National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics

www.naia.org

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) was established in 1940 and is an athletic association that uniquely serves the interests of small colleges by driving student-athlete enrollment and financial sustainability. NAIA conducts championships across a wide range of sports for men and women. Additionally, NAIA’s Champions of Character program promotes character and sportsmanship through athletics.
 

Sports Destination Management: The last time we checked in, women’s wrestling was still an emerging sport. How is it doing these days?
 

Jim Carr: Women’s wrestling has grown a lot more quickly than we’d even anticipated. We offered our first 2024 NAIA Women’s Wrestling Championship in March; Menlo College from California was the winner.
 

SDM: Women’s flag football is classified as an emerging sport in NAIA; how is the growth there?
 

Carr: Flag has had a harder time getting started; part of that is the fact that colleges are depending on high schools to have the programs. We are seeing more states, mostly out west, start to add it as an official high school sport for girls, though, so that is good.
 

SDM: What about pickleball?
 

Carr: There is a lot of interest! We have schools putting in courts for students to use recreationally.
 

SDM: What is the process for a sport to move through the emerging stage and into being a full championship sport?
 

Carr: We start with an emerging sport; when we get up to 25 programs being offered, that sport is in the invitational state. Once it reaches 40 or more schools, it becomes a full championship sport. Right now, for example, beach volleyball is an invitational sport.
 

Something else we’re starting up is esports. We really want to do it the right way so we’ve been working with the National Association for Collegiate Esports (NACE). I wasn’t sure what to think about gaming at first but it really is a good way to get kids out of their basements and to help them be part of a community with other students.
 

Sports have become a real driver of enrollment for our schools – for all schools, really. People used to think sports were just something that cost money but the way athletics are positioned on a campus has changed. Sports are a way for small private institutions to get attention and grow enrollment in a way that is responsible and provides a great experience for athletes and other students. You can keep your tuition and costs down and keep up your facilities. Maybe you have 25 to 30 sports programs at smaller schools but they are using fewer facilities than a big school uses, and those facilities can also be used for meetings and graduations.
 

SDM: What do you think are some of the unique challenges faced by smaller institutions?
 

Carr: Awareness is the biggest thing. It is becoming more challenging for small and private schools to compete with the marketing machines of larger institutions.
 

SDM: There are students, though, who thrive in the environment a smaller school provides.
 

Carr: Exactly. Some kids are just wired to go to smaller schools, and they do really well there. Others want the bells and whistles that a larger school can provide.
 

SDM: NAIA’s website has an incredibly robust section that allows destinations to bid on its championship events, as well as a lot of great background information.
 

Carr: We have some great championships with athletes who compete really hard. We’d love to visit with folks who want to host them. SDM