A Predictive Analysis of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’ Male Student Athletes as Casualties of the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Racial Scrutiny of Black Bodies in the Academy

Abstract

Since the implementation of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) current academic reform policy, Historically Black Colleges & Universities’ (HBCUs) male sports teams have systematically been penalized more often for their failure to meet the NCAA’s academic standard (NCAA, 2016a). In 2004, the NCAA set a numerical standard to monitor eligibility and retention for each Division I team (New, 2015). Athletic teams that fail to meet the predetermined standard are subject to penalties. However, starting at the beginning of the 2016-2017 academic year, the academic standard increased for all Division I teams (NCAA, 2016a). Using the NCAA’s publicly accessible databases, logistic regression predicted the likelihood of HBCU male teams’ ability to meet the newly increased academic standard. Based on data from 2013-2014, HBCU male teams were .02 times less likely to meet the increased APR standard compared to non-HBCU male teams.

Author

• Monique Ositelu, The Florida State University