“It’s Like Being on an Island by Yourself”: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Administrators’ Perceptions of Barriers to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work in Intercollegiate Athletics

Abstract

The emergence of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professionals (i.e., staff with DEI-specific responsibilities) is a fairly recent phenomenon, and research to date has rarely examined the experiences of these DEI administrators despite the fact they are often solely charged with driving DEI within and beyond their department. Utilizing Ahmed’s diversity work framework, this study draws from semistructured interviews with 23 athletic administrators to identify barriers to efforts for driving DEI action in the context of intercollegiate athletics. Five higher-order themes were identified in the data, representing barriers to effective DEI work: (a) structural barriers, (b) cultural barriers, (c) conceptual barriers, (d) emotional barriers, and (e) social/relational barriers. Findings indicate that DEI athletics professionals perceive barriers on multiple levels, from personal levels (emotional and social/relational barriers) to those of a systemic nature (structural, cultural, and conceptual barriers). Limitations, directions for future research, and implications for praxis are discussed.

“My Identity Drives Me in This Space” A Qualitative Examination of Racially Minoritized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Professionals’ Experiences in U.S. Intercollegiate Sport

“…This was largely due to external pressures emerging in a socio-cultural climate that increasingly centered considerations of DEI in public discourse (Keaton, 2020). The current study adds to the emerging research on how DEI professionals with minoritized identities navigate collegiate athletics spaces (Keaton, 2022;Kluch et al, 2022;Wright-Mair et al, 2021;Swim et al, 2022). It provides further empirical understanding of how such sport professionals make meaning of a hegemonic order that marginalizes them as they push for systemic change in an industry that continues to perpetuate persistent barriers to DEI.…”

“…As a result, we included their data in this manuscript. Research results from the larger study are published in Kluch et al (2022), Swim et al (2022), andWright-Mair et al (2021). Per APA guidelines regarding the publication of research from the same data set, we ensured that each of the four papers had a distinct research question, hence providing a unique insight into the overall experiences of DEI professionals in the contemporary cultural climate.…”

Measuring DEI within workplaces: questioning the theoretical, empirical, and practical models

“…Various authors have highlighted barriers to DEI work. A perusal of their findings show certain barriers are common across workplaces while others are more context specific (Beeman, 2021; Kluch et al, 2022; Roberson & Scott, 2022; Spalter-Roth, 2021). While we do not go into discussion on these barriers here, we point out that instruments designed to measure DEI within workplaces should consider capturing the extent to which these barriers are present.…”

Through the Decades: Critical Race Theory and Pathways Forward in Sport Sociology Research

“…We advocate for sport practitioners to think about ways for theory to influence diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices/initiatives (among other avenues of influence). As we enter a new wave of racial consciousness (Howe, 2023), practitioners must not become complacent and allow the symbolic nature of many DEI initiatives (or statements) and DEI leaders (Keaton, 2022b;Kluch et al, 2023) to create a façade that appears to present system challenging solutions. As such, consistent reflection on CRT tenets should inform how the sport industry discusses racial equity and inclusion.…”