Deck 3: The Role of Conferences and Developing Goals

Question 1

Scholars have noted each of the following elements that explain the importance of conferences EXCEPT:

A) The conference is the crucial unit in shaping and regulating intercollegiate athletics because it can have more impact on shaping athletic policies than the NCAA.
B) Conferences demand that schools and their leaders pay more attention to conference issues than to those of national governing bodies like the NCAA.
C) The conference is the locus where a small group of institutions in voluntary association agree to work together, to compete while showing some sign of mutual respect and comparable academic standards.
D) Conferences allow schools with similar concerns to formed leagues with rules which operationalize their common philosophy and put their athletes and coaches in social circumstances where they will be dealing with people and similar expectations and constraints.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following was NOT one of the early examples of the formation of an organization seeking to adopt standard rules and to coordinate competition and regulations?

A) The Brown Conference
B) The Chicago Conference
C) The Colonial Athletic Association
D) The Intercollegiate Football Association

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When punishing member schools for transgressions, conferences rather than the NCAA were initially the main enforcers. One example in 1951 followed a spate of point-shaving in men's basketball, which involved players at several schools, most notably at:

A) Bradley University
B) Long Island University
C) The University of Kentucky
D) The University of Toledo

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following lists current members of the Skyline Conference?

A) Angelo State University, Dallas Baptist University, Lubbock Christian University
B) Carleton College, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Olaf College
C) Purchase College, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Yeshiva University
D) Stony Brook University, the University at Albany, the University of Maine

Question 5

The "S" in "S.M.A.R.T." stands for:

A) Singularly focused on the task at hand
B) Specific enough for focus and feedback
C) Structured for simplicity and success
D) Systematically formulated

Question 6

The "T" in "S.M.A.R.T." stands for:

A) Tested and verified
B) Theory-based
C) Time-framed
D) Trusted by all stakeholders

Question 7

When the seven Upper Midwestern schools opted to reclaim the CCHA moniker by reforming the conference, for the 2021-2022 season, that left the WCHA and its three geographic outliers scrambling to salvage its grouping. Like all NCAA hockey conferences, the WCHA needs six teams for an automatic postseason tournament bid. This is an example of which specific benefit of "S.M.A.R.T." goals?

A) A basis for cooperation and teamwork
B) A basis for feedback
C) A blueprint for performance
D) Focuses attention on the right agenda

Question 8

Mike Snee, executive director of College Hockey Inc., a nonprofit that promotes men's Division I hockey, said his organization is helping six schools develop Division I programs. He declined to name them, and it's not clear if any will field teams by 2021-2022. "Hopefully we will have some success getting some of these schools to move from the consideration stage to the actually adding and eventually playing hockey stage," Snee said. "Of course they'll need a conference to play in, and hopefully that can assist Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska-Anchorage, Alabama-Huntsville, and other programs." This is an example of which specific benefit of "S.M.A.R.T." goals?

A) A basis for cooperation and teamwork
B) A basis for feedback
C) A blueprint for performance
D) Focuses attention on the right agenda

Question 9

The University of St. Thomas (UST) will have to determine how to manage the challenges associated with conference changes and reclassification. Esten allowed that from the point of the NCAA's approval announcement, "we all have loved our time at Division III and in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, but I think everybody (in our department) had kind of a sense of excitement that we can really think about tomorrow, rather than only having to look at today and yesterday … now is when the hard work starts." This is an example of which of the following guidelines for creating a goal-based sport organization?

A) Benchmarking: Setting goals from the outside in
B) Building in flexibility
C) Creating a network or system of goals
D) Prioritizing among specific goals

Question 10

The University of St. Thomas (UST) has several options in terms of determining its next steps after being kicked out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The school could seek to join another Division III conference or maintain status as an unaffiliated Division III independent. UST could also move to another national governing body, such as the NAIA, or petition to change NCAA classifications and move to either Division II or Division I. "We need to assess all our options, take a look at what we think is best for St. Thomas and work hard to receive an invitation to wherever that might be. All options are on the table" said AD Phil Esten. This is an example of which of the following guidelines for creating a goal-based sport organization?

A) Benchmarking: Setting goals from the outside in
B) Building in flexibility
C) Creating a network or system of goals
D) Prioritizing among specific goals

Question 11

Intercollegiate athletic conferences, described by Bowen and Levin as "orbits of competition," were developed primarily for the formulation and enforcement of rules governing student-athlete eligibility, ease and convenience of travel and scheduling, and "lifting some of the political burden away from the individual member institutions."

Question 12

The stakes and nature of intra-group competition in conference formation and management could be seen in the 1950s when the Pacific Coast Conference, a progenitor of the current Pac-12 Conference, faced an organizational crisis challenging the maintenance of its shared orbit of competition when the press reported that four member schools maintained slush funds for payments to basketball players.

Question 13

Management expert Peter Drucker has suggested that "it is a secondary responsibility of the manager … to give others vision and the ability to perform," and defined vision as the clear, directed path that allows organizations to achieve a common purpose.

Question 14

A goal is a commitment to a specific outcome within a specific time frame.

Question 15

In terms of specificity for focus and feedback, the Colonial Athletic Association's goal to play football in the spring provides the organizational focus for players, coaches and administrators, but means that a spring season could only occur if important health and safety standards were established and achieved.

Question 16

Explain whether the issues that led to conference formation in the late 1800s are still important issues for contemporary conference managers today. If not, what significant issues have emerged recently to supplant some of these earlier issues?

Question 17

The establishment of conferences during the late 19^th and early 20th centuries provides an excellent example of the power of vision and what is possible when people share a sense of direction they are committed to pursuing. Using the facts from the CIAA example in the chapter, explain the relationship between the vision and goals of the conference.

Question 18

The acronym "S.M.A.R.T." identifies the key criteria for effective goals. Explain how the WCHA could create a "S.M.A.R.T." goal for the organization to solve the challenge of preserving the conference's automatic qualification slot for postseason play (making sure to explain how the goal meets each of the acronym's elements).

Question 19

In the chapter we discussed the challenges faced by the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in attempting to play a spring football season. Explain which of the guidelines for creating a goal-based organization would be most important for the CAA to consider as it deals with this issue.