Campus Recreational Sports Participation and Academic Cheating: A Pilot Study

College student participation in extracurricular activities is recognized as a contributing factor to an increase in academic cheating behaviors. National Intramural and Recreational Sport Association (NIRSA)-sponsored sports emphasize that all participants demonstrate appropriate ethical behaviors (i.e., sportsmanship) throughout competition. This study explores the impact that participation in recreational sports programs in college has on the frequency of self-reported instances of academic cheating. Specifically, we assess whether participation in NIRSA-sponsored activities which focus on the development of ethical behaviors in sports (i.e., sportsmanship), translates into ethical behaviors in the classroom, as measured through self-reported instances of academic dishonesty. Results show that participation in NIRSA-sponsored programs is directly related to an increase in self-reported instances of academic cheating.