Rhema Fuller, Kwame Agyemang

Abstract: After a period of silence (Agyemang et al., 2010), recent years have seen an increase in Black athletes addressing social and political issues. However, most scholarly inquiry and media coverage on black athlete activism tends to focus on high-profile Olympic, professional, and college athletes (e.g., Schmittel & Sand-erson, 2015). Consequently, the role of activism in less-visible black athletes remains under-examined. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 NCAA Division III black male athletes to begin to understand their perceptions related to activism. Results revealed that participants believed athletes had a responsibility to be involved in activism, yet most were not. Furthermore, some participants believed their coaches and administrators would not be supportive of their involvement in social and political causes due to concerns about the “image” it would portray. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed and avenues for future research are provided.

Keywords: activism, college athletics, black athletes, social change, activist

Citation: Fuller, R., & Agyemang, K. (2018). An examination of activism and NCAA Division III Black male athletes. International Journal of Sport Management, 19(2), 186-206.

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