“It’s Not Just About Competition – It’s Ceremony”: Introducing the Embedded Indigeneity Framework for Understanding Identity, Mission, and Practice in TCU and NASNTI Athletics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17161/jis.v19i3.24806Keywords:
organizational operations, Special Mission Institutions, IndigeneityAbstract
This study introduces the Embedded Indigeneity Framework to examine how Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTIs) integrate Indigenous identity into athletics operations. Sport management scholarship often centers Power Five institutions and market logics, marginalizing Special Mission Institutions and their cultural foundations. As a result, institutionally specific nuances are often not considered when exploring the experiences and approaches of practitioners within these spaces. Using an inductive thematic analysis approach (Naeem et al., 2023), this study analyzes practitioner narratives to develop a framework grounded in five interconnected themes: Cultural Representation and Recognition, Structural Support and Educational Opportunity, Educational Opportunity and Structural Support, Personal and Historical Identity Integration, and Navigating Organizational Tensions. Guided by decolonial and social justice lenses, the framework highlights how indigeneity is not merely acknowledged but embedded across organizational life. By illuminating the relationship between identity, mission, and practice, this study expands the boundaries of sport organization scholarship and affirms the value of culturally grounded and justice-oriented approaches to intercollegiate athletics.
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