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CALL FOR PAPERS, SPECIAL ISSUE

The Changing Landscape of Collegiate Athletics and Its Consequences: Pitfalls and Promises

The ecosystem of collegiate athletics is undergoing profound and unprecedented transformations. From the rise of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights, to conference realignments, revenue distribution models, athlete mobility, and emerging labor movements, the traditional structure and values of intercollegiate sports are being fundamentally reshaped. These shifts bring both significant opportunities and complex challenges to athletes, institutions, administrators, and other stakeholders.

This special issue aims to explore the multi-faceted consequences of these changes—both positive and negative—and to provide a comprehensive scholarly assessment of the evolving terrain. We welcome contributions that critically engage with the policies, power dynamics, ethical questions, legal reforms, governance structures, cultural narratives, and economic pressures driving change in collegiate athletics.

KEY THEMES & TOPICS

We invite original empirical, theoretical, and conceptual manuscripts that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • NIL and Athlete Empowerment: Examining how NIL rights have altered athlete agency, equity, recruiting, and institutional control.

  • Conference Realignment and Institutional Identity: Impact on tradition, regional rivalries, academic missions, and student-athlete experience.

  • Governance and Regulation: Shifting roles of the NCAA, state and federal governments, and legal systems in shaping college sports policy.

  • Labor Movements and Athlete Rights: Unionization efforts, employee classification debates, and implications for amateurism.

  • Mental Health and Wellbeing: Pressures from increased commercialization, mobility, and expectations on student-athletes.

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Consequences of structural changes for underrepresented groups in athletic participation and leadership.

  • Financial Models and Sustainability: Economic winners and losers in the realigned collegiate landscape.

  • Media, Technology, and Fan Engagement: The role of streaming platforms, media rights, and digital engagement in reshaping revenue and exposure.

  • Institutional and Academic Impact: How athletic priorities may shift institutional goals, academic integrity, or public perception.

  • Comparative or Global Perspectives: International models of college athletics and what the U.S. might learn from them.

GUEST EDITORS

  • Chris Corr, Clemson University

  • Laura Upenieks, Baylor Universiy

  • Molly Harry, University of Florida

  • Adam Cocco, University of Louisville

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

  • Manuscripts should follow traditional JIIA submission guidelines, not exceeding 40 total pages including references, tables, and figures.

  • All submissions must conform to APA 7th edition style.

  • Manuscripts must be original, unpublished work and not under consideration elsewhere.

  • Submissions should include a 150-200-word abstract.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Manuscripts should be submitted via the journal’s online portal at [https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/jiia/]. Select the special issue option during submission as well as indicating your submission to the special issue in the cover letter.

TIMELINE

  • Submission Deadline: January 1, 2027

  • Author Notifications: March 1 ,2027

  • Revised Manuscript Due: May 1, 2027

  • Publication Date: September 1, 2027

INQUIRIES

For questions regarding this special issue, please contact Chris Corr (ctcorr@clemson.edu).