Black Male Athletes’ Neighborhood Experiences: High-Achieving Black Males Who Play High School Sports

• In Event: Innovation in K-12 Sport Through Classrooms and Communities

Abstract

Originating from a pilot study (conducted spring 2012) of a low-income Black community in a Midwestern city, this paper examines how Black males who are talented high school athletes, and who live in low-income urban communities, are also high achieving students. The focus of this paper runs counter to scholarly and lay narratives of Black male student-athletes from low-income urban communities. In-depth interviews with four Black male adolescents are situated within a macro-analysis of the neighborhood context. Key themes from the interview data revealed how Black male student-athletes avoided violent situations within their communities, the role of extracurricular activities as a way of expanding their exposure beyond athletics, and their desire to assume ownership and leadership roles within major sports.

Author

• Adeoye Adeyemo, University of Georgia