Abstract
Anecdotal discussions regarding donor contributions to athletic departments have long placed considerable emphasis on the success of the departments’ athletic programs. Among the most visible sports is football. The purpose of this study was to explore one high profile athletic department’s level of financial gifts and donations related to the performance of the university’s prestigious football program. The following data were collected for each year over an 11 year period (1998 thru 2008): the football team’s winning percentage; total money raised from donors; number of donors making contributions; number of contributions; and average size of each contribution. The researchers found that the only linier relationship that existed with the team’s winning percentage was a negative relationship between winning and the average size of each contribution (p < .05; R 2 = .682).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brooker, G., & Klastorin, T. (1981). To the victors belong the spoils? College athletics and alumni giving. Social Science Quarterly, 62, 744–750.
Coughlin, C., & Erekson, O. H. (1984). An examination of contributions to support intercollegiate athletics. Southern Economic Journal, 51(1), 180–195.
Daughtrey, C., & Stotlar, D. (2000). Donations: are they affected by a football championship? Sport Marketing Quarterly, 9(4), 185–193.
Frank, R. H. (2004). Challenging the myth: A review of the links among college athletic success, student quality, and donations. Retrieved May 30, 2009, from www.knight-commission.org/about/white_papers/frank_report/.
Funk, D. C., & James, J. (2001). The psychological continuum model: a conceptual framework for understanding an individual’s psychological connection to sport. Sport Management Review, 4, 119–150.
Gaski, J. F., & Etzel, M. J. (1984). Collegiate athletic success and alumni generosity: dispelling the myth. Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal, 12(1), 29–38.
Goff, B. (2000). Effects of university athletics on the university: a review and extension of empirical assessment. Journal of Sport Management, 14, 85–104.
Hechter, M. (1992). Should values be written out of the social scientists lexicon? Sociological Theory, 10(2), 214–230.
Hechter, M., & Kanazawa, S. (1997). Sociological rational choice theory. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 191–214.
Humphreys, B., & Mondello, M. (2007). Intercollegiate athletic success and donations at NCAA Division I institutions. Journal of Sport Management, 21, 265–281.
Merchant, A., & Ford, J. (2008). Nostalgia and giving to charity: a conceptual framework for discussion and research. International Journal of Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Marketing, 13(1), 13–30.
Petersen, T. (1992). Payment systems and the structure of inequality: conceptual issues and an analysis of salespersons in department stores. The American Journal of Sociology, 98(1), 67–104.
Rhoades, T. A., & Gerking, S. (2000). Educational contributions, academic quality, and athletic success. Contemporary Economic Policy, 18(2), 248–259.
Sargeant, A., Ford, J., & West, D. (2006). Perceptual determinants of nonprofit giving behavior. Journal of Business Research, 59, 155–165.
Sigelman, L., & Carter, R. (1979). Win one for the giver? Alumni giving and big-time college sports. Social Science Quarterly, 60(2), 284–294.
Wann, D., & Branscombe, N. (1993). Sports fans: measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 24(1), 1–17.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cohen, C., Whisenant, W. & Walsh, P. The Relationship Between Sustained Success and Donations for an Athletic Department with a Premier Football Program. Public Organiz Rev 11, 255–263 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-010-0122-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11115-010-0122-7