Title: Assessing the impact of NCAA scandals: an exploratory analysis

Authors: Stephanie F. Hughes, Matthew D. Shank

Addresses: Department of Management and Marketing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA. ' Department of Management and Marketing, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099, USA

Abstract: This article studies the impact of athletic scandals in higher education by examining changes in key variables including overall enrolment, number of freshman applications, overall charitable contributions, alumni charitable athletic contributions and corporate charitable athletic contributions. This exploratory study involved a case analysis of 15 universities covering an 8-year period that had been placed on NCAA probation for infractions involving their men|s basketball and football programmes during the 1998–2005 academic calendar years. Preliminary results indicate that athletic scandal does negatively impact overall charitable giving and overall enrolment and that the impact is long-term in nature. However, contrary to our expectations, we found that scandal had a positive impact on alumni athletic contributions, corporate athletic contributions and total freshman applications. A set of managerial implications for colleges and university administrators as well as future research is discussed.

Keywords: NCCA scandals; university sports; college sports; long-term impact; cost of scandal; infraction; penalties; athletics scandals; basketball; American football; charitable giving; overall enrolment; alumni athletic contributions; corporate athletic contributions; total freshman applications; USA; United States; sport management; National Collegiate Athletic Association.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMM.2008.015962

International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 2008 Vol.3 No.1/2, pp.78 - 99

Published online: 02 Dec 2007 *

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