III student-athletes consider, (2) the unique pairing of athletics rigor and academic rigor, (3) the role of having athletics at academically elite Division III institutions, and (4) “Why this?” – framing the academically elite Division III experience.

Practical Implications

Findings have implications for coaches, athletics administrators, and campus administrators as they situate the role of athletics offerings on campus and gain a better understanding of student-athlete experiences and priorities.

Research contribution

Discussion focuses on the relevance of this environment in relation to frame-of-reference ideas, self-concept, Social Comparison Theory, and the Big Fish Small Pond Effect.

KEYWORDS:

• Reference groups
• self-conceptualization
• social comparison
• intercollegiate athletics

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.