Race, Sport, and Sociocognitive “Place” in Higher Education: Black Male Student-Athletes as Critical Theorists

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to further examine the juxtaposition of race, sport, and higher education. It utilized an existential-phenomenological approach to obtain data from a purposeful case selection of three Black male student-athletes enrolled in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 collegiate football program. Through the lenses of social-cognitive theory and critical race theory, the results elucidated (a) the impact of race as a psychological, cultural, and social anchor of “place” for Black male student-athletes on a predominantly White college/university campus, and (b) race intersectionality with age, gender, social class, and environment to influence their educational experience. The contributions of Black male student-athletes as critical theorists are highlighted, and a model depicting the relationships between race, sport, and the sociocognitive “place” of Black males in higher education as articulated by the participants is presented.