{"id":56,"date":"2026-05-21T23:38:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prorelocationteam.com\/?p=56"},"modified":"2026-05-21T23:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T23:38:37","slug":"how-black-male-college-athletes-deal-with-anti-black-stereotypes-on-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prorelocationteam.com\/?p=56","title":{"rendered":"How Black male college athletes deal with anti\u2011Black stereotypes on\u00a0campus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

In an effort to avoid stereotypes about Black male athletes, such as being labeled a \u201cdumb jock,\u201d Spike, a college football player, says he wore athletic clothes to class as little as possible. <\/p>\n

Read more Students with disabilities often left on the sidelines when it comes to school\u00a0sports<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, granted, I\u2019m a 6-foot-4, 240-pound Black kid on campus, so it\u2019s kind of hard to get away from that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t want any, you know, significant confirmation that I was an athlete. So, I just wore like a collared shirt, jeans and nice shoes every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trey, a baseball player, refrained from speaking up or sharing personal information \u2013 even with his teammates. <\/p>\n

He said he was often \u201coutnumbered in opinion\u201d as he was one of two Black athletes on a team of 40, which led to him \u201cnot even wanting to speak up\u201d about issues that may cause conflict with others. \u201cI\u2019m a Black student-athlete and, like, that already makes me have to carry myself a different way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a professor of sport management who researches the experiences of Black male college athletes. During the 2020-21 academic year, I interviewed 16 Black male college athletes at Division I colleges across the U.S. I wanted to know how they changed their behavior to navigate stereotypes about them. <\/p>\n

I also asked participants, who competed in numerous sports \u2013 including football, baseball, cheer, diving, and track and field \u2013 to record audio diaries about the topic as part of the study.<\/p>\n

I found that these college athletes, at times, went out of their way to change how they present themselves to others in order to avoid anti-Black racism and \u201cdumb jock\u201d stereotypes on campus. At other times, they pushed back against these stereotypes as a form of resistance.<\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t bring up that I am a student-athlete\u2019<\/h2>\n

Self-presentation refers to how someone acts or behaves during social interactions in order to influence how others perceive them. For example, a person may change how they speak, or their word choices, depending on who is around them.<\/p>\n

The Black male college athletes in my study altered their presentation in a number of ways, including their dress or clothing and their speech. They also limited how much information they shared, and at times they hid details about their identity.<\/p>\n

Marc, another football player, reflected on how being a Black male college athlete affected how he spoke \u2013 both the frequency and delivery \u2013 during class. \u201cYou have to be, like, more engaged,\u201d he said. \u201cYou got to assert yourself more and you got to be more analytic about things.\u201d<\/p>\n

These adjustments were not restricted to academic environments. Marc was also careful about what information he shared in various athletic settings, too. \u201cYou do not really talk about personal stuff or anything like that,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Participants did not want their vulnerabilities used against them by their coaches or academic advisers.<\/p>\n

Another strategy Black male college athletes used was hiding details about their identity \u2013 most often their athletic identity. Tyler, a track athlete, noted, \u201cI try to make sure I don\u2019t bring up that I am a student-athlete. I\u2019m just trying to build my identity away from the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Black students, white campuses<\/h2>\n

Black men represent about 6% of total college students in U.S. four-year public institutions. Yet at Division I schools, the highest level of college athletic competition, they represent roughly 45% of football players and 51% of men\u2019s basketball players. <\/p>\n

Read more Student\u2011athletes find more power in the changing legal landscape of college\u00a0sports<\/a><\/p>\n

Overall, Black men represent 12% of all Division I college athletes, excluding historically Black colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at Power Five schools, where college football is a big-time business, as many as 1 in 6 Black male students are athletes, compared with 1 in 50 white students. <\/p>\n

The vast majority of Division I schools are predominantly white institutions. Their athletic departments, including coaching staffs and administrators, are overwhelmingly white. For example, 78% of Division I athletic directors, 81% of head coaches, 68% of assistant coaches and 90% of head athletic trainers are white. <\/p>\n

Similar to their athletic experience, these athletes do not see many other Black people across campus. Faculty on these campuses are 93% non-Black.<\/p>\n

Racism and discrimination<\/h2>\n

It is well documented that Black male college athletes experience racism and discrimination while attending these predominantly white schools. This includes, for example, unequal enforcement of school policies and less access to educational opportunities. <\/p>\n

They are discriminated against for being Black, for being Black males and for being athletes. Although touted for their physical prowess, Black male athletes are often labeled \u201cdumb jocks\u201d \u2013 their intelligence somehow discredited by their physical stature.<\/p>\n

They are sometimes seen by students, faculty, staff and even fans as lacking the intellectual ability and motivation to succeed academically. They are characterized as illegitimate students who undermine the academic mission of the university and receive special treatment. <\/p>\n

One study found that professors and academic counselors had lower academic expectations of Black college athletes compared with their white counterparts and that these athletes lacked autonomy in making academic decisions. Academic counselors often selected their courses, as opposed to the athletes registering themselves, which made the athletes feel powerless.<\/p>\n

Another study found that faculty members were more likely to attribute Black male college athletes\u2019 success to policies, such as affirmative action, instead of their merits, as they did for white athletes.<\/p>\n

Resisting societal pressure<\/h2>\n

Not all the athletes altered their behavior or appearance to avoid anti-Black stereotypes. Keyvon, a football player, expressed that he presents himself authentically in predominantly white spaces as a way to \u201capply pressure\u201d and force people to get comfortable with his Blackness. <\/p>\n

Being a big-time college athlete indeed presents privileges, such as a pseudo-celebrity status, which at times can shield Black male college athletes from the impact of stereotypes and anti-Blackness. However, this is often the case solely when Black males perform well in their sport. <\/p>\n

Sport performance should not determine how people treat Black male college athletes. Nor should Black male college athletes be placed in a box when it comes to how they present themselves, or risk anti-Black discrimination if they express themselves authentically. Ultimately, Black male college athletes will present themselves in a manner they deem appropriate \u2013 whether that aligns with what society expects or not.<\/p>\n

Read more High school sports are losing athletes to private clubs, but schools can keep them by focusing on character development<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Black male athletes at Division I schools say they alter their speech, dress and other behaviors to gain acceptance in mostly white academic and athletic settings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[193,192,182,194,183,92,190,169,191],"class_list":["post-56","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-anti-black-racism","tag-athletes","tag-college-athletics","tag-college-basketball","tag-college-football","tag-higher-ed-attainment","tag-racism","tag-sports","tag-stereotypes"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Black male college athletes deal with anti\u2011Black stereotypes on\u00a0campus - Pro Relocation Team<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/prorelocationteam.com\/?p=56\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Black male college athletes deal with anti\u2011Black stereotypes on\u00a0campus - 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