Abstract
The purpose of this research note is to urge intercollegiate athletic departments and their administrators to foster a sense of belonging amongst Black female college athletes to aid in their felt membership as a college athlete and support their development as viable employment candidates in college sport. Black female college athletes’ graduation rates are on the rise; however, these being hired at dismal rates in college sport. By fostering a sense of belonging, Black female college athletes as a historically marginalized group are able to feel a sense of connectedness in the athletics and greater university environment; athletic departments commit to major organizational change that values diversity and inclusion; and through its commitment, a culture of inclusive excellence is felt by all students, faculty, staff and athletic administrators and coaches. Keywords: Black female college athletes, college sport, intercollegiate athletics, sense of belonging, diversity and inclusion, inclusive excellence
Highlights
Two-thousand seventeen demarked a significant year for Black female professionals in intercollegiate athletics
Black female participant representation coupled with their coach and administrator representation give rise to the limited peers and personnel to support and guide their matriculation efforts, especially in Historically White Institution of Higher Education (HWIHE) that lack a critical mass of Black female students, faculty, and staff
Prior to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)’s report, Abney and Richey (1991) examined the state of Black female administrators and coaches and found that they experienced access and treatment discrimination based on their race and sex, political and social ideologies rooted in hegemonic traditions, and a lack of representation and/or persons with the cultural competence to be sensitive to marginalized persons
Summary
Two-thousand seventeen demarked a significant year for Black female professionals in intercollegiate athletics. Staley is a former Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) female athlete of the year from the University of Virginia (1991, 1992), a three-time member of the United States Olympic team (1996 – Atlanta, Georgia, 2000 – Sydney, Australia, 2004 – Athens, Greece), and a former Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player (Charlotte Sting, Houston Comets). Similar to Staley, Williams is a former All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball guard and coach at the University of Georgia – Athens (UGA) as well as a seasoned administrator in intercollegiate athletics at the university (Florida State University, Vanderbilt University, UGA), conference (SEC), and national organization (NCAA) levels. As the director of TIDES, Dr Richard Lapchick and his colleagues at the University of Central Florida awarded intercollegiate athletics, i.e., College Sports, a C+ grade for racial and gender hiring practices (Lapchick et al, 2017). The purpose of this research note is to urge intercollegiate athletic departments and their administrators to foster a sense of belonging amongst Black female college athletes to aid in their felt membership as a college athlete and support their development as viable employment candidates in college sport
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