Black Male Collegiate Athletes’ Perceptions of Social Support

• In Event: 130 - Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 05. Race and Ethnicity in Education

Abstract

Black male collegiate athletes are a group prone to wellness disparities. Although we know a great deal about their experiences with physical stressors, we know little about their experiences with social stress. More importantly, the literature is almost completely void of a discussion about the mechanisms available to these athletes to buffer stress. This article examines Black male collegiate athletes’ perceptions of the social support that they receive at a predominantly white university. Data was collected in the form of in-depth interviews from Black male athletes who were all members of a varsity sports team. The respondents identify various providers of social support--in athletic and social contexts--as well as discrepancies in social support. Specifically, student-athletes expressed a significant drop-off in support during the off-season. Suggestions for future research as well as suggestions for addressing the disparities in social support will be discussed herein.

Author

• Alan V. Grigsby, University of Cincinnati