Under Surveillance: An Analysis of Collegiate Athletics as a Total Institution

• In Event: 352 - Theory Section Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 08. Empowerment Resources and Struggles for Well-Being

Abstract

Scholarship in the sociology of sport suggests student-athletes experience a number of strains unique to their positions within the social structure, which may put them at an increased risk of negative mental health consequences. Most commonly, research indicates that student-athletes face performance demands both on and off the court, in addition to difficulties attempting to balance their roles as students with their roles as athletes. In this paper I suggest student-athletes face a third key source of stress: that associated with life in a total institution. Drawing on ethnographic and interview data collected from a representative sample of NCAA Division I student-athletes, I examine the extent to which collegiate athletics approximates a total institution as it was described by Goffman (1961), and identify which aspects of the institution are experienced by student-athletes as most stressful. Further, I examine whether and how student-athletes’ experiences vary by sport and individual sociodemographic characteristics. Findings indicate that like Goffman’s concept of a total institution, collegiate athletics are characterized by 1) an absence of barriers between members’ various spheres of life, 2) strict schedules to be followed by institutional members, and 3) a strong focus on surveillance, policing, and control. Findings also suggest student-athletes experience institutional surveillance, policing, and control as stressful aspects of their roles as student-athletes. Contrary to expectations, neither degree of institutionalization nor experience of stressors seemed to vary by sport or individual characteristics.

Author

• Sarah Jean Hatteberg, Indiana University