Revisiting Goffman: On the Similarities between Collegiate Athletic Programs and Total Institutions

• In Event: 123 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions and Section on Sociology of Mental Health).
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 09. Social Psychological Processes in Sports/Athletics

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 compromise their overall health and well-being. They face performance demands both on and off the court, risk of pain and injury, and difficulties balancing their roles as students with their roles as athletes. In this paper I suggest student-athletes face another key source of stress: that associated with life in a total institution. Drawing on ethnographic and interview data collected from a purposive quota 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 student-athletes perceive to be most stressful. In line with Goffman’s original conceptualization, findings indicate that collegiate athletic programs closely resemble total institutions in that they are characterized by 1) an absence of barriers between members’ various spheres of life, 2) segregated insularity of the athletic community, and 3) strict schedules established to advance institutional objectives. Findings also suggest student-athletes experience 1) strictly regimented scheduling, 2) institutional surveillance, and 3) institutional power and control as stressful aspects of their roles as student-athletes, indicating that while the all-encompassing nature of collegiate athletic programs may have benefits for institutional and individual athletic success, it may have negative consequences for student-athlete well-being by exposing them to additional stress.

Author

• Sarah Jean Hatteberg, The College of Charleston