Collegiate Athletes Engaging in Activism: Perceptions of Social Justice Causes and Support from Significant Social Agents

Abstract

Recently, collegiate athletes have used their platform to promote positive social change. Some possibilities for the increase of activism is athletes’ perceptions of societal issues and support from key social agents. However, these perceptions have been largely unexplored. The current study aimed to address those gaps by investigating collegiate athletes’ perceptions and investigating if various demographic characteristics influence the likelihood of activism engagement. Participants (n = 4,473) completed self-report scales on social justice causes and perceived support. For this sample, athletes who identified as male, Black, and More than One Race engaged in activism at a higher rate than expected and a majority of participants viewed all social issues as social justice causes. In terms of support, athletes viewed higher levels of general support than instrumental support and approval for engaging in activism and rated parents, friends, and teammates as most supportive in all three support categories. Activists, compared to non-activists, were more likely to view social issues as social justice related and rated most social agents as more approving of their own activism. Findings indicate that perceptions of social issues and support from social agents, especially non-sport social agents, might be one reason for collegiate athletes’ participation in activism.

The role of challenges and supports in engaging white athletes in activism for racial justice.

“…Research has found that social support from coaches, teammates, friends, family, and sport administrators are beneficial for college athlete mental health and well-being and decreases burnout (Cho et al, 2020; DeFreese & Smith, 2013, 2014; Gabana et al, 2017; Hagiwara et al, 2017) and social support from teammates, coaches, and athletic trainers has related to improved recovery, well-being, satisfaction, and resilience (e.g., Corbillon et al, 2008; Galli & Vealey, 2008; Judge et al, 2012; Lu & Hsu, 2013). Emerging research on support for athlete activism, while limited, has found that perception of support is an important aspect of athletes’ experience engaging in activism (Martin et al, 2022). For example, Martin et al (2022) found that athletes engaging in activism generally felt supported by parents, friends, and teammates, which “speaks to the importance of support from nonathletic department sources, even for collegiate athletes, and supports the idea that these individuals might be the most influential when athletes are deciding on whether or not to engage in activism” (p. 175).…”

“…Emerging research on support for athlete activism, while limited, has found that perception of support is an important aspect of athletes’ experience engaging in activism (Martin et al, 2022). For example, Martin et al (2022) found that athletes engaging in activism generally felt supported by parents, friends, and teammates, which “speaks to the importance of support from nonathletic department sources, even for collegiate athletes, and supports the idea that these individuals might be the most influential when athletes are deciding on whether or not to engage in activism” (p. 175).…”

Exploratory Study on Recognition of Soccer Agent and Expected Roles: Focused on College Soccer Players

“…College Soccer Players' Perceptions of and Need for Soccer Agents Sports agents are professionals who perform negotiations for scouting or annual salary contracts with professional sports teams on behalf of the athletes they represent and carry out activities to enhance their economic values through efficient management of their sports activities (Martin et al, 2022). In the in-depth interviews conducted in this study, 10 out of 14 college soccer players showed a positive attitude toward the services of sports agents such as signing opportunities, player management, player value enhancement, data management, and supply support, while four showed a negative attitude due to inappropriate and fraudulent agent activities and high fees.…”

Sport Social Work: Unique Opportunities, Benefits, and Barriers

“…At the macro-level, findings from the current study highlight sport social workers' commitment to social justice, which helps to advance the understanding of sport social workers from a non-clinical perspective. As sport is a microcosm of society (Newman et al, 2019), athletes have continued to speak out against systemic inequities and economic, political, and social injustices (Kluch, 2021;Mac Intosh et al, 2020;Martin et al, 2022). Thus, sport social workers-due to the NASW Code of Ethics-may be uniquely educated and trained to disrupt injustice and promote social change.…”