RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

Research & Evaluation for Sports Organizations

Data-Driven Insights That Transform Culture and Performance

You can’t fix what you can’t measure. Yet most sports organizations operate on gut feelings about their culture, hoping problems will surface before they explode. Professional research reveals what’s really happening—before it’s too late.

WORLD-CLASS SPORTS ARBITRATORS & MEDIATORS

CAS • FIFA • MLB Salary • USOPC • USSF • USATF

University of Oregon Professor & FAR • Author of The Sports Playbook & Strategic Negotiation • 30+ Years Experience

Operating Blind in a High-Stakes Environment

Sports organizations face critical questions they can’t answer:

  • Is hazing happening in our program? How severe is it?
  • What’s our actual team culture vs. what we think it is?
  • Are our interventions working or just checking boxes?
  • What are athletes really experiencing but not reporting?
  • Where are we vulnerable to the next scandal?
  • How do we compare to peer institutions?
  • What’s driving our retention and performance issues?

The Cost of Not Knowing:

1 in 5

Athletes experience hazing

$2.5M

Average hazing lawsuit settlement

87%

Never report toxic behaviors

Academic Rigor Meets Athletic Reality

As a University of Oregon professor with 30+ years of research experience, Joshua Gordon brings world-class academic methodology to sports-specific challenges.

Validated Instruments

Research-proven assessment tools specifically adapted for sports contexts and validated across thousands of athletes.

Confidential Process

Anonymous data collection that encourages honest responses while protecting individual and institutional privacy.

Actionable Insights

Reports that go beyond data to provide specific, implementable recommendations for improvement.

Specialized Research & Evaluation Services

Hazing Culture Assessment

The most comprehensive hazing assessment available for sports.

Our proprietary assessment reveals:

  • Prevalence and severity of hazing behaviors (if any)
  • Specific activities occurring in your program
  • Risk factors and protective factors present
  • Comparison to national benchmarks
  • Team-by-team analysis for targeted interventions
  • Legal vulnerability assessment

Used by NCAA programs nationwide to prevent tragedies and transform culture.

Methodology:

  • Anonymous online surveys
  • Focus groups (optional)
  • Behavioral observation
  • Document analysis
  • Stakeholder interviews

Timeline: 4-6 weeks

Deliverable: 40+ page report with action plan

Comprehensive Culture Evaluation

Understand your true organizational culture—not just what’s on the wall.

What We Measure:

  • Values alignment (stated vs. lived)
  • Communication effectiveness
  • Leadership credibility
  • Psychological safety levels
  • Team cohesion and trust
  • Accountability systems
  • Innovation and growth mindset

You Receive:

  • Current culture assessment
  • Gap analysis to desired state
  • Comparative benchmarking
  • Heat maps by team/department
  • Culture transformation roadmap
  • Quick wins and long-term strategies
  • ROI projections for interventions

Program Evaluation & Impact Assessment

Prove your programs work—or discover why they don’t.

  • Leadership Development Programs: Measure actual behavior change, not just satisfaction scores
  • Mental Health Initiatives: Assess utilization, effectiveness, and athlete well-being outcomes
  • Character Development: Track values alignment and ethical decision-making
  • Academic Support: Evaluate beyond GPA to understand true student-athlete success
  • Diversity & Inclusion: Measure belonging, psychological safety, and equitable experiences

All evaluations include pre/post measurement, control group comparison when possible, and statistical validation of results.

Custom Research Projects

Your unique challenges deserve tailored research solutions.

Stakeholder Studies

Fan engagement, donor satisfaction, parent perspectives, alumni connection

Performance Analytics

Culture-performance correlation, team chemistry metrics, leadership impact

Risk Assessment

Compliance vulnerabilities, reputation threats, litigation exposure

Benchmarking Studies

Peer comparison, best practice identification, competitive analysis

Climate Surveys

Department morale, coaching effectiveness, workplace satisfaction

Exit Analysis

Transfer patterns, retention factors, attrition costs

Our Research Process

1

Design

Customize approach to your specific needs

2

Collect

Gather data through multiple methods

3

Analyze

Apply rigorous statistical analysis

4

Interpret

Translate data into meaningful insights

5

Recommend

Provide actionable next steps

All research conducted under university IRB standards with complete confidentiality protection.

Why Choose SCI for Research & Evaluation?

Academic Credibility

University of Oregon professor with 30+ years of research experience and peer-reviewed publications.

Sports Expertise

Faculty Athletics Representative who understands the unique dynamics and pressures of athletic departments.

Trusted Partner

Complete confidentiality with reports that protect your institution while providing honest insights.

From youth sports to Olympic organizations, we’ve conducted research that transforms cultures and prevents crises.

Research That Delivers Real Impact

100+

Organizations Assessed

10,000+

Athletes Surveyed

95%

Implementation Rate

Zero

Breaches of Confidentiality

Organizations using our research report significant improvements in culture, safety, and performance.

Get the Data You Need to Lead with Confidence

Stop guessing about your culture. Start knowing. Our research provides the objective insights you need to make informed decisions and prevent preventable crises.

Schedule Research Consultation →

Confidential consultation to discuss your research needs and assessment options.

Sources

Student-Athlete Experience and Transfer Assessment

Honest Game, Making the Move: The Ultimate Guide to Navigating the NCAA Transfer Portal (2025), https://honestgame.com/blog/ncaa-transfer-portal/ [documenting over 31,000 student-athletes entering portal annually; potential loss of athletic aid, academic services, and roster spots upon portal entry].

NCAA Transfer Portal, Wikipedia (2025), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_transfer_portal [portal launched October 15, 2018, as compliance tool; 2024 rule changes allowing immediate eligibility for multiple transfers].

Indiana University Sports Innovation Institute, NCAA Transfer Portal Analysis (2024), https://blogs.iu.edu/iuindysii/2024/05/15/ncaa-transfer-portal-analysis/ [data showing decreased performance metrics when transferring up, increased performance when transferring down].

NCAA Research Staff, Division I Student-Athlete Transfer Trends Dashboard (2022), https://www.ncaa.org/news/2022/4/25/media-center-new-dashboard-shows-di-student-athlete-transfer-trends.aspx [tracking transfer portal data from 2019-2021 academic years].

Financial Impact and Crisis Management

Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Finances of College Sports (2024), https://www.knightcommission.org/finances-college-sports/ [football coach severance pay tripled since 2015; median FBS coach salary exceeding $3.5 million].

Andrew Zimbalist, Analysis: Who Is Winning in the High-Revenue World of College Sports?, PBS News (Mar. 18, 2023) [Division I athletics generated $15.8 billion in 2019; athletic expenses surpassing revenues at overwhelming majority of programs].

Kevin Blue, Rising Expenses in College Athletics and the Non-Profit Paradox, Athletic Director U (Feb. 10, 2022), https://athleticdirectoru.com/articles/kevin-blue-rising-expenses-in-college-athletics-and-the-non-profit-paradox/ [analyzing zero-sum competition driving unsustainable expense growth].

Emma Whitford, Financial Crisis Related to Coronavirus Hits Athletic Departments, Inside Higher Ed (Apr. 24, 2020) [$375 million NCAA revenue distribution cut; Power Five departments experiencing $50M+ annual shortages].

Jon Marcus, Winning at All Costs: US College Athletics and the Curse of Money, Times Higher Education (Jan. 11, 2018) [North Carolina academic fraud affecting 1,000+ athletes over 18 years].

Hazing and Bullying Research

Hazing Prevention Network, Hazing Facts and Statistics (2023), https://hazingpreventionnetwork.org/hazing-facts/ [47% of students arrive at college having experienced hazing; 50% of female NCAA Division I athletes report hazing].

Diamond M. et al., The Spectrum of Hazing and Peer Sexual Abuse in Sports: A Current Perspective, 13 Sports Health 237 (2021) [60-95% of hazed athletes not reporting incidents; code of silence perpetuating underreporting].

Elizabeth J. Allan and Mary Madden, Hazing in View: College Students at Risk, StopHazing (2008), https://www.stophazing.org/hazing-view/ [74% of varsity athletes experienced hazing behaviors; only 1 in 10 labeled it as hazing].

Nadine C. Hoover and Norman J. Pollard, Initiation Rites in High School: A National Survey, Alfred University (2000) [1.5 million high school students experiencing hazing annually].

Nadine C. Hoover, Initiation Rites and Athletics: A National Survey of NCAA Sports Teams, Alfred University (1999) [80% of NCAA athletes experienced activities qualifying as hazing; over 250,000 athletes hazed to join college teams].

SCI Research and Publications

Joshua Gordon, Strategic Negotiation: Building Organizational Excellence (Routledge 2023) [organizational capability model for negotiation; preventing destructive conflicts through internal culture development].

Joshua Gordon, Gary Furlong and Ken Pendleton, The Sports Playbook: Building Teams That Outperform Year After Year (Routledge 2018) [framework for sustainable competitive advantage through culture development].

Sports Conflict Institute, White Paper on Cost of Conflict in Sports (2015), https://sportsconflict.org/white-paper-on-cost-of-conflict-in-sports/ [reactive responses 100x more expensive than proactive approaches].

Joshua Gordon, University of Oregon Heroes Cup System: Student-Athlete Development Assessment, Sports Conflict Institute (2013) [behavioral assessment system tested against three years of student-athlete data].

Assessment Methodology and Standards

NCAA, Division I Membership Financial Reporting System (2024) [23 expense categories for transparency; mandatory annual reporting].

International Ombudsman Association, Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics (2023), https://www.ombudsassociation.org/standards-of-practice-code-of-ethics [four core principles: independence, impartiality, confidentiality, informality].

Ken Pendleton, Standards of Reasonableness in Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment Cases, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Oregon (2008) [framework for applying reasonableness standards in assessment contexts].

Note: All research and evaluation services comply with institutional review board requirements and applicable privacy laws. Data collection methods prioritize participant confidentiality through aggregate, non-attributable reporting.