Background/Purpose Escalation of commitment theory suggests that in many instances, organizations become locked or trapped in costly and losing courses of action (Staw, 1981; Drummond, 1994). It is ultimately rationalized that commitment to these actions will eventually lead to highly profitable outcomes (Staw, 1976). Escalation of commitment theory could prove to be a useful lens through which to examine the finances of intercollegiate athletics. The purpose of this presentation is to examine the history of intercollegiate sport using the theoretical framework of escalation of commitment.
Method For this presentation, we conducted a historical analysis of intercollegiate athletics. We followed the procedure outlined by Ventresca and Mohr (2002) which postulates the systematic collection and analysis of archival data.
Analysis/Results This analysis suggested that many athletic departments may indeed be trapped in patterns of escalation of commitment. The majority of NCAA athletic departments have continually amassed large financial deficits, yet they continue to increase their spending. The constant pressures of producing winning athletic teams and gaining more exposure for their universities may be the catalysts for this influx of spending (Fulks, 2009). These findings may signify the presence of escalation of commitment in intercollegiate athletics.
Conclusions The embedded culture that has permeated intercollegiate athletics would suggest that stopping and reversing escalation of commitment is likely an arduous task (Beyer & Hannah, 2000). Universities and athletic departments across the country have increasingly adopted the belief that winning requires increased financial commitment to athletics. Thus, many intercollegiate athletic programs may have found themselves trapped in situations of escalation.
See more of: Research Consortium