Exploring the influence of Black liberatory theory on collegiate sport reform initiatives

Abstract

As the oppressions of U.S. collegiate sport persist, recent collegiate sport reform efforts have emerged to address the racial injustices and inequalities that remain in contemporary collegiate sport. Because racial justice reform efforts in college sport are intricately linked to broader visions and pursuits of Black liberation, it is necessary for these efforts to acknowledge the diversity of Black political perspectives and explicitly consider precisely which theoretical model underpins their pursuit of racial justice in college sport. The aim of this paper is to outline how racial justice initiatives within collegiate sport have been theoretically and strategically connected to broader Black social movements and the liberatory visions that accompany them. Specifically, I examine how some of the most common theories of Black liberation – Black Liberal Integrationism, Black Nationalism, Black Marxism, and Black Feminism – have shaped the tactical and utopian directions of key movements in the history of collegiate sport activism; such as the boycott efforts led by Dr. Harry Edwards in the late 1960s, the push for HBCU athletics throughout the late 1900s, and the recent University of Missouri football strike in 2015. In effect, I argue that exploring the implicit intra-Black political divergences and tensions of past Black social movements can reveal instructive insights for contemporary collegiate sport reformers that can aid in achieving a more collective, structurally focused, and intersectional vision for transforming collegiate sport.