{"id":6801,"date":"2020-01-10T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-10T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/?p=6801"},"modified":"2019-12-24T09:09:31","modified_gmt":"2019-12-24T15:09:31","slug":"diversifying-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-american-college-athletics-the-case-for-adaptive-and-other-non-traditional-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/diversifying-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-american-college-athletics-the-case-for-adaptive-and-other-non-traditional-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversifying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in American College Athletics: The Case for Adaptive (And Other Non-Traditional) Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Authors:<\/strong> Kevin T. McGinniss, Ed.D. (Southern Connecticut State University), Demetri Goutos, B.A., M.B.A. (Yale University), and Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H. (Yale University).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corresponding author: <\/strong>
Kevin T. McGinniss, EdD
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street, New Haven, CT USA 06515
Campus Site: Office Building 1, 108G
Phone: 203-392-8837
Email: mcginnissk1@southernct.edu<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kevin T.\nMcGinniss, Ed.D. is an Assistant Professor, Graduate Coordinator, and Director\nof Sport Management at Southern Connecticut State University. Demetri Goutos,\nB.A., M.B.A., and Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H. are members of an\nindependent research lab at Yale University, dedicated to addressing inequities\nand unethical behavior in sport, while at the same time, using sport to address\ninequities and unethical behavior in society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diversifying Diversity,\nEquity, and Inclusion in American College Athletics: The Case for Adaptive (And\nOther Non-Traditional) Sports<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

ABSTRACT <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popularization of adaptive\nsports on college campuses has incredible potential to affect real and\nmeaningful change for students with disabilities across the country. Despite\nclear language promoting equality and fairness espoused by the NCAA and member\nuniversities, as well as legislation requiring equal opportunities for students\nwith disabilities, early attempts to adopt inclusive sports strategies have all\nbut evaporated. Another category of non-traditional sports programming,\nhowever, has taken off in recent years. eSports, or competitive video games,\nhas seen a meteoric rise in support, investment, and growth on the collegiate\nathletic scene, and show that when properly motivated the NCAA and member\ninstitutions act with surprising conviction. With their proven ability to react\nand organize, and the need clearly defined, the NCAA must return its attention\nto increasing athletic opportunities for student-athletes with disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Key words<\/strong>: NCAA, eSports, disability, sports programming<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like all sports, adaptive college sports (e.g. sports for\nstudent-athletes with disabilities) have the potential to spark positive change\nby bringing people together for a common purpose, but these programs need\nmeaningful support to succeed. Given the sea-change in American attitudes\ntowards inequities in sport, there is no better time for the National\nCollegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to rethink its approach to intercollegiate varsity\n(college-level) adaptive sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DISCUSSION <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

America is getting better about addressing inequities in sport\nhead-on. In June 2019, the\nUnited States Olympic Committee (USOC) changed its name to the United States Olympic\n& Paralympic Committee (USOPC), projecting a view that athletes with and\nwithout disabilities hold equal status. In the same month, the U.S.\nWomen’s soccer team toppled the world\u2019s best in spectacular fashion, while also\nusing its platform to highlight pay disparities between male and female\nplayers. These disparities mirror age-old, gender-based pay gaps in the broader\nAmerican (and global) workplace, and America seems to have had\nenough. While elite American athletes are learning how to equitably share\nspotlight, what is happening at the college level?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The USOPC Collegiate Advisory\nCouncil (USOPC CAC) recently recommended that the NCAA institute changes to improve\nthe intercollegiate (college) experience for\nstudent-athletes who compete internationally. This includes Paralympic\nathletes, who for years may not have had support on campus, even while\nrepresenting the U.S. on world stages. If enacted, these recommendations may be\nthe first steps towards filling a gap in support for student-athletes with disabilities,\nand may highlight disparities these students face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adaptive sports offer visibility and a voice to a growing\ncommunity of students with disabilities. Research confirms that a broad lack of awareness\ncontinues to prevent the full social inclusion and integration of students with\ndisabilities at American universities(1).  It also shows, promisingly, that\nawareness-raising efforts have had a significant impact (2). Despite high levels of\nparticipation at youth and professional levels, there is a comparative and\nconcerning dearth of college-level competitive adaptive sports venues (with\nsome notable exceptions, such as the recent efforts by the City University of\nNew York (CUNY) to build a collegiate wheelchair basketball team).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do sports programs grow? Athletics departments and the NCAA\neach play significant roles in the fate of any new program, deciding the\nprogram\u2019s status, stature, organizational structure, and degree of financial\nand programmatic support. In the past, the NCAA has had inconsistent interest\nin adaptive sports. A few years ago, in response to criticism that universities\nwere failing to offer equal opportunities to students with disabilities\nrequired under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the NCAA attempted to create change. In 2015, the Eastern Collegiate\nAthletics Conference (ECAC) became the first NCAA-sanctioned conference to\nadopt a comprehensive inclusive sport strategy providing championship\nopportunities for student-athletes with disabilities in swimming, rowing, and track\n& field, as an outgrowth of the 2013 NCAA Think Tank on Student-Athletes\nwith Disabilities. Despite early enthusiasm, the championships have not been\ncontinued and there are no concrete signs of future support for systematic\ninclusion of student-athletes with disabilities from the NCAA. Meanwhile, the\nECAC appears to instead be putting a major focus on expanding into eSports, as\nhave many intercollegiate athletics departments across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it can be difficult to build a non-traditional sports\nprogram, the support given to eSports (e.g. competitive video game playing) can\nserve as a precedent. College eSports has seen exponential growth in the last\nfew years, first at the club level, and more recently as full-blown,\nuniversity-sponsored varsity athletic programs, some offering scholarships.\nUniversities are wholeheartedly supporting eSports development, and the NCAA\nspent years investigating the potential to bring it under its banner. This\nlevel of support demonstrates institutions can move quickly and decisively when\nmotivated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

eSports allow institutions to honor the NCAA core value of\ncreating an \u201cinclusive culture that fosters equitable participation for\nstudent-athletes\u201d within member institutions(3). They also position\nschools to earn a slice of the eSports industry, expected to exceed $1 billion\nin market revenue this year. Universities are acutely aware of opportunities to\ngain the attention of prospective tuition-paying applicants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greed (and cynicism) aside, ensuring the financial viability of\nathletic programs and boosting application rates is an important role the NCAA\nand members must<\/em> play. That said,\nit\u2019s not a zero sum game. Institutions can attend to the business of raising\nactual capital (through supporting eSports, for example), while raising the bar\non social capital by making sure diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts are\ntruly diverse, equitable, and inclusive\u2014and acknowledge all<\/em> non-traditional athletes. Implementing recommendations set\nforth by the USOPC CAC, and re-launching the conversation started by the ECAC about\nadaptive sports would be a good start. Taking another look at how to better and\nmore formally support an ever-increasing number of students with disabilities\nthrough sports would give member universities who, at least in writing, laud\nthe value of diversity a chance to explore these themes further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All\nthings considered, the case for expanding varsity intercollegiate competition\nopportunities for student-athletes with disabilities (mandated by law) is\nclear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

None.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REFERENCES <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Berg, L.A., et al. (2017). Navigating the hidden curriculum of higher education for postsecondary students with intellectual disabilities. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, <\/em>71(3). doi: 10.5014\/ajot.2017.024703.<\/li>
  2. Denhart, H. (2008). Deconstructing barriers: Perceptions of students labeled with learning disabilities in higher education. Journal of Learning Disabilities, <\/em>41(6), 483-497.<\/li>
  3. NCAA. (2017). NCAA inclusion statement. Retrieved from: http:\/\/www.ncaa.org\/about\/resources\/inclusion\/ncaa-inclusion-statement.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Authors: Kevin T. McGinniss, Ed.D. (Southern Connecticut State University), Demetri […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[976,291],"tags":[1541,1168,249,1542],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4btio-1LH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":118,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/student-fundraising-at-beijing-university-of-physical-education\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":0},"title":"Student Fundraising at Beijing University of Physical Education – A Practical Experience for Chinese Sports Management Students","date":"February 14, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Reginald F. Overton, Ed.D. ABSTRACT With the dramatic economic changes taking place in China there is a move to promote sports and the sports industry through individual and corporate support. Curriculum must be established on the university level to accommodate these needs. The purpose of this research was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports Facilities"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5391,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/academic-fraud-in-revenue-and-nonrevenue-sports\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":1},"title":"Academic Fraud in Revenue and Nonrevenue Sports","date":"November 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Authors: John Adamek Corresponding Author: John Adamek, CSCS 4 Truman Place Moonachie NJ, 07074 Jfadamek21@gmail.com 201-543-9142 John Adamek is a strength and conditioning coach owner of Sports Science Integration. He is also a graduate student at the United States Sports Academy. Academic Fraud in Revenue and Nonrevenue Sports ABSTRACT The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":333,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/spectator-perceptions-of-security-management-at-a-nascar-national-association-for-stock-car-auto-racing-event\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":2},"title":"Spectator Perceptions of Security Management at a NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) Event","date":"January 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Stacey Hall, Lou Marciani, Dennis Phillips, and Trey Cunningham - University of Southern Mississippi Abstract Major U.S. sporting events constitute potential terrorist targets (Lipton, 2005). Since 9\/11, more money has been spent on security at events (Hall, 2006). This study investigated spectators\u2019 perceptions of security at a NASCAR\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":189,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/high-visibility-athletic-programs-and-the-prestige-of-public-universities\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":3},"title":"High-Visibility Athletic Programs and the Prestige of Public Universities","date":"January 5, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: Michael J. Lovaglia & Jeffrey W. Lucas Introduction: Why are athletic programs such a prominent part of higher education in the United States? Lately, educators have been questioning the value of a connection between high-visibility athletic programs and the academic mission of higher education (Sperber 2003). Do high-visibility\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contemporary Sports Issues"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4955,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/body-image-in-division-i-male-athletes-why-is-baseball-high-and-outside\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":4},"title":"Body Image in Division I Male Athletes: Why is Baseball High and Outside?","date":"March 23, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Authors: Lorraine Killion & Dean Culpepper Corresponding Author: Lorraine Killion, Ed.D. Associate Professor Texas A&M University-Kingsville 700 University Blvd. Kingsville, TX 78363-8202 lorraine.killion@tamuk.edu 361.593.3095 Lorraine Killion is an Associate Professor in the Health & Kinesiology Department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She is also the EC-12 Physical Education Program Coordinator. Dean\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sports Health & Fitness"","img":{"alt_text":"Table 2","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Table2-1.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":122,"url":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/article\/marketing-the-triathlete\/","url_meta":{"origin":6801,"position":5},"title":"Marketing the Triathlete","date":"February 15, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Submitted by: \u00a92002 Adam Epstein, J.D.\/M.B.A Article is copyright, please reevaluate","rel":"","context":"In "General"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6801"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6801"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6802,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6801\/revisions\/6802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thesportjournal.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}