Why Play College Athletics?

The Motivations Behind Male vs. Female Rutgers-Camden Student Athletes

Authors

  • Caitlyn Kliniewski
  • Angela Jonasz
  • Brianna Magana

Abstract

This study was conducted to reveal the motivations behind Division III student-athletes to participate in collegiate sports. A survey was sent out to all the student- athletes at Rutgers University-Camden. Eighty responses were recorded from both males and females. Descriptive statistics showed that, of the possible motivations the survey provided, playing collegiate sports because they genuinely enjoyed it was the greatest overall motivation. Descriptive statistics also showed a significant difference between males and females in the category of wanting to become a professional athlete. This information could be useful to coaches and athletic departments of Division III schools.

Author Biographies

Caitlyn Kliniewski

Caitlyn Kliniewski is a May 2020 graduate from the Camden College of Arts & Sciences where she was a double major in Psychology and Health Sciences. During her 4 years at Rutgers Camden, she was a member of the softball team as well as the track team, and she was a representative for the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Besides athletics, Caitlyn was also a 4-year member of the Honors College, a 2- year member of the Arts and Sciences Athenaeum, and was a research assistant for Dr. Jamie Dunaev for 2 years. Currently she is a graduate student at Barry University pursuing a Masters in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology where she hopes to become a certified Mental Performance Consultant for college & professional athletes. In the meantime, she is an assistant softball coach at Barry University and holds an internship at Bommarito Performance Systems where she trains professional athletes.

Angela Jonasz

Angela Jonasz graduated with honors from Rutgers with a degree in Psychology. She plans on pursuing her career as a school counselor, working with elementary and middle school aged children. Her passion is to make a difference in the lives of all children and to be part of the support system they need. Eventually she wants to continue her schooling by getting her Master’s degree in child psychology. Currently, she is a stay- at-home mother to her two daughters and she recently married her best friend.

Brianna Magana

Brianna Magana is a graduate of Rutgers-Camden. She majored in Psychology and Health Sciences and she was a member of the women’s soccer team at Rider University before transferring to Rutgers-Camden.

cover page

Downloads

Published

2022-09-21

How to Cite

Kliniewski, C., Jonasz, A., & Magana, B. (2022). Why Play College Athletics? The Motivations Behind Male vs. Female Rutgers-Camden Student Athletes. The Rutgers-Camden Undergraduate Review, 1(1). Retrieved from https://rcur.libraries.rutgers.edu/index.php/rcur/article/view/2105

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2020): The Undergraduate Review - Spring 2020

Section

Articles