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

Abstract

Noticeably absent from intercollegiate athletics scholarship has been research focused on athletics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) [Cooper, J. N. (2013). A culture of collective uplift: The influence of a historically black university/college on black male student athletes’ experiences. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 6, 306–331; Gawrysiak, E. J., Cooper, J. N., & Hawkins, B. (2013). The impact of baseball participation on the educational experiences of black student–athletes at historically black colleges and universities. Race Ethnicity and Education, 1–27. doi:10.1080/13613324.2013.792795]. This is likely due in part to the lack of easily accessible descriptive information on HBCU athletics with regard to programs offered, participants, finances, and the student–athlete experience. In an effort to fill this void and stimulate scholarly interest in athletics programs at Black colleges, this report utilizes data from the Equity in Athletics Data Analysis (EADA) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to present a comprehensive picture of the current state of HBCU athletics. Throughout this analysis, policy implications and areas for future inquiry are presented.

Keywords:

• historically black colleges & universities
• student–athlete experience

Notes

1 Throughout this paper, Black and African American are used interchangeably.

2 Track and Field-Combined includes indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and cross country. If an institution fielded any of these three programs, it was considered to have a track program. If an institution fielded all three programs, it was considered to have one track and field program.

3 Due to changes in the EADA reporting form over time for cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field, comparisons between the figures presented in 2003–2004 and 2010–2011 would be inaccurate (Cheslock, 2008). The structure of the 2003–2004 form encouraged the reporting of duplicate counts in the three sports so that one athlete who participated in all three sports was counted three times. The 2010–2011 form, on the other hand, was structured in a way that encouraged unduplicated headcounts for the three sports. This led to significant differences in the reported data in the 2 years that were likely not due to actual changes in participation within the three sports. Therefore track participation is not reported in Table 2.

4 Unweighted data were used for all GOALS analyses. This may result in slightly different results relative to those that would be obtained using the weighted data, which correct for oversampling of certain sports such as football and men's basketball.

5 Because 97% of the schools in the HBCU GOALS sample were NCAA Division I or Division II institutions, it was decided that the non-HBCU comparison groups would only include Divisions I and II colleges and universities.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Willis A. Jones

Willis A. Jones is an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Kentucky. His research examines issues related to the economics of intercollegiate athletics and the educational experiences of student–athletes. Dr Jones also studies Historically Black Colleges and Universities, college rankings, student diversity, and student retention.

Lydia F. Bell

Lydia Bell, PhD, is associate director of research for academic performance at the N.C.A.A., where she assists in development and analysis of research on current and former student–athlete academics and well-being. Prior to the NCAA, Lydia was assistant professor of practice in the University of Arizona's Center for the Study of Higher Education.