The emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals (i.e., staff with DEI-speci... more The emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals (i.e., staff with DEI-specific responsibilities) is a fairly recent phenomenon, and research to date has rarely examined the experiences of these DEI administrators despite the fact they are often solely charged with driving DEI within and beyond their department. Utilizing Ahmed’s diversity work framework, this study draws from semistructured interviews with 23 athletic administrators to identify barriers to efforts for driving DEI action in the context of intercollegiate athletics. Five higher-order themes were identified in the data, representing barriers to effective DEI work: (a) structural barriers, (b) cultural barriers, (c) conceptual barriers, (d) emotional barriers, and (e) social/relational barriers. Findings indicate that DEI athletics professionals perceive barriers on multiple levels, from personal levels (emotional and social/relational barriers) to those of a systemic nature (structural, cultural, ...
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of diversity, equity, and in... more The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals in the NCAA athletics governance structure. The specific focus was centered on the multiple crises of summer 2020, including both the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for social injustices and its effects on DEI work and the impacts on DEI professionals within college athletics. In total, 23 semi-structured interviews were completed with the DEI professionals, with five major themes emerging from the results, including: (1) Reorganization of Priorities, (2) Reactive vs. Proactive Work, (3) Challenges of Virtual DEI Engagement, (4) Emotional Fatigue, and (5) Validation of DEI work. The implications for future research and practitioners will be further explored.
The landscape of women in college sports has improved dramatically since the enactment of Title I... more The landscape of women in college sports has improved dramatically since the enactment of Title IX in 1972. Participation rates and funding have increased, providing a more inclusive environment for female student-athletes to compete. However, females ascending to leadership positions within the NCAA has experienced a downward trend. Currently, males hold the majority of athletic director positions and serve as head coaches on more than half of female varsity sport teams. This may be detrimental to female studentathletes, as women in leadership positions provide same-gender role models and mentor relationships for female student-athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between coaching gender and perceived self-efficacy of female student-athletes to pursue coaching as a profession, while also investigating the impact of perceived barriers (discrimination and working hours) to entering the field. The sample population, Division III female student-athletes (n...
International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 833-844, 2017. Sport has become racialized such ... more International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 833-844, 2017. Sport has become racialized such that minority youth accrue limited health and academic benefits from participation, compared to their White counterparts. Understanding the welcomeness that minorities feel in sport, leisure and physical activities plays an important role in breaking down barriers to participation. Thus, the overall aim of this study is to further examine the determinants of sport participation, particularly as it relates to race, socialization and perceived welcomeness. College students (N = 451) scored their perceived level of welcomeness for Whites, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos in 14 sports. Results reveal significant differences in the perceived welcomeness felt by Whites, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos in most of the sports analyzed. The discussion focuses on the socialization agents that facilitate such racialized perceptions and hinder access and opportunities for racial and ethn...
Higher education in the United States, and sport management in particular, has faced contemporary... more Higher education in the United States, and sport management in particular, has faced contemporary attacks for its perceived lack of academic rigor. To investigate these criticisms, this study examined 830 students enrolled in 69 semester-long courses across four consecutive years in a single sport management program to measure perceived course rigor and its relationship to overall course ratings, course grades, and course level. Seven rigor questions were added to existing student ratings and distributed at the end of each semester. A factor analysis strongly supported the conceptualization of rigor utilized in the study. Pearson correlations indicated that student ratings and rigor were positively related. An ordinary least squares multiple regression also revealed that overall student ratings and course grades significantly aid in predicting course rigor. Pragmatically, the results suggest that sport management students appreciate rigorous courses and that faculty should strive to...
One prominent, well-debated issue in the American higher education system is whether university o... more One prominent, well-debated issue in the American higher education system is whether university officials should remove the names of individuals with racist pasts from campus buildings/structures that bear their namesake. The purpose of this study was to analyze basketball and football facilities at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision institutions to explore the racialized history of the people whom these facilities are named after. Utilizing a collective case study approach, the authors identified 19 facilities that were named after athletic administrators, coaches, and philanthropists who engaged in racist activities or harbored racist views. The authors argue, using critical race theory and systemic racism theory as interpretative lenses, that naming buildings after racist persons legitimizes their legacies, rationalizes systemic racism, and continues to unjustly enrich this particular group.
ABSTRACT Racial discrimination in the coaching labor market has garnered substantial attention am... more ABSTRACT Racial discrimination in the coaching labor market has garnered substantial attention among researchers; however, scholars have struggled to empirically answer the question of why these disparities exist. The stacking of players into certain positions based on race in football substantially impacts future coaching candidate pools, as studies consistently find that incumbents of central positions experience more upward mobility in their careers. The purpose of the present study is to identify factors that allow coaches to make lateral moves into central coaching positions, specifically focusing on race. Examining all lateral moves among position and assistant position coaches across 32 National Football League seasons, logistic regression results indicate that, holding central position playing experience constant, Black coaches are less likely to lateral move to coach central positions. Moreover, earlier and later in the sample period, minority head coaches were less likely to assign Black assistant coaches to coach central positions. In addition to race, a separate effect of central position playing experience exists, which further emphasizes the effect of racial stacking, resulting in Black coaches experiencing discrimination still emanating from their playing careers. Based on these findings, implications within and outside sport are discussed. HIGHLIGHTS Black coaches are less likely to lateral move to coach central positions. Coaching staff diversity remained steady since the 2003 Rooney Rule implementation. Minority head coaches increasingly assigned Blacks to central positions until 2003. Minority head coaches decreasingly assigned Blacks to central positions after 2002. Central position playing experience increases chances of coaching central positions.
This article examines how some in the American media covered the emergence of Asian and Asian Ame... more This article examines how some in the American media covered the emergence of Asian and Asian American athletes in the historically White-dominated sport of figure skating. Utilizing McDonald and B...
Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education
ABSTRACT Ensuring that student-athletes develop the competencies and skills needed to get jobs, n... more ABSTRACT Ensuring that student-athletes develop the competencies and skills needed to get jobs, not just degrees, after graduation is a responsibility that college athletic departments are trying to achieve through student-athlete support services. Past research has revealed concerns that student-athletes may lack practical work experiences given the time invested in their sports. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine what services are currently available to assist student-athletes in obtaining an internship and/or practicum, and the subsequent challenges that arise in getting student-athletes to utilize those services. Our findings show that student-athlete support service programming has advanced (e.g. job shadowing, mini-internships, student-athlete specific networking events, etc.) in efforts to provide creative and diverse experiential learning opportunities to student-athletes. Furthermore, our conversations highlighted the challenges student-athlete support service professionals encounter when working with student-athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators.
Abstract Racial tasking focuses on prejudicial attitudes toward racial minorities’ athletic and c... more Abstract Racial tasking focuses on prejudicial attitudes toward racial minorities’ athletic and cognitive abilities, and the subsequent impact on coaching decisions. Lacking, however, is a definitive conceptualization of racial tasking and its theoretical tenets. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to advance the concept by clearly outlining the four essential tenets of racial tasking: (a) positional similarity, (b) racial dissimilarity, (c) interest convergence/task divergence, and (d) capital (dis)accumulation. To this end, the authors introduce and review influential theories and ideologies, with particular application to the sport industry. In doing so, the authors detail the primary tenets of racial tasking, provide examples, and discuss implications to further situate this phenomenon and framework within the sport industry and sport management research.
Abstract Tiffany Chin’s emergence in figure skating, and the ways in which she was depicted by th... more Abstract Tiffany Chin’s emergence in figure skating, and the ways in which she was depicted by the media, can be understood as the birth of the oriental female skater on White ice. Figure skating has historically been viewed as a White sport, so Chin’s success in that space created an opportunity for future Asian American skaters. To that end, the media’s coverage of Chin offers insight into how the ‘differences’ of Asian American female skaters were initially registered, constructed, and communicated in a racialized and gendered way. This claim is supported through an understanding of how the background and history of American women’s figure skating, the sport’s traditional alignment with Whiteness, and a critical reading the media narratives surrounding Chin, combine to represent an American view that framed this Chin’s successes as the birth of the oriental female skater.
Journal of Higher Education Athletics & Innovation
This study sought to determine what factors influence the decision-making processes of college fo... more This study sought to determine what factors influence the decision-making processes of college football coaches when over-signing a recruiting class and/or roster. NCAA Bylaws limit the number of scholarships Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) members can award for their program (85) and annually (25) in recruiting. Over-signing is the term used to describe the practice of college programs signing prospective collegiate athletes to a National Letter of Intent (NLI) that may exceed the maximum number of athletic scholarships permitted by the NCAA, or when a team brings in a recruiting class that pushes the team’s number of players on scholarship past 85. This action results in coaching staffs taking a scholarship away from a returning player or later informing an incoming player he will not be extended a scholarship. Although many sport journalists have written about this issue (Bachman, 2011; Doyel, 2010; Feldman, 2007; Gordon, 2011; Towers, 2011; Whiteside, 2011), it has not yet been ...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine fan opinion toward the active recruitment of pr... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine fan opinion toward the active recruitment of prospective student-athletes with deviant pasts. College football fans were surveyed to determine to what extent the deviant behavior of a prospective student-athlete impacted how much they would support their favorite team recruiting that athlete. There were three primary findings: (a) deviant behavior negatively impacts a prospective student-athlete’s fan support score, (b) assault of a female student is the most severe deviant behavior in which an athlete could engage, and (c) White recruits were judged more harshly for using illegal drugs when compared to Black recruits.
The current study examined how athletic stakeholders (e.g., coaches and support staff) at a NCAA ... more The current study examined how athletic stakeholders (e.g., coaches and support staff) at a NCAA Division I mid-major university attempt to assist international student-athletes (ISAs) with their transition into the American university setting. Semi-structured interviews with 10 athletic administrators and coaches discussed common transition issues ISAs typically encounter (e.g., cultural changes, dietary/nutritional adjustments, financial misunderstandings, homesickness, etc.), as well as resources (e.g., consistent on-boarding checklists) and a training (e.g., cultural competency training) that should be provided to practitioners that assist/coach ISAs. Additionally, programmatic offerings that might provide support systems and improve the student-athlete experience for ISAs were discussed. Our findings highlight the considerations that athletic administrators and coaches should know when attempting to support ISAs during the beginning stages of their transition to America. Due to...
The emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals (i.e., staff with DEI-speci... more The emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals (i.e., staff with DEI-specific responsibilities) is a fairly recent phenomenon, and research to date has rarely examined the experiences of these DEI administrators despite the fact they are often solely charged with driving DEI within and beyond their department. Utilizing Ahmed’s diversity work framework, this study draws from semistructured interviews with 23 athletic administrators to identify barriers to efforts for driving DEI action in the context of intercollegiate athletics. Five higher-order themes were identified in the data, representing barriers to effective DEI work: (a) structural barriers, (b) cultural barriers, (c) conceptual barriers, (d) emotional barriers, and (e) social/relational barriers. Findings indicate that DEI athletics professionals perceive barriers on multiple levels, from personal levels (emotional and social/relational barriers) to those of a systemic nature (structural, cultural, ...
The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of diversity, equity, and in... more The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals in the NCAA athletics governance structure. The specific focus was centered on the multiple crises of summer 2020, including both the COVID-19 pandemic and calls for social injustices and its effects on DEI work and the impacts on DEI professionals within college athletics. In total, 23 semi-structured interviews were completed with the DEI professionals, with five major themes emerging from the results, including: (1) Reorganization of Priorities, (2) Reactive vs. Proactive Work, (3) Challenges of Virtual DEI Engagement, (4) Emotional Fatigue, and (5) Validation of DEI work. The implications for future research and practitioners will be further explored.
The landscape of women in college sports has improved dramatically since the enactment of Title I... more The landscape of women in college sports has improved dramatically since the enactment of Title IX in 1972. Participation rates and funding have increased, providing a more inclusive environment for female student-athletes to compete. However, females ascending to leadership positions within the NCAA has experienced a downward trend. Currently, males hold the majority of athletic director positions and serve as head coaches on more than half of female varsity sport teams. This may be detrimental to female studentathletes, as women in leadership positions provide same-gender role models and mentor relationships for female student-athletes. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between coaching gender and perceived self-efficacy of female student-athletes to pursue coaching as a profession, while also investigating the impact of perceived barriers (discrimination and working hours) to entering the field. The sample population, Division III female student-athletes (n...
International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 833-844, 2017. Sport has become racialized such ... more International Journal of Exercise Science 10(6): 833-844, 2017. Sport has become racialized such that minority youth accrue limited health and academic benefits from participation, compared to their White counterparts. Understanding the welcomeness that minorities feel in sport, leisure and physical activities plays an important role in breaking down barriers to participation. Thus, the overall aim of this study is to further examine the determinants of sport participation, particularly as it relates to race, socialization and perceived welcomeness. College students (N = 451) scored their perceived level of welcomeness for Whites, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos in 14 sports. Results reveal significant differences in the perceived welcomeness felt by Whites, African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos in most of the sports analyzed. The discussion focuses on the socialization agents that facilitate such racialized perceptions and hinder access and opportunities for racial and ethn...
Higher education in the United States, and sport management in particular, has faced contemporary... more Higher education in the United States, and sport management in particular, has faced contemporary attacks for its perceived lack of academic rigor. To investigate these criticisms, this study examined 830 students enrolled in 69 semester-long courses across four consecutive years in a single sport management program to measure perceived course rigor and its relationship to overall course ratings, course grades, and course level. Seven rigor questions were added to existing student ratings and distributed at the end of each semester. A factor analysis strongly supported the conceptualization of rigor utilized in the study. Pearson correlations indicated that student ratings and rigor were positively related. An ordinary least squares multiple regression also revealed that overall student ratings and course grades significantly aid in predicting course rigor. Pragmatically, the results suggest that sport management students appreciate rigorous courses and that faculty should strive to...
One prominent, well-debated issue in the American higher education system is whether university o... more One prominent, well-debated issue in the American higher education system is whether university officials should remove the names of individuals with racist pasts from campus buildings/structures that bear their namesake. The purpose of this study was to analyze basketball and football facilities at Division I Football Bowl Subdivision institutions to explore the racialized history of the people whom these facilities are named after. Utilizing a collective case study approach, the authors identified 19 facilities that were named after athletic administrators, coaches, and philanthropists who engaged in racist activities or harbored racist views. The authors argue, using critical race theory and systemic racism theory as interpretative lenses, that naming buildings after racist persons legitimizes their legacies, rationalizes systemic racism, and continues to unjustly enrich this particular group.
ABSTRACT Racial discrimination in the coaching labor market has garnered substantial attention am... more ABSTRACT Racial discrimination in the coaching labor market has garnered substantial attention among researchers; however, scholars have struggled to empirically answer the question of why these disparities exist. The stacking of players into certain positions based on race in football substantially impacts future coaching candidate pools, as studies consistently find that incumbents of central positions experience more upward mobility in their careers. The purpose of the present study is to identify factors that allow coaches to make lateral moves into central coaching positions, specifically focusing on race. Examining all lateral moves among position and assistant position coaches across 32 National Football League seasons, logistic regression results indicate that, holding central position playing experience constant, Black coaches are less likely to lateral move to coach central positions. Moreover, earlier and later in the sample period, minority head coaches were less likely to assign Black assistant coaches to coach central positions. In addition to race, a separate effect of central position playing experience exists, which further emphasizes the effect of racial stacking, resulting in Black coaches experiencing discrimination still emanating from their playing careers. Based on these findings, implications within and outside sport are discussed. HIGHLIGHTS Black coaches are less likely to lateral move to coach central positions. Coaching staff diversity remained steady since the 2003 Rooney Rule implementation. Minority head coaches increasingly assigned Blacks to central positions until 2003. Minority head coaches decreasingly assigned Blacks to central positions after 2002. Central position playing experience increases chances of coaching central positions.
This article examines how some in the American media covered the emergence of Asian and Asian Ame... more This article examines how some in the American media covered the emergence of Asian and Asian American athletes in the historically White-dominated sport of figure skating. Utilizing McDonald and B...
Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education
ABSTRACT Ensuring that student-athletes develop the competencies and skills needed to get jobs, n... more ABSTRACT Ensuring that student-athletes develop the competencies and skills needed to get jobs, not just degrees, after graduation is a responsibility that college athletic departments are trying to achieve through student-athlete support services. Past research has revealed concerns that student-athletes may lack practical work experiences given the time invested in their sports. Thus, the purpose of this study is to determine what services are currently available to assist student-athletes in obtaining an internship and/or practicum, and the subsequent challenges that arise in getting student-athletes to utilize those services. Our findings show that student-athlete support service programming has advanced (e.g. job shadowing, mini-internships, student-athlete specific networking events, etc.) in efforts to provide creative and diverse experiential learning opportunities to student-athletes. Furthermore, our conversations highlighted the challenges student-athlete support service professionals encounter when working with student-athletes, coaches, and athletic administrators.
Abstract Racial tasking focuses on prejudicial attitudes toward racial minorities’ athletic and c... more Abstract Racial tasking focuses on prejudicial attitudes toward racial minorities’ athletic and cognitive abilities, and the subsequent impact on coaching decisions. Lacking, however, is a definitive conceptualization of racial tasking and its theoretical tenets. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to advance the concept by clearly outlining the four essential tenets of racial tasking: (a) positional similarity, (b) racial dissimilarity, (c) interest convergence/task divergence, and (d) capital (dis)accumulation. To this end, the authors introduce and review influential theories and ideologies, with particular application to the sport industry. In doing so, the authors detail the primary tenets of racial tasking, provide examples, and discuss implications to further situate this phenomenon and framework within the sport industry and sport management research.
Abstract Tiffany Chin’s emergence in figure skating, and the ways in which she was depicted by th... more Abstract Tiffany Chin’s emergence in figure skating, and the ways in which she was depicted by the media, can be understood as the birth of the oriental female skater on White ice. Figure skating has historically been viewed as a White sport, so Chin’s success in that space created an opportunity for future Asian American skaters. To that end, the media’s coverage of Chin offers insight into how the ‘differences’ of Asian American female skaters were initially registered, constructed, and communicated in a racialized and gendered way. This claim is supported through an understanding of how the background and history of American women’s figure skating, the sport’s traditional alignment with Whiteness, and a critical reading the media narratives surrounding Chin, combine to represent an American view that framed this Chin’s successes as the birth of the oriental female skater.
Journal of Higher Education Athletics & Innovation
This study sought to determine what factors influence the decision-making processes of college fo... more This study sought to determine what factors influence the decision-making processes of college football coaches when over-signing a recruiting class and/or roster. NCAA Bylaws limit the number of scholarships Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) members can award for their program (85) and annually (25) in recruiting. Over-signing is the term used to describe the practice of college programs signing prospective collegiate athletes to a National Letter of Intent (NLI) that may exceed the maximum number of athletic scholarships permitted by the NCAA, or when a team brings in a recruiting class that pushes the team’s number of players on scholarship past 85. This action results in coaching staffs taking a scholarship away from a returning player or later informing an incoming player he will not be extended a scholarship. Although many sport journalists have written about this issue (Bachman, 2011; Doyel, 2010; Feldman, 2007; Gordon, 2011; Towers, 2011; Whiteside, 2011), it has not yet been ...
ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine fan opinion toward the active recruitment of pr... more ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine fan opinion toward the active recruitment of prospective student-athletes with deviant pasts. College football fans were surveyed to determine to what extent the deviant behavior of a prospective student-athlete impacted how much they would support their favorite team recruiting that athlete. There were three primary findings: (a) deviant behavior negatively impacts a prospective student-athlete’s fan support score, (b) assault of a female student is the most severe deviant behavior in which an athlete could engage, and (c) White recruits were judged more harshly for using illegal drugs when compared to Black recruits.
The current study examined how athletic stakeholders (e.g., coaches and support staff) at a NCAA ... more The current study examined how athletic stakeholders (e.g., coaches and support staff) at a NCAA Division I mid-major university attempt to assist international student-athletes (ISAs) with their transition into the American university setting. Semi-structured interviews with 10 athletic administrators and coaches discussed common transition issues ISAs typically encounter (e.g., cultural changes, dietary/nutritional adjustments, financial misunderstandings, homesickness, etc.), as well as resources (e.g., consistent on-boarding checklists) and a training (e.g., cultural competency training) that should be provided to practitioners that assist/coach ISAs. Additionally, programmatic offerings that might provide support systems and improve the student-athlete experience for ISAs were discussed. Our findings highlight the considerations that athletic administrators and coaches should know when attempting to support ISAs during the beginning stages of their transition to America. Due to...
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