Admission of Black Male Student-Athletes to Predominantly White Institutions.

Theune, Felecia L.; Braddock, Jomills H.; Dawkins, Marvin P.

College athletics have been credited with providing educational opportunities for Black students and contributing to campus racial diversity. However, many institutions also have been criticized for exploiting young Black men for economic gain and institutional acclaim. Guided by critical race theory (CRT), this study analyzed data from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) of higher education in the United States to examine disparities in the admission of Black male students as athletes versus nonathletes. We found that Black males, compared to White males, were more likely to be underrepresented as nonathletes and overrepresented as students who participate in revenue-producing sports - football and basketball. The results support the interest convergence principle of CRT. Therefore, the recruitment of Black male athletes can be seen as furthering athletic integration over academic integration, providing evidence that Black male access to PWIs is driven more strongly by Dominant White Self-Interest (DWI) than Equity and Social Justice (ESJ).

CRITICAL race theory; HIGHER education & state; COLLEGE sports; MALE athletes; BLACK men

Negro Educational Review, 2020, Vol 71, Issue 1-4, p83

0548-1457

Academic Journal