Status Report on HBCU Athletics: Participation, Finances, and Student Experiences

Abstract

Noticeably absent from intercollegiate athletics scholarship has been research focused on athletics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) [Cooper, J. N. (2013). A culture of collective uplift: The influence of a historically black university/college on black male student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 306–331; Gawrysiak, E. J., Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2013). The impact of baseball participation on the educational experiences of black student–athletes at historically black colleges and universities. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1–27. doi:10.1080/13613324.2013.792795]. This is likely due in part to the lack of easily accessible descriptive information on HBCU athletics with regard to programs offered, participants, finances, and the student–athlete experience. In an effort to fill this void and stimulate scholarly interest in athletics programs at Black colleges, this report utilizes data from the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to present a comprehensive picture of the current state of HBCU athletics. Throughout this analysis, policy implications and areas for future inquiry are presented.