"It Takes a Village" for African American Male Scholar-Athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the influences of mentors on African American male scholar-athlete success. Participants (N=27) consisted of high achieving African American male student-athletes from four academically rigorous American universities. Participants competed primarily in revenue-generating sports (i.e., men's basketball and football) and were interviewed to obtain a deeper understanding of the role various mentors play in relation to their academic success. By utilizing a phenomenological approach, three major themes emerged: <i>My Parents Always Had High Expectations, I Have Healthy Relationships With My Professors, and No Support From Coaches.</i> Mentorship theories and relevant literature are examined through the African American family influences on sport mobility (Oliver, 1980; Harris, 1994), faculty interaction with African American male student-athletes (Harrison, Comeaux & Plecha, 2006; Comeaux, & Harrison, 2007) and coaching role strain (Edwards, 1973; Coakley, 1994) and interpreted with the findings. Recommendations for faculty, student affairs professionals, athletic administrators and other stake-holders are suggested.