Student Athlete Stereotypes

I. Recognizing how student-athletes respond to stereotypes
a. Athletes face challenges daily they step out on their court or field, either challenges for themselves or challenges from other teams. Athletes enjoy the challenge.
b. While athletes expect challenges on the field, they also face challenges in the classroom. This population differs greatly from their non-athletes counterparts, therefore requiring different needs and accommodations.
II. The challenge to break stereotypes motivate athletes
a. Similar to their athletic challenges, student-athletes want to become more than what their stereotypes derive them to be.
i. When stigmatized, individuals become highly invested in their performance (Stone et al., 2012) ii. Student-athletes are

“African-American male student-athletes who had high opinions of their racial group were significantly more likely to have higher levels of academic self-concept” (Fuller, 2017, p. 410).
1. Academic self-concept is the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that students hold about their academic ability, skill set, and performance (Fuller, 2017, p. 408)
b. Much like an athletic competition, the academic challenges were no match for the persistence of student-athletes.
c. While this persistence toward their educational endeavors create successful students, many student-athletes are underrated in their roles after graduation.
III. Opportunities for athletes after their athletic career
a. The label student-athlete separates this population from their colleagues as well as limiting the opportunities for student-athletes due to the stereotypes attached.
i. “The present evidence for stereotype threat also challenges the NCAA’s assumption that the label ‘student-athlete’ provide a buffer against traditional divide between academics and athletes for African-American college athletes who are motivated to succeed in school” (Stone et al, 2012, p.

While athletes are aware of negative stereotypes, they took control over their own images to defy and by successful academically (Haslerig, 2017).
b. While negative stereotypes might be limiting for college athletes, many athletes take the opportunity as a challenge to overcome and succeed.
c. The lack of opportunities for student-athletes originates from the negative stereotypes as well as the lack of services from outside programs on campus.
IV. The needs of the population
a. Division I athletic programs offer additional services to their athletes, however, unique services from other programs on campus can better serve this population of students.
i. “African-American students who were members of academic honor societies were more likely than other Black students to view themselves as ‘cool’ or popular” (Martin et al., 2010, p. 146) ii. Although all athletes receive equal services, “black athletes appeared to be less likely to seek advising help outside of athletics” (Haslerig, 2017, p. 336). iii. “Academic functioning of African-American students is a complex interplay between psychosocial variables (among others) and the college environment” (Fuller, 2017, p.