Student-Athlete Identity Formation and the Relationship Between Athletic and Academic Subcultures

• In Event: 43.063 - Crossing the Chalk Line: Perspectives on Sports Culture and K–12 Education

Abstract

The controversy that surrounds the benefits of athletic participation for K-12 students requires ongoing conversation. An alarming amount of negative media attention has been given to certain school districts, coaching personnel, and organizations about their handling of student-athletes (cf., McCabe, 2015), who are often valued only for their athletic promise (Casey, 2015; Lapchick, 1987). It is reasonable that teachers, coaches, and administrators would be concerned about student-athletes entering classrooms disengaged, unmotivated and, most importantly, lacking academic and social self-esteem. Most student-athletes understand that passing through the doorway to practice entails a transition from one set of expectations to another. Finding ways to better integrate those expectations is a challenge, but crucial for student-athlete growth. In lower socioeconomic settings where there is a scarcity of resources, children are at higher risk of delinquent behavior without a positive outlet. Research shows that sports-based extracurricular activities stimulate success in the classroom and spur progress in social development (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002; Payne & Fogarty, 2007). Educational leaders now realize that, in order for student-athletes to reach their full potential, the entire district must function as one village. In particular, there is a need to eliminate the cultural assumption that athletics exist and function as a separate entity within the district.

In this paper, I draw upon Erikson’s (1968) identity theory and social identity theory (Hogg, 2001; Tajfel, 1974) to examine how the interworking of team membership, self-esteem, relationship-building, and social status are associated with the athletic subculture and might be tapped by K-12 educators to benefit student-athletes. I employ a case study approach (Sieminski, Messenger, & Murphy, 2016; de Vaus, 2001) to explore these themes within a novel initiative developed by high school educators at an urban high school in Michigan. The teachers had noticed how the student-athletes were isolated and had a sense of superiority and entitlement. Most troubling was how, once they were outside of athletics, they were non-contributors to the school. In response, several teachers developed an after-school enrichment program—a leadership club—that capitalized on the student-athletes’ desires to compete and be seen as leaders. The broad goal of the club was to create a more inclusive school culture. Moreover, the teachers and administration hoped the club would change the behaviors and mindset of the student-athletes. The program grew in popularity, with teachers and coaches seeing encouraging signs of such changes among the student-athletes. As I elaborate in the full paper, this case study provides a practical example of group membership, loyalty, and the isolation that exist once student-athletes become emerged in the athletic subculture, and how educators might build relationships between that subculture and its academic complement.

Author

• De'Andre Shepard, University of Michigan - Flint