Critical Race Theory: Black Athletic Sporting Experiences in the United States

"Brilliantly penetrating and an exceedingly timely analysis of developments at the interface of sports, race, higher education, and society. An absolute must read for all who seek an in-depth, more contextualized, and reasoned comprehension of race in mainstream collegiate sport and it's all but intractable recapitulation of the structure and dynamics of human relations in the broader American society. A major contribution to the literature on both the application of Critical Race Theory and the Sociology of Sport." (Harry Edwards, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley, USA) "This book is of profound importance to anyone who wants to better understand the issues facing athletes of color within the corporate college sport entertainment complex. In a time when the nation struggles with long-standing and unresolved issues of race generally, and college sport nation faces its own difficult conversations about race, this collection of work from leading sport scholars offers important historical and cultural context to recognize the source of this racial strife and to empower readers to move forward with the hard work of listening to the echoes of the past as they reverberate in the present, seeing the exploitative practices of a college sport system that use the labor of black bodies for profit and gain, and consciously creating pathways to a just future." (Ellen J. Staurowsky, Professor of Sport Management, Drexel University, USA) "Throughout the past eight years, strain and apprehension has stirred up query concerning race relations in the United States. In this edited volume, Hawkins, Carter-Francique and Cooper, challenge conventional wisdom concerning humanism in a comparative analysis. This book has vindicated the treatment of race relations in contemporary times. Comprehensively, this book is a must read and makes an indispensable contribution to social science research on African American Studies." (James L. Conyers, Jr., Director, African American Studies Program, University of Houston, USA) "This book provides a poignant perspective of sport through the intensive lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT). This unique volume offers a glimpse into the unique experiences of Black athletes through the eyes of scholars, many of whom have personal experience in this realm. The unique lens of CRT brings into focus the connection between the Black athletes' experiences and the concerns of racism in the broader Black population. The authors deliver warranted critique of oppressive forces while confirming the obvious indication that Black Athletes Matter!" (Louis Harrison Jr., Professor, The University of Texas at Austin, USA)

This book examines the role of race in athletic programs in the United States. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this volume analyzes sport as the platform that reflects and reinforces ideas about race within American culture, as well as the platform where resistance is forged against dominant racial ideologies.

This book examines the role of race in athletic programs in the United States. Intercollegiate athletics remains a contested terrain where race and racism are critical issues often absent in the public discourse. Recently, the economic motives of intercollegiate athletic programs and academic indiscretions have unveiled behaviors that stand to tarnish the images of institutions of higher education and reinforce racial stereotypes about the intellectual inabilities of Black males. Through the lens of Critical Race Theory (CRT), this volume analyzes sport as the platform that reflects and reinforces ideas about race within American culture, as well as the platform where resistance is forged against dominant racial ideologies.