The Predominantly White Institution Admissions Game: Do Black Males Have to Be Student Athletes to Win?

• In Event: Crown Plaza Roundtable Session 13
  In Roundtable Session: The Black (Round)Table: At the Intersections of Blackness and College Sport

Abstract

College athletics have been credited with providing Blacks educational opportunities (NCAA Goals Study 2010) and contributing to campus racial diversity (Singer 2009). However, these institutions also have been criticized for exploiting young Black men (Nixon 2014; Hawkins 2010) for economic gain and institutional acclaim. Guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT), this paper--using NCAA data--examines disparities in admissions of Black male students as athletes vs nonathletes at predominantly white institutions of higher education (PWIs). Findings indicate that, compared to White males, Black males are less underrepresented as athletes than as nonathletes. We discuss tradeoffs of overemphasis on recruitment of Black males athletes. Our findings support the interest convergence principle that PWI's appear to emphasize “athletic integration” over "academic integration".

Authors

• Felecia Theune, University of Miami

• Jomills H. Braddock, University of Miami