Analysis of Using Athletics to Enhance Institutional Prestige Case Study

Section one – Background

The use of athletics has been an increasing trend for sports heads in their attempt to enhance their institution’s prestige. This case study examines an athletic association called National Association of Intercollegiate athletics (NAIA) and athletics in the Fairfield Tech College, its analytical analysis that can apply in the sport industry and further gives recommendations (Course, E. R. K. C. C. 29th Annual Friendship Invitational.). Over the years, Fairfield has sponsored athletic programs for its students. They competed in athletics in the National Junior College Athletic Association even though it was considered a community college is known for a short two-year award in an associate degree. Fairfield has had excellent accomplishments in its national championships for both women and men. The college has 19 programs so far available for students (9 sports for women and 10 for men), a significant decline in number. Over the last five years, only a few of the nineteen programs have won the season, with the rest struggling. This has been attributed to an increase in the number of the degree programs in the college resulting in additional enrollment. This increased demand for required applications such as the physical education department. Being a small institution, the coaches employed by the school are required to teach these programs alongside their coupled with their dual coaching responsibility. This led to straining and, therefore, poor performance in institution athletics (Stinson and Howard 2007). Much attention was then shifted to how transitioning in athletics associations uniquely affected the enrollment of student-athletic and Fairfield Tech College applications (Fuller, Berg & Hutchinson 2017). Notably, these were shifts from NJCAA to NAIA or NCAA divisions II and III. However, this was found to affect the vital students’ markets and the institution’s ability to deliver.

Section two – Problem Statement

The central problem is the effective use of athletics in enhancing the institution’s prestige. This calls for research because despite the value of sports being quite crucial for and institution and have profound impacts on its students, staff and the community as a whole, very little is known on the effective ways of doing it right. There is a need to include conditioning in the routine (Kinney, Wilmore & Costill 2015). This enables the body to work best even when tired. There is also a need to keep track of your performance and drills improvements. These are in terms of speed and strength improvements and more areas to improve on. One needs to focus on functional exercises. Therefore effective ways involve consideration of these insights.

Section Three – SWOT Analysis

Strengths

Motivates students especially those who don’t do so well in the classroom

Teaches essential life skills such as determination, self-discipline, and teamwork

Provides an opportunity for the institution to gain pride and be recognized at least in athletics

Creates togetherness as students sideline their differences to cheer their teams

Weaknesses

Can be inconvenient in terms of the long training sessions

There is a chance of injury during training or play

For beginners, one needs to join a fitness facility and may pay for training in getting fit

Inconsistency in results in cases of individual weaknesses over the team’s training

Opportunities

Scholarships to study and train in developed institutions

Having a global fan base

Meeting other international players

Winning competitions and building profile

Threats

The threat of competition just within may cause inconsistency

The danger of the growing popularity of football worldwide

Severe injuries may cause a threat to health

Threat from the anti-doping agencies

Section Four – Alternative Solutions

Focusing on the functional exercise

This trains the whole-body muscles to work together. They are exercises done to enable the athlete to perform real-life activities. Much emphasis is on the multi-joint and multi-exercise training.

Pros of focusing on functional exercise

Exercises have been proven to increase the energy levels in a person contrary to the belief that it drains a person’s energy. Exercising is also important because, in addition to making one looks younger, it boosts the memory of a person, both among the young and the elderly. These are all advantageous to the athlete.

Consequences of focusing on functional exercise

As much as being familiar to beginners, exercising may lead to injury even among the professionals, although very rare. Training requires that athletes’ set their time. As a result, there may be a change in relationships with their friends, relatives, and lovers. This is because not all will buy in their new habit and lifestyle of exercising.

Including conditioning in the routine trainings.

This focusses on the mastering speed, gaining strength and agility to the athlete, reacting quickly, and flexibility. This is more real and beneficial to adults and professional athletes.

Pros of including conditioning in the routine

Conditioning helps the athletes’ work at their best even when the body is tired. The improvements in speed, flexibility, strength, and agility are key to the performance of an athlete.

Consequences of conditioning in the routine

More often, the issue of injury is common and is being attributed to unsupervised training and especially among children and young athletes. Training children are not as specific as trading adults and professional athlete. Generally, a person’s limitations and expectations play a significant role in the success of routine conditioning.

Keeping track of performance

This involves assessing the gains in speed, strength, flexibility, experience, and quality performance in completion as reflected in the results.

Pros of keeping track of performance

Keeping track of performance enables the athletes to identify their strengths and maximize them. At the same time, the athlete can identify their weaknesses. These are areas where more efforts need to be put in to improve the performance.

Consequences of keeping track of performance

In the event of inconsistency in results, negativity comes in. However, this may be brought about with the need to focus on individual specific training based on their weaknesses as opposed to team training.

Proper diet

This is considered the right fuel needed to propel the body in becoming a strong and powerful athlete. Concentration on exercising, workouts, and training without finding the proper diet is thus a big mistake.

Pros of proper diet

A right diet fuels an athlete’s performance reduces the chances of chronic diseases and improves bone and skin health. This means less pain and strains during training and also no irritation.

Consequences of proper diet

An athlete may have to forego the favorite meals for getting fit. Sometimes it proves to be difficult to strictly adhere to the appropriate diet, especially during the times that an athlete may be not around their trainers and teammates.

Section Five – Conclusions and Recommendations

Recommendations

More applications on student-athlete enrollments should be encouraged. Once in these institutions, there is a strong need to include conditioning in the routine training of an athlete. The focus should be on functional exercises. All these help the athletes to gain strength, flexibility, experience, and agility. These break the norm and help the athlete to perform quite well. Keeping track of the performance and improvements are very vital. Athletes can identify their strengths and maximize them. Where there need improvements as pointed by weaknesses, more efforts can be further be employed.

Conclusion

As much as there is concern ranging from derailing person energy during training to injuries, and sometimes inconsistency with time and relationships, it is far much beneficial of improving athletics and using it to enhance the institution’s prestige, as witnessed above. These benefits accrue to the individual athletes, the institution, and the community as a whole.

References

Stinson, J. L., & Howard, D. R. (2007). Athletic success and private giving to athletic and academic programs at NCAA institutions. Journal of Sport Management, 21(2), 235-264.

Kenney, W. L., Wilmore, J. H., & Costill, D. L. (2015). Physiology of sport and exercise. Human kinetics.

Fuller, R. D., Berg, B. K., & Hutchinson, M. (2017). Aspirations through association: Using athletics to enhance institutional prestige. Case Studies in Sport Management, 6(1), 20-30.

Course, E. R. K. C. C. 29th Annual Friendship Invitational.