A Place of Opportunity

Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at a Historically Black University

Authors

  • Joseph N. Cooper University of Georgia
  • Billy Hawkins University of Georgia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1123/jis.5.2.170

Keywords:

Black male student athletes, academic achievement, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify key factors associated with the academic achievement and positive college experiences among Black male student athletes at a Historically Black University (HBU) in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). A concurrent triangulation exploratory design allowed both qualitative and quantitative data to be collected simultaneously and converged during the analysis phase (Creswell, 2009). Participants in this study included current Black male student athletes who participated in football and men’s basketball at a HBU in the Southeastern U.S. Using aspects of the grounded theoretical approach for analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), the following emergent themes were identified: “You Got a Chance,” “An Opportunity,” “Not Just a Number,” “It’s Hard, But It’s Not Impossible” and “As An Athlete It Makes Your Social Life a Little Easier.” Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

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Author Biographies

  • Joseph N. Cooper, University of Georgia
    The authors are with the Kinesiology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
  • Billy Hawkins, University of Georgia
    The authors are with the Kinesiology Department, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.

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Published

2012-12-01

How to Cite

Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2012). A Place of Opportunity: Black Male Student Athletes’ Experiences at a Historically Black University. Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, 5(2), 170-188. https://doi.org/10.1123/jis.5.2.170