NAVIGATING RACE AND RACISM IN THE INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CAREER PIPELINE: A CRITICAL RACE METHODOLOGY STUDY OF BLACK DIVISION I POWER FOUR GRADUATE ASSISTANTS

Abstract

This qualitative study interrogates how race and racism shape Black Division I Power Four (DIP4) intercollegiate athletic graduate assistants’ (IAGAs) navigation of and progression through the intercollegiate athletic pipeline (IACP). Guided by critical race theory (CRT) in education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995) and critical race methodology (CRM) (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) as mutually reinforcing theoretical and methodological frameworks, this study centers the stories of 11 Black DIP4 IAGAs as legitimate sources of knowledge that challenge dominant narratives about career progression and mobility in intercollegiate athletics. This study employs “telling other people’s stories” as a method of counter-storytelling (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002), through which six themes emerged from participants’ narratives: (1) Standing alone: Navigating the “ivory tower” in college athletics, (2): Holding back: Navigating anti-black racial microaggressions, (3) Disrupting the dominant narratives of meritocracy and equal access in the intercollegiate athletic pipeline, (4) Getting in and not fitting in: Racialized barriers to integration and belonging, (5) Challenging dominant narratives of graduate assistantships as pathways to skill development and career preparation, and (6) Restricted access: Supervisors as gatekeepers of professional development. Through their stories, participants reveal how racism shapes their day-to-day experiences in DIP4 athletic departments, experiences that are largely untold. Furthermore, through their narratives, participants bring forward voices that have been silenced, opening space to challenge dominant narratives in intercollegiate athletics regarding access, entry, and progression through the IACP. This study contributes to existing literature by expanding understanding of how race, racism, intersecting forms of oppression, and anti-blackness shape the early-career experiences of Black DIP4 IAGAs. It also positions the GA role as a critical pre-career stage that should be recognized as part of the IACP, demonstrating how graduate assistantships function as important access points into intercollegiate athletics.