Controlled Play: The Hidden Mechanisms of Power in Collegiate Athletics

• In Event: 21020 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 14: Power, Identity, and Civic Engagement: Exploring Education Beyond the Classroom

Abstract

This study examines how collegiate athletics function as a quasi-total institution, controlling student-athletes’ lives through rigid schedules, surveillance, and internalized norms. I draw on Goffman’s total institutions and Foucault’s discipline and biopower to analyze how universities regulate athletes’ time, bodies, and identities. Using 20 semi-structured interviews with NCAA Division I athletes across seven sports, I explore their experiences of control and compliance. Athletes face constant oversight, from academic monitoring to social media surveillance, and internalize institutional demands, prioritizing team success over personal goals. I argue that this system demands total commitment, often at the expense of athletes’ well-being, and call for reforms to support their autonomy and holistic development.

Author

• Atalanta Copeman-Papas, University of California-Irvine