In search of the winning image: assessing the connection between athletics success on perceptions of external prestige.

Abstract

The impact of identifying with one's organization has been linked positively with commitment (Carmelli, Gillat, & Weisberg, 2006) and social capital (Carmelli, 2007). These impacts are also connected with perceptions of external prestige (e.g. Carmelli et al., 2006). Notably, in higher education, this perception of prestige has been impacted by athletics when football success was linked with perceived academic prestige of an institution by external stakeholders (Goidel & Hamilton, 2006). No research, however, has looked at the connection between organizational identification, perceived organizational prestige, and the role of athletics success, from an internal perspective. The purpose of the current study, then, was to fill this gap by utilizing multiple measures of athletics success, university and team identification, and perceptions of university prestige among college students. Using responses from 633 students across 27 NCAA, Bowl Champion Series-level institutions, the study’s results found that broad- based athletics success impacted perceptions of external academic prestige, while high-profile athletics success in men’s basketball and football success did not. However, all measures of athletics success significantly contributed to perceptions of external athletic prestige and overall external prestige.

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