“More than an athlete”: How Black student-athletes use navigational capital to transition to life after sport

ABSTRACT

Using community cultural wealth as a framework, we explored the post-collegiate transitions of 20 Black student-athletes following the completion of their undergraduate career. We were particularly interested in understanding how participants leveraged different forms of cultural wealth. Four themes emerged from our data analysis: (1) aspirations beyond the game; (2) familial lessons and values; (3) proving and persisting as acts of resistance; and (4) social relationships and influences. These themes highlight important considerations and sources of support as participants’ time as an athlete came to a close. This article concludes with implications for scholars who study this population, and practitioners who are tasked with preparing student-athletes for transitioning out of sport participation.

KEYWORDS:

• Career development
• identity
• race
• community cultural wealth
• student-athletes
• transition
• student-athlete development
• postgraduate

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ezinne Ofoegbu

Ezinne Ofoegbu, Ph.D. recently completed her doctoral studies at North Carolina State University, with a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership, Human and Policy Development. Her scholarship focuses of the intersections of race and gender, particularly the experiences of Black women in various aspects of college athletics and higher education.

Joy Gaston-Gayles

Joy Gaston Gayles, Ph.D. is a Professor of Higher Education and Senior Advisor for Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within the College of Education at North Carolina State University. Dr. Gayles' research focuses on how college impacts student learning and personal development, primarily student-athletes and women and underrepresented people of color in STEM.

Erianne Weight

Erianne A. Weight, Ph.D., M.B.A. is an Associate Professor and Graduate Coordinator of Sport Administration, and Director of the Center for Research in Intercollegiate Athletics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She focuses on data-driven decision making and increasing quantity and quality of sport educational experiences.