The Trajectory of Black Male Athletes

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the dynamic between black male revenue sport athletes and their community. That community includes coaches, referees, media members, spectators. The community also includes professors and non-athlete students - the people they must deal with every day on campus. This paper shows that the relationship can often be a contentious one, motivated by issues of race, masculinity, and academic ability. These issues are not applied to individuals, though. They are often applied to entire groups, such as basketball or football players. As a result, these viewpoints become stereotypes and constructions surrounding the lives of student-athletes. These viewpoints permeate media representations of these athletes. These media representations maintain and build upon previously constructed stereotypes. They are then disseminated across society, forming a cycle of stereotypes.