Racial Perceptions of Baseball at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify demographic backgrounds, participation patterns, and racial perceptions of baseball student-athletes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Southeastern United States. HBCUs were selected for this study because of the dearth of research on student-athletes at these institutions. An 11-item questionnaire and a focus group interview were used for data collection. Data were retrieved from student-athletes who participate in baseball at two selected HBCUs in the Southeastern United States. A grounded theoretical approach was used to examine demographic backgrounds, participation patterns, and racial perceptions of baseball student-athletes at HBCUs. The findings from this study revealed that increasing opportunities at all levels for Blacks to succeed in baseball is the most important way to increase Black participation in baseball.

The Perfect Game: An Ecological Systems Approach to the Influences of Elite Youth and High School Baseball Socialization

“…While Sanderson and Baerg (2018) explain how youth and high school baseball players are sub-ject to early professionalization through the inclusion of statistical data at increasingly early ages, the present study seeks to provide an analysis of the systems influencing the socialization process including participation, scouting, and relationships. Relatedly, scholars also have investigated the baseball socialization experiences of Black players in high school as well as those who attended historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in connection to the decline of African-American players (Cooper, et al, 2013;Gawrysiak, 2012). Yet, there is scant research on the elite youth and high school baseball socialization process as a whole and the role of professionalization.…”

Status Report on HBCU Athletics: Participation, Finances, and Student Experiences

“…Baseball was also the focus of a study by Cooper, Gawrysiak, and Hawkins (2013). The researchers, motivated by the documented drop in African American participation in baseball, looked to better understand how HBCU baseball players first became involved in the game, how they encountered and perceived racial issues in baseball, and how they addressed racial participation patterns in baseball.…”

Black Male Student-Athletes’ Academic and Athletic Experiences at HBCUs

“…There are a limited number of data-based studies focused on the experiences of Black male student-athletes on HBCUs campuses (Cooper, Gawrysiak, & Hawkins, 2012;. In the extant research base, albeit limited, researchers have analyzed various psychosocial variables such as aspirations, athletic and racial identities, nurturing, self-concept and selfefficacy affecting Black and other student-athletes at HBCUs (Hale, 1989;Hall, 1997;Hendricks, 2004;Martin, 2009;Steinfeldt, 2007).…”