Making the switch

Abstract

Over the past ten years postsecondary institutions responded to the growing popularity of intercollegiate athletics by realigning with new athletic conferences. The public discourse on the reasons for these changes centers solely on athletic financial gain. However, institutional leaders and athletic administrators have long discussed the complexities and information rich nature of athletic conference realignment decisions. In the face of these complexities, few scholars have investigated the athletic conference realignment process. Thus, this study utilized a case study qualitative methodology to investigate the factors influencing athletic conference realignment and the role various campus actors played in the decision-making process. Using various organizational theories to frame the discussion of results, this study finds that access to additional conference revenue, increasing institutional visibility, and alignment with strategic peer institutions drove the athletic conference realignment process. While institution officials acknowledge a distinct set of reasons for engaging in athletic conference realignment, they also presented differences experienced in the strategic decision-making process. Results indicate institutions already placed within a powerful athletic conference experiences different incentives than those moving from less prestigious conferences