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Copyright by Stacy Marie Warner 2010 The Dissertation Committee for Stacy Marie Warner certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Sport and Social Structures: Building Community on Campuses Committee: Marlene A. Dixon, Supervisor Laurence Chalip B. Christine Green Thomas Hunt Calvin Streeter Sport and Social Structures: Building Community on Campuses by Stacy Marie Warner, B.S., M.A. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin May 2010 Dedication “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23-24 Acknowledgements I am so grateful for the wonderful people and blessing that have been put on my path. This project and endeavor would not have been possible or as enjoyable with them. First, I’m appreciative to have been guided by the most understanding and patient advisor any student could ever ask for, Dr. Marlene Dixon. I’m a better scholar and person because of the investment she made in me. For always pointing me in the right direction, disagreeing with me in a challenging and encouraging way, and letting me find my own path, I can’t thank her enough. I couldn’t imagine running with a better advisor, mentor, and friend throughout this process; there was a whole lot of iron sharpening iron and I can only hope that is always reflective in my work and life. I also like to thank Dr. Chris Green for her thoughtful insights and comic relief and Dr. Laurence Chalip for his always-engaging thoughts and critiques. It was a pleasure to have worked for and with them both. I’d also like to acknowledge Dr. Thomas Hunt and Dr. Cal Streeter for serving on my committee and being exceptional teachers. To my classmates, especially Brennan Berg, Matt Bowers, Yen-Chun Lin, and Joyce Olushola, thank you for the support and encouragement. And special thanks to Emily Sparvero and Angela Pratt-Weddle for being those expert scholars that were a step ahead of me throughout this process. I’d also like to acknowledge Keno Beezer, Becky Geyer, Lois and David Gupton, Amy and Dale Herman, Brian Jones, Brianna Smith, Chris Vasiliotis, and Eric Wieberg, who were always just a phone call away or right corner when I needed a break and help refocusing. - v - To my family, thanks for bearing with me throughout this process. I could not have done this without their unconditional love and support. I can always count on my sister and brother keeping me grounded, and their children keeping me amused. To my parents, who have constantly role modeled to me what it means to work hard and serve others, thank you for preparing me for all I needed to know about life. - vi - Sport and Social Structures: Building Community on Campuses Publication No._____________ Stacy Marie Warner, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, 2010 Supervisor: Marlene A. Dixon Student affairs personnel are often charged with the task of creating a strong sense of community (SOC) on university campuses. Sport is among one of the many extracurricular activities that historically has been used to meet this need for community among students. Yet, how and when a sense of community is created within a sport context has not been appropriately addressed in literature. Utilizing a symbolic interactionalist theoretical framework, this study employed a grounded theory approach and uncovered the necessary factors for creating a sense of community within two intercollegiate sport settings. First, 21 former university sport club participants were interviewed regarding their experiences. The results revealed that Common Interest, Leadership Opportunities, Amateurism/ Voluntary Activity, and Competition were the most critical components to creating a sense of community. These results along with the results of Warner and Dixon’s (in review; see Appendix F) sense of community study among varsity athletes, which concluded that Administrative Consideration, Leadership Opportunities, Equity in Administrative Decisions, Competition, and Social Spaces were - vii - the key factors to foster a sense of community, were then used to guide focus groups. Eight focus groups consisting of 39 current varsity and sport club athletes were then conducted to further examine and explain the differences and similarities that emerged between the two sense of community in sport models. The results propose a broad based sense of community within sport theory that considers the contextual contingencies surrounding an athlete-driven versus a professionally-administered sport model. The results contribute to community building and sport management theory, and provide practical solutions for enhancing the intercollegiate sport experience. The implications and philosophical differences between an athlete-directed sport experiences versus a more formalized and structured sport model are also discussed. - viii - Table of Contents Dedication………………………………………………………………………….…..…iii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………….…....iv Abstract……………………………..………………………………………………...…..vi Chapter 1…………………………………………………………………………………..1 Various Perspectives on Creating Community.............................................................5 Sport Communities ......................................................................................................6 Purpose.......................................................................................................................8 Significance of the study..............................................................................................9 Chapter 2 ...................................................................................................................... 11 Review of Literature ..................................................................................................... 11 Origins of Sense of Community.................................................................................. 11 McMillan and Chavis’ Sense of Community Theory................................................... 12 Recent Work and Trends in SOC Literature: Context and Contingencies................... 14 Benefits of Sense of Community................................................................................. 17 SOC and Current Societal Trends ............................................................................. 18 Symbolic Interactionism ............................................................................................ 20 Sense of Community and Contingencies: Framework ................................................ 23 Sport and Sense of Community in a University Context ............................................. 26 The Contexts: Sport Clubs and Varsity Athletics........................................................ 28 Key Structural, Environmental, and Contingency Differences: Sport Club and Varsity .................................................................................................................................. 30 Chapter 3 ...................................................................................................................... 33 Sport Club Inquiry (Phase I).......................................................................................... 33 Method...................................................................................................................... 34 Instrument ............................................................................................................. 34 Participants........................................................................................................... 35 Procedure.............................................................................................................. 36 Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 36 Results ...................................................................................................................... 37 Common Interest ................................................................................................... 37 Leadership Opportunities ...................................................................................... 40 Amateurism/Voluntary Activity.............................................................................. 42 Competition........................................................................................................... 44 Discussion................................................................................................................. 47 Implications and Conclusions.................................................................................... 57 Chapter 4 ...................................................................................................................... 61 Comparing the Club and Varsity Experience (Phase II)................................................. 61 Method...................................................................................................................... 61 Instrument ............................................................................................................. 63 Participants..........................................................................................................

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