Equitable, Indifferent, or Unjust? College Access and Ascendance via Sport

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Operation Varsity Blues (OVB)—the largest admission scandal in US history—charged Rick Singer and his clients with corrupting athletic recruitment (Smith 2019). By marking Singer’s actions as illegal, the prosecutors demarcated all other actions in athletic admissions as fair, transparent, and objective (Hextrum, 2019b). Current caselaw permits universities to set aside admission slots with different evaluation criteria for college athletes. This symposium will feature scholars and practitioners who have studied and/or currently work within athletic admissions to situate OVB within the historical, social, economic, and cultural contexts of college access. We will consider whether legal athletic admissions practices provide fair routes to college via sport and discuss necessary changes to ensure equitable educational access in the 21st century.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Research Focus on Education and Sport

Chair

• Kirsten Hextrum, Oregon State University

Papers

• Gentleman Amateurs: How NCAA Regulations and College Admissions Decisions Preserve Elite White Masculine Norms - Kirsten Hextrum, Oregon State University

• Checks and Balances: Examining Equitable Recruiting Admission Practices and NCAA Regulation for Prospective Student Athletes - Carlos E. Vega, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Understanding Latinx College Athletes' Pathway to the NCAA - Guillermo Ortega, Idaho State University

• Getting in the Game: Esports as an Emerging College Access Point - Wayne Black, University of Cincinnati

Discussant

• Kirsten Hextrum, Oregon State University