Unmasking Athlete Microaggressions

Division I Student-Athletes’ Engagement With Members of the Campus Community

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore student-athletes’ (n = 122) perceptions of discriminatory acts by professors and other students at a large Division I university in the western United States. The majority of respondents reported either positive or neutral experiences with other campus community members, but a small number described instances where professors and other students questioned their intellectual abilities, academic motivation, or treatment by the university. The author introduces the label “athlete microaggressions” to classify and validate the existence of insensitive and demeaning behaviors directed at student-athletes. The author identifies new directions for future work that builds on this research.