Title: Electronic-communication technology and its effects on collegiate athletics' recruitment

Authors: Alan D. Smith

Addresses: Department of Management and Marketing, Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3099, USA

Abstract: The revolution of technology is altering the way collegiate athletics and its administration can now recruit student athletes. With the changes of bylaw 13.4 section-D of the 2004 to 2005 NCAA Division I manual, collegiate coaches are now permitted to communicate with student athletes via electronic correspondence. This line of communication has had a dramatic impact on the way collegiate coaches can recruit high school student athletes and basic models of this web-enhanced process are presented. Bylaw changes have granted collegiate coaches the opportunity to send future student athletes text messages, instant messages, pages and also electronic mail once they enter their junior year of high school after a specified date. The new bylaw change has the chance to revitalise the way that collegiate recruitment is done. Mobile and other electronic forms of technology were investigated and modelled in this paper, with suggestions for managerial practice.

Keywords: competitive sports; electronic communications; NCAA regulations; resource-based view; RBV; strategy; collegiate athletics; USA; United States; mobile communications; ICT.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIR.2008.015933

International Journal of Business Innovation and Research, 2008 Vol.2 No.1, pp.25 - 40

Published online: 02 Dec 2007 *

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