Academic Athletic Associations: Management-Related Overview

Abstract

Athletics are non-profit academic associations, found in several universities around the world. These university associations promote teamwork and fellowship of the students, through sports and social interaction. However, despite its relevance, few studies were found on the subject. Thus, this study is intended to provide an overview related to management of these types of associations. This study explores the evidence of both limitations and opportunities with regard to services provided to the academic community. For such, an exploratory and descriptive research was conducted between July and December of 2020 with 30 managers of Academic Athletics Associations. The study revealed that despite the existence of 196 higher education institutions in the State of Paraná, only 30 associations were verified to exist, which represents a great potential for expansion of this type of academic athletics in the State. The main potential observed in this kind of association was the integration and strengthening of human relations, the formation of new leadership and the use of volunteer work to perform acts of community service both inside & outside the campus. In order to maximize this potential, managers must mitigate several issues. These issues include the lack of leaders’ management experience, the lack of organizational planning, and the chafing of interpersonal relationships between managers. Apparently, the embrace of strategic planning with projections for a series of actions to correct these issues  over a period of up to 10 years, could benefit this type of organization, given the loss of active participants due to academic graduation and other changes in living situations.

Keywords: underclassman athletics, college, university, college sports, university sports,  junior athletics, young leaders

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-6-01

Publication date:March 31^st 2021