Blowing the Whistle Off the Field of Play

Abstract

Unethical behavior within collegiate sports departments appears to be commonplace. Athletic programs at a number of high-profile universities have been sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the past decade. When athletic departments participate in corrupt behavior, the possibility of whistle-blowing exists. Although organizational scholars have developed theoretical models describing whistle-blowing processes, it is unclear whether these models accurately depict whistle-blower’s experiences in the collegiate sports industry. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to generate a model describing the experiences of whistle-blowers operating in the intercollegiate sports industry. Thirteen whistle-blowers were interviewed for this study; analysis of case studies revealed that whistle-blowing occurred over five stages and was significantly affected by the collegiate athletics context. Of particular consequence was the hypermasculine, highly competitive collegiate sports environment.

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