Book Review: L. S. Hagedorn and D. Horton, Jr. (Eds.) Student Athletes and Athletics (New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 147). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. 98 pp

Abstract

L. S. Hagedorn and D. Horton, Jr. (Eds.) Student Athletes and Athletics (New Directions for Community Colleges, No. 147). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2009. 98 pp.Student Athletes and Athletics provides an intriguing look at the largely ignored field of athletics in community colleges. Although editors Hagedorn and Horton purposefully tilt the focus of the chapters included in the book to represent the positive role that student athletics plays at a community college, the concluding chapter provides balance with a healthy dose of reality and critical thought about the challenges of managing athletics at a community college. Each of the eight chapters provides a unique perspective for examining community college athletics, including quantitative facts and figures, a phenomenological study investigating the positive aspects of athletic participation, critical race theory and minority male athletes, gender equity issues, practical suggestions and guidelines, and the student services role in athletics. The authors also provide a wealth of references, which, when located in this one resource, become an invaluable tool for synthesizing the literature on athletics in community colleges.Several themes prevail throughout the chapters, which include the writings of 12 authors. Institutional support for community college athletics - as well as clear connections between the institution's mission and athletics - is imperative for the success of athletic programs and student athletes. Along with support is the need for appropriate funding from multiple sources, including private funding or endowments and revenue-based sports, to adequately sustain athletic programs on a community college campus, where scholarships and financial aid for student athletes may often be limited. Although 4-year institutions have a variety of ways to fund college athletics, community colleges are much more limited, increasing the need to find creative funding sources. Many of the authors also describe increasing difficulties for community college administrators who wish to support athletic programs on their campuses. Concern about meeting NCAA requirements, which are growing increasingly stringent for transfer students, and the potential legal ramifications related to Title IX requirements calling for gender equity in college athletics are discussed. In addition, administrators may also face the need for greater support services for athletes who often have more academic needs, particularly minority male athletes. …