Athlete Autonomy and Wearable Technology: Collegiate Athletes’ Understanding and Perceptions of the Proprietary Use of Their Physical Performance Data

Within the institutional setting of collegiate athletics in the United States, wearable technology devices are regularly issued to competing college athletes for the purpose of harvesting their personal biometric performance data. Although data harvested from college athletes by institutionally issued wearable technologies are of potential value from a performance standpoint, a robust third-party marketplace also exists for athletes’ biometric performance data. At present, and in accordance with intensifying financial demands in collegiate athletics, the National Collegiate Athletic Association permits the unilateral harvest and sale of college athletes’ personal biometric data. Accordingly, the present study sought to explore current college athletes’ perceptions of the proprietary usage and sale of their personal biometric data. Findings illuminate both the necessity of informed governance with regard to protecting athletes’ privacy amid novel technological integration and legal and financial considerations given college athletes’ ability to monetize their name, image, and likeness.