NAIA
Sports abbreviation · Sports League and Organization
| Stands for | National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics |
|---|---|
| Categories | Sports |
NAIA stands for National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a sports league and organization abbreviation.
Governing body for athletics at roughly 240 smaller colleges, separate from the NCAA. Member schools can offer athletic scholarships, and its eligibility and transfer rules are generally simpler than those of NCAA divisions.
Example: The point guard led his NAIA school to the national semifinals in Kansas City.
Usage notes
Grew out of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball, founded in 1937 to stage a small-college basketball tournament in Kansas City; it adopted the NAIA name in 1952. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1948 it opened its national tournament to Black athletes, which the association describes as a first for a national collegiate organization.
Related abbreviations
More sports league and organization abbreviations
- LIV – LIV Golf (Roman numeral 54)
- LPGA – Ladies Professional Golf Association
- MiLB – Minor League Baseball
- MLB – Major League Baseball
- MLBPA – Major League Baseball Players Association
- MLS – Major League Soccer
- NASCAR – National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
- NBA – National Basketball Association
- NBL – National Basketball League (Australia)
- NBPA – National Basketball Players Association
- NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association
- NFL – National Football League