International Journal of Sport Management

I Can’t Play? Now What?: An Examination of Collegiate Athlete Handbooks, Written Policies and Procedures Related to Career-Ending Injury

Amanda Paule-Koba, Kaitlin Rohr-Cordes

Abstract: The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and member institutions claim the responsibility to support and protect collegiate athletes with a priority on their well-being (NCAA, 2017). When an athlete obtains a career-ending injury, individual universities decide whether or not to honor scholarships and medical care to the injured athletes. This research study investigated the policies, procedures, and enforcement procedures regarding athletes who obtain a career-ending injury as written in the athlete handbooks of 23 Division I NCAA university athletic departments. Utilizing thematic textual analytic procedures (Braun & Clarke, 2006), findings revealed written policies used to guide the majority of the athletic departments’ handling of athletes with career-ending injuries were inconsistent and lacked specificity. Findings implied there is more the NCAA and its institutions can do to fulfill their mission in providing career-ending injured collegiate athletes with consistent protection and support for their overall well-being during their transition out of sport.

Keywords: career-ending injury, college athletics, NCAA, sport administration, sport

Citation: Paule-Koba, A., & Rohr-Cordes, K. (2019). I can’t play? Now what?: An examination of collegiate athlete handbooks, written policies and procedures related to career-ending injury. International Journal of Sport Management, 20(1), 1-18.

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