An exploratory study of black male college athletes’ perceptions on race and athlete activism

Abstract

This qualitative pilot case study focuses on black male athletes at a major university in the United States of America (USA) and utilizes critical race theory (CRT) to understand their perspectives on race and athlete activism in the context of American society and sport. Our interviews with this important stakeholder group uncovered four themes related to their perceptions of race and athlete activism: 1) race is still an important issue in American society and sport; 2) knowledge about the activism of black athletes from the past is important; 3) differences in the mindset and attitude toward activism between current and past black athletes exist; and 4) black athletes have a responsibility to speak on social issues and causes today. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for theory, research, and practice. In addition, future research directions are offered for scholars who are interested in diversity and social justice in the context of American higher education and college sport.

The Transfer Effect: A Critical Race Theory Examination of Black Male Transfer Student Athletes’ Experiences

“…The current study serves as a response to Singer's (2005) recommendation for sport management scholars to incorporate race-based epistemologies in the examination of sport-related phenomena such as Black male student athletes' experiences at institutions of higher education. In this vein, the current study builds on the work of previous scholars who have used CRT as an analytic tool to examine the influence of race and racism on the academic and athletic culture at postsecondary institutions in the U.S. and Black student athletes' experiences (Agyemang, Singer, & DeLorme, 2010;Bimper et al, 2012;Comeaux, 2010b;Donnor, 2005;Harper, 2009;Singer, 2005Singer, , 2009Singer, Harrison, & Bukstein, 2010). Given the history of racism against Black males in the U.S. society and particularly in educational and sport settings (Cooper, 2012), CRT serves as an appropriate framework to analyze the impact of race and racism on the lived experiences of Black male transfer student athletes who attended a PWI and transferred to a HBCU.…”

Taking a Timeout to Ensure Well-Being: Social Work Involvement in College Sports

“…Yet, what is available points directly to the isolation and discrimination that black college athletes face (Agyemang, Singer, & DeLorme, 2010). In particular, black college athletes are more likely than white college athletes to be viewed only as college athletes and not as students, are more likely to be isolated from other members of the campus community, and are more likely to face academic discrimination by faculty members (Cornelius, 1995;Steinfeldt, Reed, & Steinfeldt, 2010).…”

Creating Social Change in and through Intercollegiate Sport

“…Indeed, research exploring various sport settings consistently shows instances of social injustice are commonplace in college sport and negatively affect athletes, coaches, administrators and staff. A review of this literature suggests most investigations have focused on the prevalence and destructive effects of injustices related to race (Agyemang, Singer, & DeLorme, 2010;Cunningham, 2010;Singer, 2005), gender (Bruening & Dixon, 2008;Burton, 2014;Cunningham, 2008;Fink, 2014;Shaw & Frisby, 2006) sexual orientation (Cunningham, 2012;Melton & Cunningham, 2012Sartore and Cunningham, 2010), physical ability (Misener & Darcy, 2014), unethical leadership practices (Burton & Welty Peachey, 2014), and athlete rights (Staurowsky, 2014). Interestingly though, theoretical and empirical examinations of how intercollegiate sport-as an institution and the individuals associated with it-promotes social change have lagged behind considerably.…”