The purpose of this study is to examine the experiences of student-athletes and how they perceive their sense of belonging to their institutions. The aim of this study is to determine what impacts the sense of belonging of student-athletes based on the sense of belonging theory from Strayhorn (2019). Narrative inquiry was the qualitative method used to investigate seven male student-athletes that are in the Sun Belt Conference. These participants were asked semi-structured interview questions, and it was discovered that relationships are the most significant indicators of these student-athletes feeling that they belong, that they feel connected, and that they feel that they matter at their institution. NIL does impact sense of belonging to a certain degree but that still has to be presented by another individual and is not offered to all student-athletes. The transfer portal does not directly impact sense of belonging but merely serves as an avenue to potentially relocate to another institution if a student-athlete does not feel that sense of belonging at their current institution.
