NCAA Division III Minority Female Student-Athlete Experiences

• In Event: 54.071 - Diversifying the Discussion: Experiences of Underrepresented Student-Athletes

Abstract

Minority student-athletes encounter challenges impacting their social life, academic success, athletic careers, and mental well-being, that are not commonly experienced by their white peers (Thompson, 2010). The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions and experience of minority female student-athletes in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), a NCAA Division III conference. Through a mixed methods questionnaire, participants reflected on their athletic careers, life in predominantly white community, and support they feel from athletic and academic administration. Themes emerged from the participant’s responses which included persistent microaggressions from peers, coaches and teammates, lack of campus and athletic diversity, and hardships from racial solitude requiring constant navigation of their identity to fit into their environment.

Authors

• Sheridan Blanford, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference

• Jennifer L. Hoffman, University of Washington