BLOOMINGTON – IU Athletics scored favorably on a first-of-its-kind athlete survey conducted by a national players association polling its members on the strengths and weaknesses of departments across the country.
Athletes.org , a self-described players association built to “empower … member athletes by amplifying their voices,” built its survey in consultation with a variety of polling experts and members of other players’ unions in professional sports, including the NFLPA.
It quizzed more than 1,300 members across all its represented schools, asking athletes to rate their schools from 1-5 (5 being the most favorable) across nine distinct categories. Collecting and averaging those numbers together, Athletes.org generated an overall rating out of five for each school. Indiana landed seventh on that list, with an overall score of 4.4 out of 5.
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The department scored particularly well on categories including strength and conditioning, academic support, mental health support and college experience.
“Being a college athlete at Indiana University I feel very supported,” one respondent wrote. “I have been able to put five stars for the majority of the questions due to the supportive roles that athletics provides to student-athletes. As I compare to my friends who have (played) sports at different universities, I’ve found that I am blessed with all the resources provided to me.”
Athletes.org founders began formulating the idea for a survey essentially since the organization’s inception last year.
Former NFL linebacker Brandon Copeland, co-founder and CEO of Athletes.org, said the idea stemmed from a handful of motivations. AO consulted the NFLPA, for example, to understand how it goes about assembling its annual team report cards.
And, Copeland said, it only seemed right to give athletes — sorted according to rankings and stars from early in their recruitment process — a voice in giving the same consideration to the schools recruiting them.
“I’ve always told people we get ranked and rated and reviewed and critiqued,” Copeland said. “Let us get a chance to rate people. Let us be able to create some transparency in the market, because especially at the college level, you’re making the biggest decision of your life.”
Taken anonymously, AO built the survey with several layers of evaluation to expand athletes’ thought process at its beginning.
The idea, Copeland said, is to provoke athletes’ thoughts about the various aspects of their collegiate experience, and to draw more thoughtful conclusions from that process before answering questions. It doesn’t attempt to sugarcoat athletes’ responses, but encourages them to consider a wholistic view of their respective schools rather than focusing on any one intensely positive or negative aspect of their experience.
“Our tech team has worked really hard to build something that allows athletes to go through the entire thought process about their experience at their university, before they start writing their review,” Copeland said. “Now that you’ve taken some time to really sit down and think through all these things, now, we’re asking you for what your comments are about your university.”
Athletes.org intentionally designed the survey to push athletes for a more rounded look at their college experience.
The intention, Copeland said, is to give other member athletes a tool for evaluating schools during their recruiting process. And, he added, AO hopes schools can use the data as well, not as pointed criticism but as feedback with which they can improve.
“Schools definitely should be able to use the information and the true feedback from their athletes,” Copeland said. “Improve their weaknesses, and highlight their strengths — schools should be looking at this as an opportunity to do that.”
Per Athletes.org, Indiana’s athlete-by-athlete reviews were largely positive. The Hoosiers’ by-category scores are as follows (out of five):
Strength and conditioning: 4.8.
Athletic training: 4.6.
Competition facilities: 4.4.
Cafeteria/nutrition team: 4.1.
Academic support: 4.7.
Career and personal development: 4.4.
NIL support: 3.7.
College experience: 4.6.
Mental health support: 4.5.
“Being a college athlete at Indiana University is a privilege, and allows for so many different opportunities even outside of sports!” wrote one respondent. “The athletic staff all work together to make the athletes the best they can be in and out of their sport! Everyone is there to help YOU and make sure you have the resources that you need to succeed! There is always room for personal development and I feel that being an athlete at IU allows for that.”
From another: “IU has some of the best school spirit I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience. Professors and my fellow classmates ask me how my meets went or congratulating my team on our win. Overall a beautiful campus and a supportive culture.”
And another: “I have definitely enjoyed my experience here, completely different than my old school demographically, but from a football standpoint and student life perspective I have nothing but good things to say. The only thing I wish we did have were football only facilities. Sometimes we have to share our facilities with other sports because they do not have their own spaces.”
Ratings can change based on further responses, as more AO members contribute their thoughts and experiences. Ultimately, Copeland said, the goal is not to make schools feel anonymously attacked, but to give them an honest, firsthand accounting of how they’re serving their athletes, and where they can improve.
“This wasn’t built to tear you down. This was built to give you a true understanding of what your athletes think,” Copeland said. “They don’t know what they should be expecting from you. It’s our job to help educate them and find simple ways they’re used to and comfortable with to engage with them, so we can capture their voice.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU grades out well on first-of-its-kind anonymous athlete survey: 'I feel very supported'
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