Date of Award

Spring 6-18-2021

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Sport Management

First Advisor

Erin Morris, Ph. D.

Second Advisor

Stephen Kampf, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Ryan Vooris, Ph.D.

Abstract

SUNY Cortland has historically had a robust and active Intramural Sports program. The program saw 2,380 students participate during the Spring 2016 semester, but that number has steadily declined in recent years. In the Fall 2019 semester, the participation rate had fallen to 1,482 participants. Research has been conducted on the topic, although it is not applicable to SUNY Cortland. Past research on intramural participation has focused on constraints to participation, finding a lack of time a primary constraint However, the research is 15 years old and conducted at universities with vastly different demographics than SUNY Cortland. The purpose of this study is to understand what motivators and constraints impact intramural sport participation decisions of students at SUNY Cortland. This study is grounded in Astin’s Theory of Student Involvement and used a quantitative survey of undergraduate students to determine which of the motivators and constraints are strongest amongst students at SUNY Cortland. Gender and class-based differences of constraints and motivators were found. Based on the results of the study, specific suggestions, such as increasing female participation through social events and increasing first-year student knowledge of intramural sports, have been made to guide the intramural sports program at SUNY Cortland to increase participation.

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