Joy: What Increases Student-Athlete Engagement and Retention

We talk about “retention,” “attrition,” and “engagement,” but I think what we are missing is an understanding of what brings student-athletes joy. We know it when we see it: an athlete who’s energy and happiness is derived from being part of their college team. And if we can find the factors that lead to a student-athlete’s joy, we can increase their engagement and decrease the likelihood that they end their career prematurely. There have been few large-scale studies of student-athlete retention (and none that I can find on “joy.”) With between 25% to 50% of student-athletes ending their careers before graduation, don’t we want to know more about how we could inject more joy into their experience?

From the student-athlete perspective, we could serve them better and improve their college experience. From an Athletic Department’s standpoint, we could reduce costs of recruiting and increase revenue by way of future alumni donations.

Student-Athlete joy is a complex topic - to say the least! There are many variables and many ways to study it. With this study, I have started small. I simply wanted to know of the student-athletes that are satisfied in their programs, what are the factors that bring them joy. I surveyed about 1,700 current college student-athletes and here’s what they said.

Teammates

A close connection with teammates is a near unanimous factor in whether a student-athlete finds joy participating for their college team. The joy “factor” increases dramatically if/when a student-athlete says that their “best friends” are teammates. While this data point is unsurprising to most Coaches, it’s importance lies in a potential “action plan”; while Coaches can stand back and allow teammates to create connection with one another organically, they can also choose to create opportunities for teammates develop closer bonds.

Coaching

Joy for a student-athlete is tied to their Coaches. Agreeing with their Coaches’ approach and having a good relationship is critical. But there is one factor that’s even more important; 81% of student-athletes that expressed joy about their sport strongly agreed with the statement, “my Coach understands me.” When they felt understood by their Coach, they felt their identity as a student-athlete was confirmed, that they belonged, and that they were part of something big.

Campus-Wide Support

Campus-wide support of a student-athlete leads to joy. Student-Athletes desire support from Coaches, but also from the Athletic Department, and support staff (most notably academic tutors and trainers.) Also important is perceived support from professors; student-athletes are buoyed by professors who, “understand my schedule and athletic commitments.”

What makes the student-athletes less joyful? College or university staff who student-athletes believe “single them out” or make known their disregard athletics. The key takeaway here is that student-athletes don’t compartmentalize these interactions or attribute them to just that individual. Rather, the negative experience that a student-athlete has with a Dean or someone in Student Life impacts their overall perception of being a student-athlete at the institution.

Player Development

Student-Athletes say that among the things that bring them the most joy is the feeling that they are improving as student-athletes. They point to three specific areas: improving their skills and on-field performance, succeeding academically, and growing as leaders.

Team Success

62% of student-athletes say it’s Team Success that brings them the most joy. Success to some means winning games and championships. Success to others is defined by the team improving from one season to the next. Whatever the definition of team success is, it’s clear that student-athletes want to feel that their is growth and improvement in the program that they are investing their time and energy.

A Final Thought

I started this post by using the words retention and attrition. I propose that Coaches and Administrators consider what in the field of social work is called a “strength based” approach; consider not why players leave a program, but rather what keeps them playing. I recommend putting our efforts into creating joy for student-athletes.